Over to the Caribbean

The comparison with 1971 is quite apt. A new era is upon us. Three stalwarts, an established captain and plenty of rookies. How they use this will largely determine the shape of things in future. If some youngsters seize the moment and steel their place in the manner of Gavaskar of 1971, this tour could go down as a historic one, writes Sanjay Dixit

The 1971 tour of West Indies was a watershed in many ways. It heralded a new era on the back of a tiny but formidable man, Sunil Gavaskar. India won three back-to-back series, and an unofficial series against Sri Lanka, before England and West Indies exacted revenge in 1974 (3-0, in England) and 1974-75 (3-2, in India).

India were entering a transition phase in 1971. They had a new captain. Sunil Gavaskar was a new pick. Ashok Mankad and Eknath Solkar were relatively inexperienced. ML Jaisimha, Salim Durrani and Dilip Sardesai were nearing the end of their careers. Abid Ali was the only paceman, i.e. if you could call Solkar also a pace bowler. Krishnamurthy played his first and only series as a wicketkeeper batsman. GR Viswanath got injured in the beginning of the series and BS Chandrasekhar was not picked for the series. The spin department was present in full force, with Durrani in place of Chandra to make up the quartet.

After 1971, India had to wait 35 years before winning another Test series in West Indies. Rahul Dravid, the captain in that series, was also the player of the series. He is still around. Harbhajan had some very good outings. He too is around though does not look as sharp as in 2006. Sachin was not there in that series either. It is thus a unique opportunity.

The Test team of 2011 faces challenges roughly similar to the 1971 team. An old and trusted middle-order is nearing the end of its life. It could well be the last tour for some of them. A new opening pair will be on test against Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor and possibly Andre Russell, all genuinely quick. Kumble is no longer there and Harbhajan will have a lot of things to prove. The wickets in the Caribbean may be slower than in 1971. Interestingly, India looks quite lean in the bowling department quality-wise. Harbhajan and Zaheer are the only quality bowlers. Ishant has to prove that he has overcome his drop in form.

Munaf is average. Why Sreesanth is there at all can perhaps be explained only by those who selected him. At a Test average of more than 36 and first-class average of 34, the case for persisting with him is probably long over. None of the five top pace bowlers in terms of first class average (Counting teams in Elite group) have found a place in the Test squad. These are Deepak Chahar (21.17), Praveen Kumar (23.06), Vinay Kumar (24.08), Avishkar Salvi (25.12) and Pankaj Singh (25.42). Though averages do not tell the whole story, they do tell a lot. Even if you discount Salvi whose best days are behind him, Pankaj and Vinay Kumar had a terrific Duleep Trophy in which Kookaburra Red was being used. The same ball is going to be used in West Indies. Pankaj is the highest wicket-taker of the domestic season, with 43 wickets in Ranji and 10 in Duleep Trophy. Sreesanth's selection must, therefore, count as the abiding mystery of this West Indies tour selection and can only be ascribed to risk aversion. Well, if you can't use this tour to experiment, God knows which other tour you possibly can.

There is no doubt that we are on the threshold of another era. A new era with a new dispensation. Murali Vijay gets an extended shot at the opening slot. Abhinav Mukund gets a chance to show that all the runs he has stockpiled in domestic cricket are not a fluke. Badrinath is probably there because Pujara is injured, but all these three get a chance to prove their worth in the bigger theatre. Raina gets a chance to consolidate his Test position. The experienced duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman still provide the comforting solidity for this newcomer to play without pressure and get the best results, for themselves and for the country.

The West Indian side is also on a threshold. They have some promising bowlers coming up. Roach, Rampaul, Russell and Taylor can all be genuinely quick. Sammy is doing his bit and after a long time, the West Indian selectors are spoilt for choice. Devendra Bishoo and Suleiman Benn are both exciting new prospects. Bowlers did quite well against Pakistan and it was the batsmen who faltered and failed the team. The West Indians could not cope up with the Pakistani spinners who, as a whole, are perhaps superior to the Indian spinners on present form. West Indians have a competent attack and a little less than competent batting. Bowler for bowler, it is an interesting study. Indian side does not have a single bowler with an average below 30. West Indians, on the other hand, have two in Roach and Sammy. To be fair to the Indians, these two have played only 12 and 13 tests respectively. One could perhaps call this series as a contest between two average bowling sides.

It is the batting, therefore, which will set the two sides apart. The Indians are way too superior here. However, with at least four relative newcomers in the top and middle-order, the pressure on the two stalwarts and Dhoni is going to be very high. Against an average bowling side, there is no excuse for the younger batsmen. Either Virat Kohli or Badrinath is likely to play in place of Sachin. Raina, in all likelihood, will hold his place. The new look batting order will read Vijay, Mukund, Dravid, Laxman, Raina, Virat/Badrinath, Dhoni and then the four bowlers. I hope Zaheer remains fit. Ishant and Munaf along with Harbhajan will then form the bowling core. On slower surfaces, one paceman may be replaced by Amit Mishra or Pragyan Ojha, both with Test averages around 40. It is make or break time for them. If these two do not make an impression now, it could be curtains for them.

The comparison with 1971 is, therefore, quite apt. A new era is upon us. Three stalwarts, an established captain and plenty of rookies. How they use this will largely determine the shape of things in future. If some youngsters seize the moment and steel their place in the manner of Gavaskar of 1971, this tour could go down as a historic one, as a tour which truly heralded a new era in Indian cricket.(DNA NEWS)