West Indies
Fidel Edwards, on a comeback trail, but there was enough evidence to suggest he is close to the ended product. Ravi Rampaul and Devendra Bishoo have stuck to the task, rarely allowing India's line-up to order terms. The problem for the hosts, though, lies in the batting and there were signs of improvement in Barbados. Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo - two players who represent the lavishness of Caribbean batsmanship - showed they have the talent to grind out innings.
It is a crucial step forward, given Ramnaresh Sarwan's alarming decline, Chris Gayle's continual absence and the drop in Shivnarine Chanderpaul's once-immense powers. Ravi Rampaul may not have the natural capacity of the men who set the Caribbean ablaze in the 1980s, but he has heart and discipline - both key ingredients for a side seeking a revival.
India
India are 1-0 up with one to play, and with better weather conditions might have sealed the series in Barbados, but the score line obscures some upsetting realities. In four innings they have not once reached 300, that despite excessive contributions from the old firm of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. Suresh Raina has stumbled in what is possibly the easiest overseas assignment a Test side can currently hope for.
Praveen Kumar has extraordinarily transferred his seam mastery to the red ball; Ishant Sharma has banished the pain of two seasons of under achievement, with a series of sparkling spells from which there should be no turning back. Harbhajan Singh, however, has slipped into a calm zone both for himself and the batsmen facing him. There is a chance he will not reach the 400-wicket milestone in the Caribbean, despite having needed only seven wickets to get there at the start of the series.
Fidel Edwards, on a comeback trail, but there was enough evidence to suggest he is close to the ended product. Ravi Rampaul and Devendra Bishoo have stuck to the task, rarely allowing India's line-up to order terms. The problem for the hosts, though, lies in the batting and there were signs of improvement in Barbados. Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo - two players who represent the lavishness of Caribbean batsmanship - showed they have the talent to grind out innings.
It is a crucial step forward, given Ramnaresh Sarwan's alarming decline, Chris Gayle's continual absence and the drop in Shivnarine Chanderpaul's once-immense powers. Ravi Rampaul may not have the natural capacity of the men who set the Caribbean ablaze in the 1980s, but he has heart and discipline - both key ingredients for a side seeking a revival.
India
India are 1-0 up with one to play, and with better weather conditions might have sealed the series in Barbados, but the score line obscures some upsetting realities. In four innings they have not once reached 300, that despite excessive contributions from the old firm of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. Suresh Raina has stumbled in what is possibly the easiest overseas assignment a Test side can currently hope for.
Praveen Kumar has extraordinarily transferred his seam mastery to the red ball; Ishant Sharma has banished the pain of two seasons of under achievement, with a series of sparkling spells from which there should be no turning back. Harbhajan Singh, however, has slipped into a calm zone both for himself and the batsmen facing him. There is a chance he will not reach the 400-wicket milestone in the Caribbean, despite having needed only seven wickets to get there at the start of the series.
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