The West Indies's surprise win over Australia has really thrown the DLF Cup open. The West Indies, who were considered the least likely to make the finals, are the first team to make it, while India and Australia will have to fight for the remaining slot.

For India, the simplest way to the final is by winning both their remaining games. Even if they do lose to the West Indies on Wednesday they still can make the final if they beat us well enough to earn a bonus point. I believe some mind-boggling logistics come into play if either of the next two games is rained out, but for us, there is only one way to the final and that is by beating India on Friday. I suspect that we will be playing our best possible combination rather than tinkering around.

Flattering remark

I heard Brian Lara's comments after the game, and was quite flattered to know that he felt that I made a huge difference to the team. However, Chris Gayle has been in unbelievable form right through this tournament, and I am not sure I could have stopped that kind of hitting.

The left-handed opener had given his team a tremendous start in the first West Indies-Australia game too. However, there was nobody to take the team through once he was dismissed. On Monday, Brian showed his obvious class and ensured that the mistakes of the first game were not repeated.

The thing with the West Indies is that you can always expect the unexpected from them. Which is why one can never get complacent about them. The Indians will be worried by the fact that they have lost their last five games to Brian Lara's men. They will also be annoyed by the fact that bad weather has been hounding them for the last one month.

However, India has a great batting line-up, and I feel that if a full match is played Rahul Dravid's men can reverse the chain of losses. I also feel that there are plenty of match-winners among the Indian batsmen and their best bet is one of those guys winning the game off their bat.

Main area of concern

The main area for concern for India, however, will be in the pace bowling department. And they will have to find a way to contain the marauding Gayle. Irfan Pathan suffered at Gayle's hands in the first game, and for me, the result of Wednesday's game hinges on whether or not India's opening bowlers will be able to dismiss Gayle.

It might also work to India's advantage that they are playing a team that is already sitting pretty at the top of the points table. Also, most captains tend to rest some of their main players once they are in the final, and Lara might let some of the reserves have an outing. I have often seen that desperation can be the difference between winning and losing. And right now, India is in a desperate, must-win situation.

Gameplan

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