India v West Indies - 3rd Test, Day 1

Chanderpaul inspects his injuyed calf

To say that the West Indies could do without Shivnarine Chanderpaulwould would always seem to be a statement laced with Caribbean bravado. The 137 Test veteran is one of only three current international players likely to pass the magical ten thousand run mark in Tests in the next twelve months. The others, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene are, like him, in their very dim final days in the game. Chanderpaul is second only to Brian Lara among West Indian run scorers and at a healthy average that sits just below fifty, but its his experience that is missed most these days, as no West Indian has played as much cricket at this level. A leg strain, sustain when batting in the 2nd Test at Kolkata ruled him out of the starting line up in Mumbai. Kemar Roach, full of promise but under preforming in the four Tests since an eight month break from the team, is also out of the game with the wrong type of runs.

The Windies are left with a top six which has 69 matches between them and more than half of those come from  Marlon Samuels, a man who has been in and out of the team more often than a nervous worm in a field of magpies. Of course, it may not be a matter of how many but how good. Lara made his epic 277 in Sydney in his fifth Test; Greenidge made 93 and 107 in his first; Viv made 192x in his second; Clive Lloyd 118 in his fourth; Walcott 152 in his fifth; Richardson hundreds in his fourth and fifth. Of course it took Gary Sobers seventeen Tests for his first hundred: the then world record 365 not out against Pakistan at Sabina Park. Of those, Greenidge, Richards and Walcott scored their hundreds in India and Sobers in Pakistan.

How good are this new breed?

The first days play certainly gives a strong indication that the West Indies may finally be starting to get things right after a protracted dispute with the lavishly self-indulged former skipper, Chris Gayle. After his prolonged exclusion from the team, selectors and players alike have moved on. Its unlikely he'll ever be invited to play in Test colours again and frankly, West Indies cricket will be no worse off. The West Indies board have handled the matter abysmally but the end result has been to bring the cream to the top.

Kieran Powell, who has opened in Tests, came into the middle order in place of Chanderpaul and Ravi Rampaul was back for Roach. The Indian dropped Yuvraj Singh, whose star has fallen since the World Cup and Umesh Yadav is injured, giving a debut to Varun Aaron.

Brathwaite & Barath ackowledge
their century opening stand

West Indies won the toss and openers Adrian Barath and Kraigg Brathwaite set the tone with a careful batting display until lunch. Barath, who has often been criticised for the avante garde nature of his batting at the top of the order showed great restraint and Brathwaite was his usual study in compact defence. By lunch, no Indians had made an impression and the West Indies had achieved their first target, to be none down at the long break. The ball was out of shape and replaced in only the fifth over and Ohja was into the attack in the ninth. Aaron opened the bowling with an accurate six over spell for just 15 before being replaced by Ishant Sharma who had taken the new ball first. Ravi Ashwin was into the attack after twenty overs but none of it made any difference to the openers.

After lunch, Brahwaite looked the more likely to go, having three close calls against the spinners but surviving to bring up his half century and the pair posted a hundred opening stand. Barath was looking fluent: the benefit of spending time at the crease. In the last half hour before tea, both were gone. Barath lost his footwork and inside edged Ashwin onto his pad for Dhoni to hold an easy catch and and Brathwaite finally ran out of luck when a dipping off break from Ashwin brushed his glove and then went to pad for a pop up catch to Kohli at short leg. At 2-150, it was a good start which the West Indies have often thrown away in the past but Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo had other ideas.

After getting to tea safe enough, the pair wore the Indians out in the last session, adding 106. Edwards, who grows and grows in skill against the spin, came into the side with confidence and exudes it whilst in the centre. Its the sort of swagger than Sir Viv was famous for and it runs from him and into the hollow, scared places of lesser men, filling them with daring do. His influence on Bravo is already showing dividends.

Edwards raises his 50

Their partnership was not without dangerous moments: batting against Indian spinners with their cobra tricks on their dusty home tracks is not a matter that confidence alone with take care off. Ashwin was and is the biggest danger. He is another in the long line of great Indian spinners. Like Warne, he gets so much rotation on the ball he creates his own swerve and dip and when allied with subtle changes to line and length, a batsman can soon be in the wrong place at the wrong time and either offering up gifts to short leg or hearing MS Dhoni celebrating a stumping behind them.

Edwards kept attacking the spinners but did so with great risk, having half a dozen close calls against Ashwin and Sehwag. Kohli was close to catching him at short leg twice and Ashwin beat him all ends up. The debutante Aaron almost bowled him when he shouldered arms and towards the end of the day, Dhoni floored a difficult chance down the leg side off Sehwag. Standing up, they either stick or they don't.

Bravo drives square on the off

At the other end, Bravo stroked the ball stylishly through the covers, off front and back foot. Again comparisons were being made with Brian Lara, a near sure way to destroy a young batsman's career. His timing is exquisite in that naturally gifted expression of bat over ball that only wristy Indians and confident Caribbean cricketers can (occasionally I litter my letters with alliteration). He gave his only chance to Rahul Dravid, of all people, the only man with more than two hundred Test catches. With that many, he's caught a lot more than he's dropped but he dropped this one, appearing surprised when it came.

The wicket looks good for batting and the West Indies must profit with interest now they have runs in the bank. Edwards and Bravo need to press on to centuries and one of them needs a big one. There are fast runs in this tail but not many of them and when the same tail bowls, it is limited. Too much will be needed from Davendra Bishoo against a batting line up which will be bristling for a long work out.

See also "The Thoughts Of Chairman Baz" for a discussion of where Australia is heading.