West Indies First Test Grades

The first Test match ended Friday with the West Indies yet again coming out on the short end of an overseas encounter. While this loss was as troubling as the others that preceded it, in that the West Indies did not show any fight, or any willingness to do so after the second day, the pitch while not a minefield, was tailor-made for the Indian Spinners, with the Indian wicket-keeper Patel, having to continuously take deliveries from the spinners above his head.

In such an environment, the West Indian bats were clearly overmatched, and it would have taken Kanhai, Sobers, Kallicharran, Lloyd and Richards to fight their way back into this match. So without further ado, here are the performance grades of the West Indies players.

After two long days in the field, Chris Gayle and his opening partner Wavell Hinds had to be feeling the effects of the leather chase and the heat. The result, an extravagant swish across the line, resulting in an LBW decision. In the West Indies second, Gayle did battle well against the Indian attack, but never really looked convincing against the spinners. Hopefully the pitch for the next test will be better than this one, and Gayle would be able to improve upon his performance.

GRADE: C-



WAVELL HINDS:
Like Chris Gayle, Wavell also struggled in the first and was perhaps a bit too conscious of the need to bat out the last session of day two. As a result, his ultra cautious approach proved his undoing. In the second, he counter attacked effectively until he got too far inside one from Harbajan that spun back. Hinds gets extra credit for batting out of his natural number three position. Once the maelstrom that is WI cricket settles, it would be good to see how he would perform batting at number three.

GRADE: C



RAMNARESH SARWAN:
Having scored a century in the warm-up game leading up to the test match, a lot was expected of Ronnie Sarwan. Again, he flattered to deceive. Looking overmatched by both Kumble and the occasion, one
wonders if a certain Bollywood film star has managed to disturb Sarwan's focus. In any even it was Kumble who had him trapped in the crease in the first inning and Kumble again who so restricted him, that at the first appearance of a ball that appeared to be there for the drive, he unleashed an extravagant shot only for the ball to lob to cover.

For a batsman that oozes talent, continuous soft outs like this speaks to a greater problem, maybe between the ears. It was disturbing to watch Bangar, he of the 127.5 km deliveries, continuously bounce to Sarwan and have him bobbing and weaving. One yearns for a Richie Richardson or a Viv Richards who would have deposited any such Bangar delivery 20 yards deep in the stands.

GRADE: F



SHIVNARINE CHANDERPAUL:
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, epitomized what batting under difficult conditions should be all about. His batting in both innings should be recorded and preserved and used as an instructional tool to all
prospective West Indian players. Playing well within his limitations and punishing anything loose, Chanders continued his mastery of the Indian bowling attack. Grafting his way to good scores in both innings, and showing that as difficult as the conditions may have been, with a little bit of application, it could have been overcome.

GRADE: A



CARL HOOPER:
Hooper failed to lead from the front yet again. After marshalling his troops well on day two when the game was threatening to turn into a rout, he had the bowlers bowling the right line, used them judiciously, and was able to hold India to a manageable 457. He then threw it all away in the first when, threatening to get on top of the bowling, and with only him and Chanderpaul remaining of the recognized batsmen, he contrived to fall into the trap set by Zaheer Khan.

Hooper has to realize his role as Captain, and that is extreme circumstances deserve extreme measures. In the circumstances, he should not have been hooking, but looking to consolidate and rebuild the
innings. Had he stayed with Chanderpaul for the entire session, the outcome of this match may well have been different.

GRADE: F



RYAN HINDS:
The youngster was clearly overmatched. He seemed clueless against the spinners, which makes one wonder, what all the fuss is about? He is billed as an all-rounder but clearly his bowling is not up to test standard. The selectors need to get him back to the bench for retooling, and in the meantime, either use Marlon Samuels or Darren Ganga. Normally an outstanding fielder, he also had a very bad miss of Shrinath on day two that helped to prolong the Indian innings.

GRADE: F



RIDLEY JACOBS:
Ridley Jacobs - Clearly, Ridley Jacobs seems to have outlived his usefulness and doesn't seem interested. His wicket-keeping seems to have fallen off, and he too like Ryan Hinds, seemed pretty clueless against the spinners. Batting at seven in the order means that he will be fed a steady diet of spinners, which doesn't bode well for Ridley and the West Indies. They need his bat if they are to reconfigure the team to a four prong pace attack. His miss of Tendulkar off Nagamootoo on day one was
inexcusable. The fact that Viv Richards is traveling with the team means that just maybe the WICB could have stood the expense to send along another wicket-keeper (Wayne Philip) as cover.

GRADE: F



MAHENDRA NAGAMOOTOO:
After starting shakily, Mahendra slowed down the speed of his deliveries and was able to extract some turn out of the pitch, which enabled him to pick up 3 for 132 off 47 overs. Not great figures, but he put in the work, and was able to restrain the Indian batting lineup when they were threatening to run rampant on day two. He also showed a willingness to hang around at the wicket, and this is encouraging. He however, needs to improve on his bowling if he is to become a fixture in this team.

GRADE: C+



PEDRO COLLINS:
The left-arm pacer bowled with some fire in spurts, but largely without luck. He also dropped a sitter of a catch. The fact that he did not take any wickets does not bode well for the West Indies pace attack, as he seemed to be improving in leaps and bounds against New Zealand.

GRADE: C-



MERV DILLON:
Dillon showed on day two, why he is head and shoulders above the other quicks. He bowled very probing spells against the Indian batsmen, and was able to produce wicket-taking deliveries, which on these Indian wickets is of utmost importance. Played his role as night watchman to the hilt on day 2
and even added some lusty blows of his own on the resumption.

GRADE: B-



CAMERON CUFFY:
Cuffy continues to show no effort, no desire, and no reason why he should continue beyond this test match. Dubbed "Mr. Line and nothing else" by one wag, Cuffy's game is best suited to one day appearances where tight, non-threatening bowling is more appreciated. In this version of the game,
the West Indies needs match winning bowlers who will make incisive strikes.

GRADE: F