A CONFIDENT West Indies team will face a stern test against India in the three-match Test series that will determine whether the West Indians have really improved or whether their recent success against lowly Bangladesh is just small consolation for the beleaguered West Indian fans who have lost much faith in the dismal West Indies team in recent years.
West Indies registered a Test and series victory over Bangladesh in both the One Day Internationals (2-1) and Test (1-0) series in Bangladesh and the WICB officials including President Julian Hunte, dashed off congratulatory messages to members of the team.
Every bit of encouragement is vitally important for the West Indies team members whose lack-lustre performances have been the subject of heated debates across the Caribbean region and further afield where the West Indian Diaspora have settled. Even other cricketing nations, especially former international stars have lamented on the woeful West Indies team performances in all formats of the game especially Test match cricket which is the hallmark for measuring the strength and ranking of their respective nations.
The phenomenal achievements of the once mighty West Indies teams, led by legendary Clive Hubert Lloyd and Sir Vivian Richards, have become distant memories and beacons of hope based on the meek surrender by West Indies team in the last five years or more.
West Indies have produced outstanding captains who themselves were leaders of outstanding abilities compared to the current incumbent Darren Sammy whose pitiful and inadequate returns have become the major talking point among sports the diehard fans and other West Indian sports aficionados.
A leader must be someone whose performances will inspire confidence in his teammates and his command and leadership qualities will further boost and strengthen those under his charge.
Sammy might be speaking the correct political jargon that goes with the job but his limited contributions with both ball and bat have raised the discussion levels to the point where many are convinced that he is the weakest link on the team when he should have been the strongest and to lead by example.
He is fortunate that the younger players; notably Barbadian Kirk Edwards, Trinidadians Ravi Rampaul and Darren Bravo and Guyanese Devendra Bishoo; have demonstrated their undoubted class and confidence to perform at a much more consistent level than the others and have provided ample evidence that with better leadership and much more support from the others that the West Indies team can restore some pride.
Barbadian fast bowler Fidel Edwards also returned to form and spearheaded the bowling attack while Bishoo revelled in the spin-friendly conditions at Dhaka to collect his first five-wicket haul in his short but impressive international career. Both of them will need a fit Rampaul plus Roach to carry the attack of the powerful Indian batting line-up which is probably the strongest among all the Test-playing nations.
Indian will be strengthened with the return of the pugnacious opener Virender Sehwag alongside Gautam Gambhir. Both Sehwag and Gambhir have proved to be India’s best opening pair and they will be supported by Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman; three of the most accomplished middle-order batsmen of contrasting styles who are very effective against all types of bowling attacks on the slowish sub-continental pitches.
That fearsome fivesome will also have either  all-rounder Yuvraj Singh or the in-form Virat Kohli coming in at the pivotal number six position while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will bat at number seven. Those seven comprise the most formidable batting line-up in today’s international cricket. All of them are not in top form at the moment, which would help West Indies’ cause.
But their previous heroic batting deeds make them an awesome proposition and would definitely create nightmares for the West Indian bowlers should all the batsmen click very early in the First Test.
A West Indies team, without a fully fit Rampaul to partner Edwards with the new ball will be a daunting prospect because Roach has declined while Sammy’s gentle medium pace variety would become cannon-fodder for the wristy Indian strokeplayers who would be seeking to re-establish India as the number Test team.
West Indies batting line-up will confront a new Indian bowling line-up that has not established itself at the Test level and this could be a major plus for newcomers Kraig Braithwaite, Kirk Edwards, Bravo and experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels as they seek to amass formidable scores.
The classy Samuels has returned following a two-year ban for match-fixing. And he has already shown that he is getting into top form while the indomitable Chanderpaul will carry the fight to the Indian bowlers as he has done throughout his international career.
Carlton Baugh has been preferred ahead of Dinesh Ramdin as wicketkeeper/batsman and only someone who is myopic will feel convinced that Baugh is the better pick for the team at this time based on what has transpired in Bangladesh.
In absence of the injured Darren Sammy, it was Ramdin, who as captain changed the fortunes when he successfully led the West Indies team to victory in the First One-Day Internationals and set the tone for a ODIs series victory.
Clearly, Ramdin’s contributions with both the gloves and bat strengthen his case to be included in the Test team. In fact, he should be the captain so that Roach would play in place of Sammy and he will give the West Indian attack a much stronger force to challenge the Indian batting superstars with the shorter, quicker stuff which proved to be their downfall over the years.
West Indies would also require Adrian Barath to partner Braithwaite at the top of the order. His recent injuries are cause for concern but his presence and attacking style will allow Braithwaite to settle down and help build a solid foundation for Edwards, Bravo, Chanderpaul and Samuels to capitalise on the platform created and then generate the momentum for big totals.
It is imperative that the batsmen display disciplined application, patience and tenacity to battle for long periods and to thwart the efforts of the Indian bowlers Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra (leg-spinner) and newcomers Ravichandran Ashwin (off-spinner) and either Varun Aaron (pacer) or Umesh Yadav (pacer) who will make their Test debuts in the First Test at Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi.
This series will be a very stern test for the youthful West Indies team. Much more interest will be centred on the rising West Indian stars and their performances against the Indian team who will be keen to restore pride among their faithful after the debacle experienced during the recent tour to England where they were humiliated in both the Test and ODIs series.