FROM THE BOUNDARY - India yes, but place a bet on the West Indies

Tony Becca

THE WEST Indies and India square off in the first Test of their four-match series in Antigua today and although the odds appear in India's favour, the promise is for a close and exciting encounter.

However, up to a few weeks ago, that was not the case.

Although India, in eight trips to the Caribbean, have succeeded in winning only once and drawing none, and even though their record away from home generally is nothing to talk about, the tourists were red hot favourites for two reasons.

One reason was that they nailed West Indies the last time the two teams met. They have been playing well over the past two years during which they have lost only to Australia and Pakistan 2-1 and 1-0, respectively.

They have defeated South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, have drawn with Australia, New Zealand and England, and while West Indies were listed at number eight in the LG ICC rankings, they were preening themselves at number three.

Another reason was that in Sachin Tendulkar, captain Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Vangi-purappu Laxman, Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, Shantha-kumaran Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and Vikram Singh, they boasted six quality batsmen, two outstanding spin bowlers, and four young swing bowlers.

That's a combination, along with their reputation of brilliant fielding, which many believed would have been too strong for West Indies and definitely so after their roasting in Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand.

Although India remain favourites, after the West Indies performance in the one-day internationals, after India's own performance, the odds have shortened - to the extent that West Indies are now not only in with a chance of victory but are also fancied in many quarters to win the series.

And that has nothing to do with the absence of Tendulkar.

GETTING MORE CONFIDENT

It has to do with two other things. One is that India's confidence has been shattered and two is that West Indies appear to have seen the light.

While the West Indies were going from strength to strength and looking more confident with each passing match, India looked shell-shocked towards the end of the one-day series. On top of that, the West Indies seem to be proud once again and are giving everything towards the success of the team.

Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Brian Lara along with Dwayne Bravo all batted well during the one-day series, although he is not in the squad for the first Test match, Carlton Baugh Jnr was good behind the stumps, the pacers ? Ian Bradshaw, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore and Bravo ? bowled well, left-arm wrist Dave Mohammed bowled quite well in his one opportunity.

Apart from the first match, as a team they were brilliant in the field, and if the players, including Daren Ganga, Marlon Samuels and Runako Morton, report for the Test matches in the same frame of mind as they did for the one-day series, it should be a lovely contest.

Test cricket is different from one-day cricket and although they lost the one-day series, India, with a batting line-up that includes Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Kaif, Yuvraj and wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni and with spinners Kumble and Harbhajan, must start favourites to win the Test series ? despite, towards the end of the one-day series, looking as scared as one who had just seen a ghost.

Windies no longer possess a batting line-up that includes the likes of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Richie Richardson, Gus Logie and Jeffrey Dujon, and they also no longer boast bowlers the quality of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Patrick Patterson or Curtly Ambrose. They are, however, in with a chance - and a good one at that.

Their bowling lacks real quality - no question about that. Such is the potential of their batting, however, that if their fielding can be as brilliant as it was during the ODIs, any number can play.