West Indies seek revival at result-inducing Sabina Park
Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph at the Michael Holding End during training. (Photo credit: WICB Media/Philip Spooner)
Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph at the Michael Holding End during training. (Photo credit: WICB Media/Philip Spooner)

 

WEST Indies last beat India in Test cricket in 2002, at Sabina Park in Jamaica. They have had three close Tests since. Two of these three Tests were played in Jamaica.It is the venue that today’s second Test gives them the best chance to compete with India. In the last three Tests between the two sides in Kingston, only once did a team go past 300 and only one of the three Tests entered the fifth day, that too to complete formalities of three remaining wickets. Eighteen years and 15 Tests have gone since a Test was drawn of its own volition in Jamaica.
Sabina Park’s bowler-friendly pitch bridges the gap between the hosts’ attack and India’s; it also draws them out of their bunkers.
On both of India’s last visits to the West Indies, only Sabina Park produced a result. The endeavour has been to stay safe at other venues, and then sneak one up on India in Kingston. This year, though, the Test side has slipped so far, it registered its biggest home defeat on a fairly good batting surface in the series opener in Antigua.
The plan was from the template: a track with no terrors, a side stacked up with batsmen, go to Jamaica 0-0 and then see how India fare against the seaming ball.
It’s a sound plan against a better team, but the problem with defensive cricket is that you have to play it excellently for long periods of time. Neither their batsmen nor their bowlers could do it for nearly long enough; not having a defensive option in Jamaica can only do them good now.
India’s batsmen came through way better when they were stalled through defensive lines in Antigua. This will be a different Test match.
While not a scary proposition, West Indies have reinforced their attack, adding Under-19 sensation Alzarri Joseph to the squad. The pitch looked neon green two mornings before the Test. India won their last two close Tests here thanks to Rahul Dravid’s masterclass. If West Indies bowlers turn up, India might need something similar from their batsmen.
During the Antigua Test, Darren Bravo became only the 24th West Indies batsman to reach 3 000 career runs. By the end of this series he will have played 46 Tests. Given Marlon Samuels’ indifferent Test career, Bravo should be considered the batting mainstay of this West Indies side. In the Antigua defeat, he happened to play two irresponsible shots: laze angled-bat pushes to short-of-a-length balls well away from his body. West Indies need much better from him.
If it is going to be a green seamer at Sabina Park, it might just be time to dial Ajinkya Rahane, who has been scoring tough runs for India through his career. He was one of India’s two specialist batsmen to fall to legbreak long hops in Antigua. There might not be room for such concentration breaks in Jamaica, especially if he is India’s last specialist batsman again.
Even if West Indies had managed to draw Antigua through defensive tactics, it was always expected they would strengthen their attack, which had only two specialist bowlers in Antigua. That the ploy failed has only reinforced the need for a change in strategy. Either Miguel Cummins, who was in the squad for the first Test, or Joseph, or both, should make it to the XI. Carlos Brathwaite or Jermaine Blackwood or both could sit out. Brathwaite, though, bowled with discipline and scored a valiant half-century in the second innings.
West Indies (probable): Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood/Leon Johnson/Carlos Brathwaite, Shane Dowrich (wkp.), Jason Holder (capt.), Shannon Gabriel, Miguel Cummins/Alzarri Joseph, Devendra Bishoo
M. Vijay has been ruled out with the thumb injury he sustained when he was dismissed on the first morning of the first Test. He played no further part in the match. KL Rahul will slot into the XI in his place. A testing-looking pitch may have sown thoughts of playing an extra batsman at No. 6, but Virat Kohli indicated India would continue with their five-bowler strategy, and said a second spinner may still be required for India to take ten wickets in the second innings.
India (probable): Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt.), Ajinkya Rahane, R. Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wkp.), Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav. (ESPN Cricinfo)

 

 

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