Bringing up the rear

After promising much after a one-day series victory, the West Indies once again lost a Test series and kept their near bottom-place in the cricket rankings.

There was constant grumbling from the West Indian captain Brian Lara who said that he did not get the pitches or the players he wanted to beat India.
His mock applause to the groundsman at Kingston after a ball from spinner Harbhajan Singh turned square summed up his feelings. Lara did not do justice by restoring to such cheap behaviour because his team just fell 49 runs short of victory.
Lara’s salvo also distracted from a much improved West Indies performance in the series. There were times, when the West Indians showed appetite for a fight, a thing which had been sorely missing over a decade or so.
There is definitely something now for the West Indies to work on in the future. With Lara failing with the bat except on one occasion, players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Darren Ganga and Dwayne Bravo took on the responsibility.
This augurs well for the West Indies. For too long, they were solely dependent on Lara to provide them with the impetus.
There was some promise in the bowling department too, with Jerome Taylor coming good at crucial moments. He showed speed and accuracy which was often been lacking among West Indian bowlers.
India’s series victory after 35 years in the Caribbean revolved around a world class performance by their captain Rahul Dravid.
Dravid played two of his best Test knocks in the last Test at Kingston which swung the match India’s way. Unlike Lara, he accepted the situation and was willing to grind it out on a pitch which favoured the bowlers.
He was well supported by the ever-reliable Anil Kumble who shone with both bat and ball. One hopes that this performance will at least put the rest the constant allegation that Kumble is only a tiger at home.
Despite claiming over 500 wickets, Kumble has always faced criticism. This can only happen with India as his critics, many of whom are former cricketers, fail to look beyond their noses.
India could have wrapped up the series earlier had Harbhajan played in the first two Tests. But some quirky selections put paid to their chances.
India seemed bent on having the extra batsman at the cost of a fifth bowler which was illogical because the batting lineup always looked strong.
Lara’s outbursts have left a bitter taste in the mouth. But West Indies must move on. They have three months to cool tempers and get reorganised.
The defence of the Champions Trophy is next on the agenda. It is time to capitalise on the positives and bring back the ever-eluding glory to the West Indies.