India will look to leave England debacle behind
It is a year in which India won the World Cup and, like in 1983, the West Indies team is here again. The sands of time have altered the cricketing hierarchy and, unlike that time when Kapil Dev held aloft the coveted cup, the current West Indies team is no patch on the riches that the then vanquished Clive Lloyd's team possessed.
India's joy of winning the World Cup in 1983, was squashed by the West Indies that exacted immediate retribution and clinched the six-match Test series 3-0. Sunil Gavaskar went past Sir Don Bradman's 29 Test centuries to offer some cheer.
Cutting to the present, Sachin Tendulkar needs another ton to achieve the mind-boggling figure of 100 international hundreds.
The context has now changed as the rivals square up in a three-match Test series commencing with the first game at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground here on Sunday.
India will try and get back on the road towards the No.1 slot while the West Indies hopes to stick to its redemptive path seeped equally in hope and nostalgia.
“The team saw the Fire in Babylon film, and the guys would have seen the (West Indies cricket) history and what it represents. We have to be fearless,” Darren Sammy said.
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India will have two debutants in its line-up as R. Ashwin and Umesh Yadav are likely to get the nod, and how the duo shape up along with Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha will determine the way the Test unravels over the next few days. In its immediate past, the West Indies has remained competitive while drawing 1-1 with Pakistan and then losing 0-1 to India in the Caribbean Islands.
And last week, Sammy's squad put it past Bangladesh at Dhaka to earn a 1-0 victory.
These candidates freshly exposed to Indian Test conditions, also need to pick veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul's brains.
Sammy does have a fine set of bowlers, though, with him being the first-change in the attack, he can only pick two from among Ravi Rampaul, Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who won the ICC's Emerging Player award, will complete the quartet.
Much is expected from Bishoo as he returns to his ancestors' land that is laced with the warm tales of many spin legends.
The teams: India: M S Dhoni (captain & wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R. Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Sharma. Coach: Duncan Fletcher.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wicket-keeper), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels and Shane Shillingford. Coach:Ottis Gibson.
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena & Rod Tucker; Third umpire: Sudhir Asnani;Match referee: Jeff Crowe.
Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.; 12.10 p.m. to 2.10 p.m.; 2.30 p.m. to close.
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