Rejuvenated Indian team ready to launch West Indies campaign

GROS ISLET - The four-day break could serve as a fresh impetus for the travel-weary Indian cricket team to relaunch their West Indies campaign in the last two one-day internationals slated for Friday and Sunday.

Both teams are locked 1-1 in the four match ODI series and the Beausejour Cricket Ground is all set to host the last two ODIs of the series.

The West Indies have certainly been the better team in the first two matches at Sabina Park in Kingston. They threatened to chase a target of 340 runs in the first ODI before India managed to pull it off just in time for a 20-run victory. The visitors won the second ODI with a comfortable eight wicket victory to draw level. It could have been worse for India, but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s dogged 95 saved the team from falling below-100.

In both matches, there was nothing to suggest that it is the same Indian team that won 15 of their 18 previous matches before arriving in the Caribbean. Barring Yuvraj Singh, who stroked a brilliant 100 in the first ODI, and Dhoni, the rest of the batting line-up lacked application to tackle either swinging or short pitched deliveries.

West Indies and England bowlers exposed Indian batsmen’s weakness against short bowling in the World Twenty20 where Dhoni’s outfit were out of the Super Eights after losing to these two teams.

West Indies effected the same plan to good use through fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Ravi Pampaul in the second ODI.

Dinesh Karthik, who is filling the opener’s slot in absence of injured Virender Sehwag, is still to make a mark while his partner Gautam Gambhir’s purple patch is over and looks clearly out of sorts.

Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are also struggling and that has put more pressure on Yuvraj and Dhoni to first resurrect the innings and then launch an attack.

The bowling attack also need to get its act together as the West Indies came dangerously close to chase a 300 plus target in the first match.

For West Indies, skipper Chris Gayle’s form is heartening. In the second ODI, his blitz knock dashed hopes of any comeback of the Indian team.

Their new ball bowlers Taylor and Rampaul have found that the Indian batsmen are vulnerable to short-pitched deliveries.

But Dhoni has already warned his boys to watch out for these two fast bowlers and the break will see whether the Indian team has found any new strategy to tackle them.

West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard Jr, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Subramaniam Badrinath, Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Murali Vijay.