India achieved its primary objective of winning the One Day series against West Indies and in the process also discovered some batting options that give the team a more solid and rounded look.  Hopefully the Sri Lanka series that follows will be used similarly to look for the bowling combination that will not only get wickets but also keep down the runs in limited overs matches especially with the World Cup looming large over the horizon.

 The decision to send Ganguly back to opening the batting and drop Sachin Tendulkar down the order worked very well with both batting splendidly and giving India just the momentum it needed.  Ganguly like Tendulkar is a 10,000 plus runs players in limited overs cricket with a strike rate that is terrific and they have proven a fantastic opening pair in the past. 

In this series though, Tendulkar was batting at the number he occupies for the Test matches and Ganguly had Gambhir and Uthappa as his opening partners.  Gambhir’s tendency to be self-destructive once again surfaced and that’s an area that Uthappa has to watch out for.  Attractive 20s and 30s do not quite serve the purpose and Uthappa must begin to convert the starts he is getting, into major scores.  He is technically sounder than Gambhir and plays more in the areas that openers should be playing at the start of the innings before widening the degree of their shots.  With Uthappa doing well, the obvious question is what happens to Virender Sehwag?  He might have been expecting a call during the One Day series but that didn’t happen and Uthappa’s success means that he will now know that he cannot take his place for granted in the team and that is how it should be with any player however good he may be.  With Tendulkar and Ganguly both playing the Ranji Trophy finals there is scope to rest them from the first One dayer against Sri Lanka and bring back Sehwag in the team. 

 Pathan’s recall for the last one dayer didn’t quite work but he is the kind of cricketer who will give a nice balance to the side.  It’s a pity that Sharma was discarded after just one game because like Pathan he could be the balancing factor in the team.

 The return of the seniors like Ganguly and Kumble does slow things down a fair bit in the field but if used in good positions according to their strengths it can still be worked out in favor of the team.

 In the bowling department Agarkar and Zaheer have combined well and have given the early breakthroughs that are so crucial to a team.  In the spin department all three have done nothing wrong.  Both Harbhajan and Powar can bat usefully down the order if need be.

 India’s win was a revenge of sorts though in sport that is not the correct way to put it.  They certainly gained more from the one day series than the West Indies for they found more options than the Windies did.