BACK IN ACTION:Kemar Roach, who will replace Ravi Rampaul, could provide greater thrust to the West Indies attack.
St. John's (Antigua): The ‘perfume ball' did not smell good. The mean short-pitched delivery would whistle past the nose of the hapless batsman. It left behind mental scars.
The late Malcolm Marshall once said, “I could see fear in their (the batsmen's) eyes.”
Facing the menacing West Indies pacemen in the Caribbean used to be one of the greatest challenges of the game. Now those magnificent speed merchants from this part of the world have been replaced by pedestrian practitioners of the trade.
Where have those pace predators gone?
Dipping standards
The decline of the West Indian team also reflects the dipping standards in world cricket. A vibrant West Indies is good for the game. The reverse is also true.
On Saturday, the West Indies will fight for survival here in the third ODI of the five-match Digicel series against a second string Indian side. Trailing 2-0, there will be no comebacks for Darren Sammy's men in the event of a defeat.
If one were to be brutally honest, Suresh Raina's young Indian team has not been tested on this ODI campaign. Mere numbers will give an exaggerated account of the cricketers' performance against a struggling outfit.
While the West Indian bowling has been ordinary, the host's batting, lacking character, has been bereft of focus and fortitude.
The Gayle factor
Chris Gayle, the Indian Premier League hero, is not a part of the squad for the third ODI too. Several days have passed but the West Indies Cricket Board, the team-management and Gayle have still not zeroed in on a date for a meeting.
This is astonishing in itself, given the different modes of communication in place in this age. Interestingly, Gayle was in Port of Spain when India faced the West Indies. Yet, the interaction between the different parties in question never happened.
The cricket caravan has now moved to a tiny country that has produced legends. Antigua is the land of Vivian Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Andy Roberts, all sweeping forces of nature.
Presently, there is no cricketer from this island of sunshine and laughter in the West Indies team. Perhaps, this is a sign of the times in the Caribbean.
The Indians, predictably, will move in for the kill. The batsmen have been among the runs with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli coming up with innings that counted for the team. And left-handers, Parthiv Patel and skipper Raina have batted with flair.
Munaf Patel's off-stump line, leg-cut and bounce have delivered for India. And leg-spinner Amit Mishra has flighted and spun the ball both ways with control.
On their part, the West Indian batsmen have made the bowling look better by not being able to rotate the strike. The side concedes dot balls in the middle overs, finds spin hard to cope with, and collapses in the final stretch. Cricket is a lot about planning and execution.
IPL stars Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have hardly made an impact. Ahead of Saturday's contest here, Bravo requested the selection panel for a break from the game and his wish was granted. Jamaican batsman Danza Hyatt has come in as a replacement for Bravo.
Roach returns
Paceman Ravi Rampaul has also been rested. Kemar Roach, who could provide greater thrust to the attack, is back.
Tactically, the West Indies has been found wanting. Skipper Sammy missed a trick by not employing his best bowler, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, more during the critical stages of the Indian chase in the second ODI.
The surface here has traditionally favoured the batsmen. Chasing should be the better option.
The teams:
India (from): S. Raina (captain), S. Dhawan, P. Patel, V. Kohli, S. Badrinath, R. Sharma, Y. Pathan, Harbhajan, A. Mishra, M. Patel, P. Kumar, R. Ashwin, I. Sharma, M. Tiwary, V. Kumar, W. Saha.
West Indies (from): D. Sammy (captain), L. Simmons, K. Edwards, Darren Bravo, R. Sarwan, M. Samuels, K. Pollard, C. Baugh, D. Bishoo, K. Roach, A. Martin, D. Hyatt, A. Russel.
Match starts at 6.30 p.m. (IST).
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