Dravid led from front, spinners are winners again (Roundup)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali Jul 3, 2006, 12:43 GMT

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Determined batting by the batsmen and thoughtful captaincy by Rahul Dravid were largely responsible for India breaking a 35-year-old jinx and winning a Test series in the West Indies.

Throughout the four-Test series Dravid led from the front, showing exemplary courage and resolve to his team mates while batting and that eventually led to the 1-0 triumph. Actually, India could have won the series 3-0, or even 4-0, had weather - and once captain Brian Lara - not interfered to deny them.

India's series triumph wiped out the 1-4 thrashing received in the one-day international series at the start of the tour. India's previous series win in the Caribbean was registered in 1971.

Along with Dravid (347 runs at 86.75), the stars of India's triumph were opener Wasim Jaffer (370 at 74.00), vice-captain Virender Sehwag (353 at 70.60 and nine wickets), leg-spinner Anil Kumble (16 wickets at 34.35) and pacer Munaf Patel (12 wickets at 34.41).

Overall, it was a team effort, as Dravid would prefer to say, which clinched the issue while the other players also contributed their bit on occasions.

Quite obviously, India were the superior side - a fact that may not reflect in the final scoreline of 1-0.

And Dravid outlined this after the fourth Test at Sabina Park, Kingston, after the 49-run verdict Sunday.

'We played better cricket throughout the series,' he averred.

'And if we had 90 overs in St. Lucia (second Test), we would have probably won 2-0. We were one wicket away from winning in Antigua (first Test) and three wickets away from winning in St. Lucia.'

Dravid further said: 'We had our backs to the wall in St. Kitts (third Test), but never looked like losing on the last day.'

Indian bowlers, particularly the pacers, also did a wonderful job despite not being an experienced lot.

Patel, who had played just three Tests before the start of the series, ended up with the second highest tally on either side.

The top wicket taker was Kumble, the lion hearted leg-spinner who bowled 192.3 overs in three Tests, and thus enhanced his case for the 2007 World Cup, which will be held on the same pitches in March-April.

Some experts had started saying that Kumble, who was not selected for the one-day series in the West Indies, would be too old for the World Cup.

His courageous performance seems to have brought him into contention, though the World Cup is still too far ahead and India have to play a one-day triangular series in Sri Lanka, more one-dayers in South Africa in November and another triangular series at home in February.

If Kumble's partner off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took only six wickets, including a five-wicket haul, it was because he was played only in the last Test as India relied on pacers Patel, Sreesanth (five wickets in two Tests), Vikram Rajvir Singh (two wickets in two Tests) and Irfan Pathan (two wickets in one Test).

The pacers, however, did a good job - and Dravid acknowledge their contribution.

'None of the great fast bowlers were great after six or seven Test matches. It takes time and experience to get better in Test cricket,' he said, in their praise and defence.

Still, the way Harbhajan and Kumble (he played only three Tests), it is a matter of conjecture that if they had played in tandem in all four Tests, what would have been the outcome of the series.

Dravid and his team, not to forget coach Greg Chappell and the rest of the support staff, would sit back and mull and appreciate once again that what a great leveller this game is.

India were on a high in the one-day internationals, setting a world record of winning most successive match while chasing, before embarking for the Caribbean.

And after a nail-bitingly close first match, they lost way and capitulated meekly.

But the players recovered remarkably - partly due to their interaction with well-known sports psychologist Rudi Webster in the West Indies - to put up a fine performance in the Test matches.

The players will now have a well-earned rest, before embarking to Sri Lanka next month to play a one-day triangular series with the hosts and South Africa.

© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service