India take on the West Indies in the third and final Test on Tuesday with the series already secured thanks to victories in Delhi and Kolkata.
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But they will desperate to end the series on a high note and complete a clean sweep in Mumbai. Can they do it or will the Windies bounce back? (India 4/9, Windies 11/1, draw 9/4 Match Prices at
Betfred).
The 2-0 series score line suggests a one-sided contest to date but that could not be further from the truth. It is true that India piled on the runs last time out to complete an innings victory, but the way in which the men from the Caribbean responded in their second innings spoke volumes for the way they are developing as a side and their positive approach to the tour.
Darren Sammy’s men got themselves in a position to win the first Test after dismissing the hosts for just 209 in their first knock but could not go on to build a big enough lead to force victory, as Sachin Tendulkar hit form to earn his side the win.
Sammy has alluded to the fact that consistency is what is lacking in his side at present and they could easily be on level terms if they had managed to make anything like a decent second-innings total in Delhi. But it was not to be and that is always the problem with a young side, who are learning the hard way about the difficulties of playing Test cricket on the sub-continent.
There have been plenty of plus points for the Windies however, and, while they will probably suffer a third consecutive defeat this week, they can leave India with their heads held high and with some vital experience under their belts.
Darren Bravo has been tipped as a star of the future and it may be that his time has now come after his excellent 136 in Kolkata – the challenge now for the talented left-hander is to do it in the first innings of a Test to help set up a winning position (Bravo 4/1 Top Windies Batsman).
Shivnarine Chanderpaul remains vital to the Windies’ cause as he is an experienced campaigner who can help guide the youngsters on their way and he will need to make a significant contribution with the bat if Sammy’s side are to pull off an unlikely victory in Mumbai.
Spin was always going to dominate the series and the Indians are vastly superior in that department.
Both Ravichandran Ashwin and PP Ojha have been taking wickets for fun and Sammy has admitted that his batsmen have been unable to deal with the twin threat from India’s spinners. Devendra Bishoo has worked hard for the visitors but the West Indies’ young leg-spinner has found it difficult and a return of 1-154 last time out proved that he still has much to learn.
Most of the Indian batsmen have been below-par in recent series and were humbled in England last summer but three centuries in the first innings in Kolkata will have done wonders for their confidences as a batting unit. The old-timers Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman both notched three-figure scores, while Dhoni produced yet another scintillating knock down the order for his side.
But Sachin Tendulkar’s quest for his 100th international century continues and it may be that it will overshadow the final Test as the series has already been won (Tendulkar 7/2 Top India Batsman).
The Little Master had a great chance to score a ton last time out but fell for 38 and all eyes will be on the record-breaking batsmen when he walks to the crease at some stage over the next few days.
If consistency is what the West Indies crave then they can do far worse than observe how Tendulkar goes about his business as the 38-year-old has been at the top of his game for 22 years and it would surprise nobody if he achieved what will be an incredible feat on his home ground – maybe he has been planning it that way all along.
