Skipper Dhoni and India have their task cut out

If the losses in the last two ODIs were set aside as consolation wins for the West Indies, then the first Test starting in Kingston, Jamaica on Monday might bring a very different reality to the middle for the Indians. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has returned to the team and while he might have been expecting some easy matches when the series was first announced, he will be under no illusions about what is in store for him and his team. For so long, it’s been said that the Indian skipper has been driven by the success of the seniors but with quite a few of them missing, it will be interesting to see whether his captaincy stands up to the test. Momentum is key for the West Indies – they remain a team that often play their best cricket when they are feeling good about their game and after two wins on the trot, they will be brimming with confidence. Their bowlers would have also discovered that the short ball is the best form of attack against a young Indian line-up. [caption id=“attachment_27924” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Mahendra Singh Dhoni has his task cut out. AFP”] [/caption] The Indian team, on the other hand, is already without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. Things are further complicated by the number of injury worries that the Indians have: Opener Murali Vijay and bowler Munaf Patel are seriously in doubt for the Test and if either of the two miss out, it would be a huge blow for the side. Vijay was hit painfully on his right forefinger in his very first net session in the Caribbean and went for an X-ray on Saturday. Munaf has been inactive for the better part of this week, having injured his right elbow during the preceding one-day series, which India won 3-2. “Vijay is our first choice as an opener but if he is unfit, then Parthiv Patel will open the innings,” declared Dhoni while hoping Munaf will turn up fit on the morning of the Test. With replacement pacer Abhimanyu Mithun yet to arrive in the Caribbean due to visa issues, the visitors are seriously under par in the bowling department. It now seems certain that Praveen Kumar will make his Test debut and give company to tall Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma. Ishant has lately been a regular in India’s Test eleven but he is far from being the spearhead. His shoulder is dropping, the pace still isn’t there and but for the odd good spell – he remains largely ordinary. India has two spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra, who had a good ODI series, as the other frontline bowlers. But on a hard and bouncy Sabina Park pitch, they just might not be the right horses for the course. West Indies, on the other hand, could play Fidel Edwards, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul alongwith skipper Darren Sammy as its pace-bowling battery. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo will be the lone slow bowler to offer relief to faster men. India, however, will hope that their experienced middle-order led by Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman will be good enough to bat long hours and score enough to make up for it’s below-strength bowling attack. “West Indies have a good bowling attack. They have bowlers who can bowl fast, and if they can bowl at the right areas they can cause problems to the batsmen. That’s what Test cricket is all about, you have to negotiate good bowlers and balls, and as a batsman you need to push the bowlers to bowl into your zone,” said Dhoni. “So it will be a good competition for our batsmen. I think the wicket here will be different from the first three one-dayers where the ball turned a lot.” The West Indies, despite missing on Chris Gayle, looks a reasonable side on paper. Opener Lendl Simmons seems compact, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels have looked solid, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul brings experience but the real danger is Darren Bravo. The left-hander is not only stylish but has the ability to score briskly as well. Against an Indian attack that he has had the opportunity to see over the ODI series, he will be a big threat. The one thing India will do well to remember is that the hosts have won six of the 10 Tests against India at this venue though the last one was claimed by the latter in 2006. The current West Indies side is said to be a shadow of the past great teams but when they get it right, they are still very dangerous. For evidence, look no further than their last Test here when they bowled out England for 51 in 33-odd overs in 2009. Squads: India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma. West Indies: Darren Sammy (capt), Brendan Nash (vice-captain), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels and Ramnaresh Sarwan. The Test starts 8.30 pm IST.