Lara: Rotation Has Been Beneficial

When he took over the captaincy for a third time at the start of the Digicel Home series, Brian Lara suggested that against the weak Zimbabwe team, several players should be used. This perhaps went against previous arguments that the inconsistent performance of the West Indies team was a direct result of not giving players a long enough run.

But today in Kingston at the press conference to launch the series against India, the West Indies captain says rotation has been beneficial.

"Good teams around the world rotate to rest players. We rotated to see other players, to get a better look," said Lara, who went on to use wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh Jr as an example. "In a team that was winning, maybe he wouldn't have gotten this chance to get an opportunity. He came in and grabbed it with both hands and here he is today, our number one 'keeper in terms of the one-day starting team," the captain said.

Lara also spoke about the experimentation with the batting order which involved him coming in at number six in the first two ODIs against Zimbabwe. "We have had a couple of guys opening the batting. We have shifted around the middle order to see how guys proved themselves. It has definitely been beneficial."

In all, the West Indies used 17 players in the series against Zimbabwe. Except Tino Best, all 17 played at least two matches.

However, Lara doesn't see the rotation policy being carried into the series against India. He hinted that the batting line-up for the first two ODIs, which get underway at Sabina Park on Thursday, will be one that will remain for a few matches.

"We're playing against a top team and you have to take that into consideration. If you start off on a winning note, you don't want to experiment too much," the West Indies captain said. He said the team will be looking to "get set, lay a foundation in terms of a win and carry it on from there."

Rahul Dravid, his Indian counterpart, also agrees that rotation for the sake of experimentation is a good policy. "It has benefited our team as well. We are trying to be flexible in order to develop an all round squad," Dravid said.

With prolific opener Sachin Tendulkar being out with an injury, the captain himself has opened the batting on a number of occasions. "Sachin's injuries opened up a spot and we would see how it goes with me. I've had a bit of success, and we will continue with that for a while," Dravid told reporters.

India has a young crop of exciting fastbowlers. The team's coaching staff is hoping that the experience and exposure they gain from this series will aid in their development. However, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, the 23 year old who impressed with the ball against England, is doubtful for the start of the series due to an injury.

Squads:

West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Christopher Gayle, Runako Morton, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh Jr (wicketkeeper), Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo and Dave Mohammed.

India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao, MS Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, and Munaf Patel.