Date:23/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/23/stories/2006052309322100.htm

Sport

The West Indies camp looks committed

Dravid is a solid individual who always puts the team ahead of his individual goals, writes Vivian Richards

The second ODI at Sabina Park was even better than the first one, with the margin of victory confirming that the hosts kept their nerve while Yuvraj Singh fell short after having done all the hard work.

Should Rahul Dravid have decided to chase on Saturday? Harbhajan Singh had bowled beautifully in the first game, and the efficient Ramesh Powar joined him for the second game. The pitch had slowed down, and going by the evidence of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, Harbhajan and Powar would have been match-winners.

Can't blame Dravid

However, can you blame a man for opting to chase when his team has had an unbeaten run of 17 successive chases? It was a tough call for the Indian skipper, and I can't really judge him harshly.

In fact, I have always considered Dravid as great captaincy material. He is certainly a keener student of the game than his predecessor, and he is a solid individual who always puts the team ahead of his individual goals. His batting is of the highest quality and that is a big bonus since it earns him respect from his young side.

Sourav Ganguly was an instinctive captain who had an infectious enthusiasm on the field. He had a great run and is a tough act to follow, but Dravid certainly has not disappointed so far.

Coming back to Saturday's game, it was great to see the West Indians use the depth in their batting to recover after the loss of early wickets.

Even a couple of years ago, at 30-odd for four, West Indies would have ended up being all out for 100.

Ramnaresh Sarwan played patiently with the lower order to ensure that the team got as close to 200 as possible. This determination plus an improved fielding performance is evidence that the West Indies camp looks committed to doing well against quality opposition. For the Indians it was a case of all their experiments going wrong. They must have thought a few runs from Irfan Pathan's blade would put the match out of West Indies' reach. Sadly this did not click, and Kaif failed to get going. Yuvraj proved his class once again and all but extended India's string of successful chases to 18.

India now head to St. Kitts where the wicket is a new one. This is an ideal opportunity for Rahul Dravid to do what he likes to do best — chase.

For the West Indians, Chris Gayle's contribution with both bat and ball is a good omen. He was the main architect of West Indies' 4-3 win in India in 2002, and when he gets going, West Indies generally win.

Gayle has been a bit of a puzzle for old-timers because at times it looks like he is strolling in the outfield. However, of late the commitment has been clearly visible, and hopefully it will help his team in the coming games.

Gameplan