‘Windies conditions will suit Indians’

The young players are full of confidence and India’s bench strength is just amazing, writes former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.
By Wasim Akram

After the hectic IPL, the West Indies tour will be a good learning ground for some of the Indian juniors who are touring the Caribbean under Suresh Raina. Over the years, India have learnt to live without the services of a Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid or a Zaheer Khan. Against the West Indians, the BCCI has taken the right decision to rest the senior players.

The series is starting with a T20 match in Trinidad on Saturday and the Indian players will be full of confidence after just finishing the IPL. Raina, Ashwin, Kohli and Ishant have all done well in the IPL and they will surely carry this form forward. Hence, India should be able to play good and consistent cricket.

Whenever a team travels overseas, the playing conditions come under focus. But the West Indian conditions won’t trouble the Indians at all. The pitches that I have seen during the Pakistan series will suit Indian bowlers. Both pacers and spinners will relish bowling on those tracks. The ball will reverse swing and now most Indian pacers have learnt this art. The pitches will also help the batsmen. Even the inexperienced lot will be able to score runs as they play spin very well. Until and unless the West Indians prepare green-top wickets, Indians will be very strong.

This is a great opportunity for junior players to seal their places in the team. The fact that Harbhajan Singh is touring the Caribbean islands in spite of a grueling IPL shows that he cannot take his place for granted. I will be keen to see how Ashwin utilizes this chance to push Bhajji for a place in the future.

Having said this, I also feel the seniors like Dhoni and Zaheer needed a break from cricket. They have been playing non-stop cricket for the last two years. It has been a very hectic IPL and a very competitive tournament. So some players have demanded rest and it’s absolutely fine. While some have opted out due to injuries and you can’t control this aspect of sport.

West Indies are passing through an interesting phase. Captain Darren Sammy had a bad World Cup. He had a new team and new challenges in front of him. Many have doubted Sammy’s abilities, but he has proved his critics wrong. Losing the one-day series 3-2 to Pakistan and drawing the Test series wasn’t a bad show by the hosts considering that they had a side without Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Gayle. The one thing I like about Sammy is that he has performed as player while leading the side. And that’s a great plus for a skipper. He has led by example and that has been the driving force for the rest of the team.

Devendra Bishoo is turning out to be an exciting prospect. What I like about him is his approach as a spinner. He has tremendous control, a quality that most leggies lack. The youngster has been bowling exceptionally well and was getting good bounce against Pakistan. Bishoo has age on his side and will certainly improve with experience.

It’s all set for exciting series. Raina’s India certainly have the edge, but it will be foolish to take the West Indians for granted. All set for some serious fun.