How these newcomers contribute to their respective Teams could indeed be the decisive factor in the series.

 

India - Squad

 

Duncan Fletcher and the Indian brains trust need to be complimented on the squad they picked for this 1st Test. Only, the dropping of Praveen Kumar was rather mystifying, but it was probably done, so as to run the rule over the two youngsters in Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav. I would be stunned if Praveen Kumar isn't selected for the Aussie series.

 

The only other criticism was the selection of a tried and tested failure in the Test arena in Yuvraj Singh. Who after England should have been told- white isn't your colour and stick to pyjama cricket. My temper over his selection was quelled with the inclusion of a host of youngsters, who will form the backbone of the Indian Team for the next 10 years.

 

This would be my Team:

 

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli/ Ajinkya Rahane, VVS Laxman, M.S.Dhoni, Ravi Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron/ Pragyan Ohja (dependant on pitch), Umesh Yadav

 

Questions for India

 

Is Virat Kohli, fact or fiction?

 

You would have to be blind Freddy, not to be impressed by how devastatingly great this young Indian batsman has been in the shorter forms of the game.

 

Impressive that it is, his fanfare needs to be tempered by the fact that those games are tailor made for batsmen with the pitches as dead as a Dodo. So it is not hard to dominate if you are a batsman of talent like Kohli.

 

The main question mark over him is whether he can replicate the same mastery in Test cricket or will he be reminiscent of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh in the longer game. In regards to Kings in pyjama cricket and paupers in the mans game.

 

In the West Indies, the signs were not promising for him with him looking all at sea against the short ball. Here against a decent West Indies attack with a few quick bowlers. It will be intriguing to see how he goes against the chin music they will invariably serve up to him

 

I felt a bit disrespectful in lumping him with two batsmen who are solely ODI batsmen in Yuvraj and Raina, and though he might struggle initially in the demands of Test cricket.

 

The lad has the talent to be a very decent Test player in time for India.

 

Will Ravi Ashwin shut up his critics and seize a Golden opportunity?

 

The non selection of Harbhajan Singh is a definite indication of the Selector looking to life without the Turbanator.

 

In this series against a West Indies batting line up that are real bunnies against spin. This underlined by the fact that in the 28 wickets they lost against Bangladesh. The spinners claimed 24 of the wickets.

 

So, this series is a huge opportunity to stake a claim in the role as India's number 1 spinner.

 

The three names vying for the chance are the unorthodox off spinner Ravi Ashwin, the left armer Pragyan Ohja and the leggie Rahul Sharma.

 

Ashwin is the one that stands out. A bowler who has excelled in the shorter forms of the game, and unfairly written off as only suited to that form of the game.

 

I think this is very ignorant to his skill as a bowler, and the weakness in World batting against spin bowling.

 

He has everything to be a very decent Test bowler with such a great temperament and inner strength. A bowler of immaculate accuracy and nice variations in deliveries and the pace in which he delivers them at. He has a sense of mystery about him too because of his unorthodox nature, and that only serves to make him more of a factor in the 5 day game.

 

In this series, I think he will be like a hot knife through butter in how he devastates the Windies batting.

 

Have Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav got the skill to make their pace a factor?

 

I can understand India's near hysteria over these two fast bowlers for they in their history have never had a bowler of real pace.

 

Though speed, in truth is one of the biggest traps in the game. In regards to without skill, a bowler can bowler as fast as light, but he will get plundered if he does nothing with the ball.

 

If you want proof of this think back to a bowler of express pace in England's Devon Malcolm, who in 40 Test career averaged near 40 for he so failed to do anything with the ball through the air or off the pitch.

 

Promisingly for both these young two quicks is that they have shown a near flawless positioning of the seam when bowling. So it means that they will get whatever deviation comes off the pitch when the seam kisses it. As well as being able to get swing through the homage they pay to the skill needed to bowl it.

 

When will Sachin Tendulkar scrore his 100th International 100?

 

I have a feeling he will do it at a packed Eden Gardens in the 2nd Test.

 

Players, I would like to see in the series :

 

Ideally, M.S.Dhoni should have taken the series off to allow selectors to run the rule over Parthiv Patel and Wriddhiman Saha with a view to the Australian tour.

 

Maybe this will be the case in the 2nd and third Test.

 

Also it is great that both Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav have been included in the 1st Test squad, and should be persisted with throughout the series.

 

Though I would have liked to see Pankaj Singh, who has been a very consistent and impressive performer in First Class Cricket given a go too

 

West Indies - Squad

 

The Team is still symbolised by the absence of their stars in Chris Gayle and Dwaynne Bravo. Though I think it might be time to put a line through those names as possibilities, and move on with the future. Which they have in their batting with the inclusion of Kraigg Braithwaithe and recall from injury of Adrian Barath. The Team is very fragile in a batting sense, but has a decent threat in their bowling.

 

This would be my Team:

 

Kraigg Braithwaithe, Adrian Barath, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carlton Baugh, Darren Sammy, Ravi Rampaul, Devendra Bishoo, Fidel Edwards

 

So, success or failure in this series will be determined how their batting stands up.

 

Questions for the West Indies

 

Has Darren Bravo Arrived?

 

This young batting prodigy has been resembled to the legendary Brian Lara by many.

 

Which you can see in the mannerisms of his batting, and then the fear he inspires by the fact that when he is in the mood. The bowling is irrelevant, for he will flay it.

 

The 195 he plundered against Bangladesh was very much a pointer to his future. In regards to he has the skill to play an innings of real mastery, but hasn't the maturity as yet to prevent him from throwing away an innings after he has done all the hard work.

 

This being said, it would not surprise at all if he plundered the paper thin Indian attack in this series.

 

Time to show Darren Sammy Respect!

 

It is almost a certainty, that if you ask a cricket fan about West Indies cricket that one of the responses will be harsh criticism of Darren Sammy. Not only in his role as Captain, but indeed his worthiness to be in the Team.

 

Which truly bemuses me when you look at his record as West Indies Captain in Test Cricket.

 

4 series, I win, 1 lose and two draws, that have been achieved without arguably the Teams best two players in Chris Gayle and Dwaynne Bravo playing.

 

Then his record as an individual player:

 

His average of 29.20 as a bowler is the best in the team with the rest of the bowlers as follows:

 

Fidel Edwards: 48 Tests, 149 wickets, average 36.47

 

Ravi Rampaul: 11 Tests, 29 wickets, average 36.51

 

Kemar Roach: 13 Tests, 41 wickets, average 31.63

 

Then if you are going to point to his batting as a means to be critical of him. His performance at number 8 in averaging 17.91 in 2011 was better than batsmen of higher reputations such as Ranmaresh Sarwan (average 10.37) and Brendon Nash (average 9.00). Strangely few voices are heard in criticising these players for their batting.

 

Can Devendra Bishoo be a factor against the masters of playing spin?

 

The young leg spinner and winner on the International Cricket Councils young player of the year Award has been a breath of fresh air in the Test arena.

 

Though bowling spin against the Indians in their home conditions is never a good prospect with even the best being treated harshly by them. He performed admirably in the three Test series in the Caribbean with 12 wickets at a very respectable average of 32.58. Though these figures were achieved against an Indian batting line up with maulers of spin in Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar absent from the line up.

 

So with these names included in this series and in their home conditions. It will be immeasurably tougher for Bishoo to be a factor.

 

In truth, the likelihood is he will struggle, but the lessons he will learn on this tour will turn a very talented bowler into a more refined threat. That will see him be a huge factor against other Teams in Tests.

 

Will the 'King of Cool', Marlon Samuels chose to perform, rather than frustrate?

 

This boy can definitely play, and with the talent he has to have an average of only 29.26 from his 34 tests is a testimony to his under achieving ways.

 

In this series surrounded by youth, and other inexperienced players. He needs to step up, and assume a more senior role by performing with the bat.

 

I have a real devotion to this player, and maybe it is a fools belief, but I think with his talent, he should be averaging 45 plus with the bat.

 

Lets hope, he repays the faith I have in him for the sake of his Team, rather than leaving his fans with egg on their respective faces, and vowing to give up on him.

 

Prediction : India to take the series 1-0

 

This pits a Team with huge question marks over its bowling in India against a team with huge queries over its batting in the West Indies.

 

Invariably the pitches will be a huge factor in the series result. For if they are batting friendly roads, you can see the fragile West Indies batting line up being able to survive against the paper thin Indian bowling line up.

 

Meaning a three Test series symbolised by boring score draws.

 

Though, I can see one pitch being supportive enough of spin, that will allow the West Indies great weakness in playing the spinners to be fully exploited.