Cricket is in the air at this tiny island called the fireball of the Caribbean. Those magnificent speed merchants of the past from Barbados, from Wes Hall to Joel Garner to Malcolm Marshall, did unleash great balls of fire.
This proud nation of the blue sky and the blue sea also gave the cricketing world the most gifted player of all time, Garfield Sobers.
The stand honouring the legendary all-rounder stares at you at Kensington Oval — a gladiatorial ring in its pomp — that bears the immortal footprints of the great conquerors from the past.
India has never won a Test at this venue; the surface here has invariably offered pace and bounce to the seamers.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men have an opportunity to make history in the second Digicel Test that gets underway here on Tuesday.
It is never easy to come back from 1-0 in a three Test series and the West Indies batsmen will have to lift their game to lend greater meaning to the lion-hearted effort of their bowlers.
Munaf for Mishra?
Given the nature of the surface here, India is likely to make one change in the eleven. Paceman Munaf Patel could come in for leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
Recovering swiftly from an elbow injury, Munaf bowled without discomfort at the nets. If picked, the paceman is likely to be brought in one change with Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar sharing the new ball.
Given his height and high-arm action, Ishant should relish bowling on the pitch here. Hailing from a family of wrestlers, Praveen has been flexing his muscles in this series. His two-way swing with the new and the old ball could once again pose searching questions to the West Indies batsmen.
Cricket at the elevated levels is a mind game and the West Indies has roped in renowned sports psychologist Dr. Rudi Webster to instil belief — the side is short on this vital attribute — in the players during the Test.
How the West Indies batting fares could hold the key to the contest. The side expects hefty contributions from its two leading batsmen, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Lacks balance
This West Indies team lacks balance with neither 'keeper Carlton Baugh nor skipper Darren Sammy, surfacing at No. 7 and 8, possessing the authority and the ability with the bat to lend it real depth.
Indeed, the West Indies misses someone with the expertise of wicket-keeper batsman Jeff Dujon who could bat with footwork and finesse at No. 6 and create an additional slot for a bowler or an all-rounder in the side.
The West Indies would desperately want to play Kemar Roach, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul — such an attack would have greater aggression and firepower — but with captain Sammy taking up one of the four specialist bowling slots, it would be hard to find room for Roach.
Truth to tell, Sammy has bowled his seamers with control but he is more of a strong fourth support paceman in the eleven than a full-fledged specialist bowler.
Edwards and Roach, both sons of Barbados, could make the Indian batsmen smell leather if picked. Given the composition of the team, this pairing looks unlikely.
In all likelihood, Marlon Samuels will take the middle-order slot left vacant by the dropping of the out-of-form Brendon Nash. Samuels, a smooth stroker, can disrupt the rhythm of an attack.
India's need
India will want runs from opener Murali Vijay who requires to tighten up his game and make the switch mentally from the game's abbreviated versions to Test match cricket.
While technical changes cannot be brought about overnight, Virat Kohli will need to display greater fight and commitment when bombarded with the short-pitched stuff from the quicks.
Much focus will be on impressive leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. And India's Harbhajan Singh, only four away from the 400-wicket mark in Tests, has to bowl a more attacking outside-the-off-stump line.
If India picks three pacemen, it could opt to field in the event of winning the toss. It rained briefly here on Sunday and both sides will keep an eye on the weather.
The teams: India (from): M.S. Dhoni (capt.), M. Vijay, A. Mukund, R. Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, V. Kohli, S. Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, M. Patel, A. Mishra, S. Badrinath, P. Patel, P. Ojha and A. Mithun.
West Indies (from): D. Sammy (capt.), L. Simmons, A. Barath, D. Bravo, R. Sarwan, S. Chanderpaul, M. Samuels, C. Baugh, R. Rampaul, D. Bishoo, F. Edwards, K. Roach and K. Edwards.
Match starts at 7.30 p.m. IST
