Dravid in combination riddle; Lara remains doubtful

There is talk of four specialist bowlers in Team India, and the middle-order muddle continues

Brian Lara is doubtful, Rahul Dravid is full of doubts. Ambiguity ruled Motera as India and the West Indies prepared for the crucial Champions Trophy clash. It was a scenario that could make a bookmaker lose sleep and expose any acclaimed cricket expert.

There are a number of issues that have a question mark at the end. Take a stock and predict the winner at your own peril. Lara8217;s back spasm, India8217;s playing XI, dew factor, pitch nature, inconsistency of the West Indian batsmen, a bizarre run drought of the Indian batsmen, role of spinners, decision to bat or bowl8230; these are the variables on which will hinge the outcome of tomorrow8217;s game.

Lara wants to play, but he will take the call tomorrow. The Indians are tempted to retain the winning combination but as Dravid said: 8220;One can8217;t be blind to the conditions and opt for change8221;.

After yesterday8217;s game both skippers 8212; Mahela Jayawardene and Graeme Smith 8212; said that spinners are passengers in the second innings due to heavy dew. Now it remains to be seen if Dravid takes those inputs when he takes the final decision of the second specialist spinner Ramesh Powar.

Forget the taxi driver, even the hotel liftman will tell you that the West Indian top order are murderous 8212; but is quick to add only if they are in the mood.

It is easy to run-down the Indian batsmen but taking into account the law of averages, they are due for a big one. The special focus on Virender Sehwag during nets means the Indian opener is desperate to turn the tide. To add to the confusion there is also the talk of the Indian think-tank mulling over playing just four specialist bowlers.

Besides, the middle order muddle continues with the hard decision of choosing one from Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Mongia also on the cards.

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It is ironic that despite the fact that the two teams have met each other so often in recent times it is tough to spot the favourites. Both captains agreed that the game at Motera tomorrow will have nothing to do with the past. As Dravid said: 8220;It8217;s a new game, it8217;s a new tournament. I don8217;t see the past having too much of a bearing. The past doesn8217;t have much to do with what can happen tomorrow.8221;

Lara worded the same, thought differently. 8220;We beat them in the West Indies, but with the crowd support and the conditions here, this will be a different game,8221; he said.

But still, as is the prerogative of any captain, especially the one playing at home, Dravid did put up an aggressive posture. Talking about the fickle nature of the West Indian batting he said, 8220;I think they rely heavily on one or two players to get them to the kind of scores they need. We8217;ve shown in Malaysia that if we get two or three of their key players out, we can put them under pressure.8221;

But as is seen in recent months, India are no different, if not worse. Sachin Tendulkar is the only name that comes to mind when one can talk about reliable batsmen. If India make the right decisions tomorrow and unearth a few more good men, the question marks will decrease.