Saving the St. Kitts Test!

By John Cheeran
Will India lose the third Test in St Kitts against West Indies?
There are doubts expressed by majority of the cricket watchers that India are likely to collapse and follow on and lose this one, after dominating the action in the first two Tests.
That, if so happens, would be nothing short of a tragedy.
Such sentiment cannot be cast aside when India let West Indies score 312 for the loss of opener Chris Gayle only.
But there, however, are enough indications that a lifeless track would not offer anything for bowlers. So Indian bowlers should not be entirely denigrated for their poor display. It would be only fair to expect that West Indian bowlers too will be denied by this pitch.
On the second day, after a fruitless morning session India took four more wickets to put some hurdles in the West Indies' progress.
At 420 for five, West Indies are in strong position but everything, that is the outcome of the Test, will depend on the quality of Indian first innings. Meanwhile, sending back Brian Lara cheaply was a gain for a harried India.
Why I think India will save this Test is that despite the wide spread criticism, skipper Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell have stuck to their four-bowler policy, without sacrificing an extra batsman, in this case VVS Laxman.
On tracks such as St. Kitts, whether it is four bowlers or five bowlers do not make much of a difference. And during the first two days Indian spinners have been clobbered by Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Harbhajan's bowling was totally ineffective and that should have come as a disappointment to those who were clamouring for the off-spinner's inclusion in the Test side.
The task before India is now pretty much clear. Play their first innings to perfection on the slow but weary wicket.
With cloudy conditions prevailing at St Kitts (already first and second days have had rain interruptions) nursing any thoughts of victory would be foolish. Big hundreds from Dravid and Laxman should do the trick for India.
I'm hesitant to join the pack who predict an Indian batting collapse. If Indian batsmen cannot handle a bit of West Indian hustling in the beginning, they should hang their heads in shame and search naukri.com for career options.