In the days and then the hours leading up to the beginning of this much-anticipated series between West Indies and India here in the Caribbean, it had the feel of that tense build-up to a heavyweight boxing match that was to feature two talented boxers who did not know too much about each other; one somewhat more battle-tested than the other and with a better record, and the other, a worthy challenger with some pedigree and the benefit of good home-cooking.
And so it was as the first round unfolded with Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara, two of the most gifted batsmen of the modern era with the considerable experience of more than 550 ODIs between them, leading their teams into battle. Both teams appeared somewhat tentative as they sparred with each other. By the end of the round, no knockout punches were thrown, but India took round one by a whisker as they eked out victory off the penultimate ball of the match.
West Indies played well but not well enough to win. They were outplayed but not outclassed. In the bitter end, they appeared to have been done in by a lack of experience, which was manifested in a plethora of fielding lapses at inopportune times, including dropped catches and missed run-out opportunities. The Windies attack, apart from Ian Bradshaw, produced far too many short-pitched deliveries and at other times they tended to bowl to the strength of the Indian batsmen on the leg-side.
Although the potentially explosive India batting line-up did not fire on all cylinders in the opening salvo, they were superbly shepherded by their cool, calculated captain, who as is his wont, led majestically from the front. Throughout his illustrious career, Rahul has exemplified the class of India’s great batsmen and whether it is Eden Gardens or Sabina Park, he is very much at home with his laser-like concentration and cultured stroke-play. Everyone else in his charge appeared to be not yet well acclimatized in the early going. But I get the sense that the battles will intensify as the series progresses.
For the return bout at Sabina today, West Indies could very well make a few changes. Perhaps pacer Corey Collymore, an economical and at times quite a penetrative seamer, might replace his countryman Fidel Edwards. Young quickie Jerome Taylor’s well bowled final two overs in game one may just have secured him a place in the final XI again before his home crowd in the second match. I would not be surprised to see talented all-rounder Dwayne Smith come into the side for Marlon Samuels. Smith is a superb striker of the ball on his day and has recently shown that he could be quite a productive strike bowler, and is of course one of the best fieldsmen in the Windies squad.
Ironically, Harbajan Singh’s excellent spell of bowling on Thursday may just have won left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed a place in the West Indies team come Saturday. If the 2nd ODI is played on the same track, it might be useful for them to carry a specialist spinner in the line-up. After game one, West Indies must now feel that they are capable of beating India. But whatever changes if any are made, the home team must bowl a much better line-and-length. They must considerably improve their fielding, catching and out-cricket generally.
