India to experiment against Windies

Ashish Shukla

With two convincing victories under their belt, a confident India look to assert their superiority in the triangular one-day series when they take on the West Indies on Saturday.

The two teams are playing each other after a gap of two years and, with a lot of newcomers in both sides, are unaware of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

India, who have already assured themselves a berth in the final, will like to treat the two matches with the West Indies as a precursor to the title clash which, in all probability, would be played between the same teams.

For the West Indies, who defeated Zimbabwe in the only match they played so far, it is a crucial game because, theoretically, there is still a possibility of their being relegated.

The record is heavily tilted in favour of the West Indies, who have won 40 of the 63 matches played between the two countries, with India winning 21.

India captain Sourav Ganguly, after the last match against Zimbabwe, had said he would like to experiment with the team now that they are through to the final. Some of the players have not got a chance to play and might get their opportunity on Saturday.

Pacemen Debasish Mohanty and Harvinder Singh and all- rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi have not played any match in the series so far and there are indications that all three may be accommodated.

That will mean a well-earned rest for Ashish Nehra and, possibly, Ajit Agarkar and V V S Laxman, who will get more time to let his injured left index finger heal.

Sodhi made his presence on the field in both the games against Zimbabwe, coming on as a substitute fielder, but for Mohanty and Harvinder this will be their first outing.

Nehra has been the most outstanding bowler for India on the tour and has done exceptionally well, both in the Tests and the one-dayers. He has bowled tirelessly and the team would like to preserve his energies for the final.

The batsmen have come up with a satisfactory performance in the series so far, and with Ganguly finally getting runs in the last match, the line-up looks quite formidable. Though Ganguly was patchy in his 85-run innings, the team must be hoping that the captain has finally come out of his prolonged lean form.

The team had some other reasons too to draw satisfaction from. Dinesh Mongia played with a lot of confidence in the last match and vice-captain Rahul Dravid was in ominous touch. Though Hemang Badani and Virendra Sehwag were non-performers with the bat, the two have proved their credentials in limited-overs cricket and can be relied upon to come up with useful knocks.

For these youngsters, this would be their first experience of the famed West Indies pace attack which is quite formidable even in these bad days of West Indian cricket. It would be a test of their technique and temperament when they face the likes of Mervyn Dillon, Reon King and Cameroon Cuffy.

Conversely, it will be interesting to see how the West Indian bowlers fare against the experience and class of Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid, three of the top batsmen in the world in both forms of cricket.

Apart from Cuffy, Dillon and King -- three men who are capable of demolishing any opposition with their pace -- the West Indies have variety in spin too in the form of Mahendra Nagamootoo, a leg-spinner, and captain Carl Hooper, who is very effective with his slow off-spinners.

Though the inspirational Brian Lara is absent, the West Indies have some very competent youngsters and they showed their prowess in the game against Zimbabwe the other day.

Hooper and left-hander Shivnaraine Chanderpaul are the most experienced of the lot and they form the batting mainstay of the team. Openers Chris Gayle and Darren Ganga and Wavell Hinds are very exciting prospects capable of playing big knocks.

The wicket looks perfect for batting and Saturday's game is expected to be a big-scoring one.

Teams (from):
India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, Virendra Sehwag, Samir Dighe, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Harvinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Debasish Mohanty.

West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Darren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Reon King, Cameroon Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Marion Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarawan, Kerry Jeremy.

Mail Cricket Editor