Three days of rest over, one final party last night, the West Indies gathering strength for the crucial third Test starting Thursday, it is back to the cauldron for Team India. And this time, the druids may come up with a different potion.As always, the XI will be “decided only on the morning of the match”, but the first stirring of the pot suggests that the team will stick to four mainline bowlers — plus Virender Sehwag’s drifting off-spin. But not the four that played in the last Test.With Anil ‘The Rock’ Kumble already polishing his battle gear, Harbhajan Singh, not in the XI for Antigua and hit by a “stiff groin” at St Lucia, will return to exploit ICC pitch doctor Andy Atkinson’s promise of a pitch that will turn the right way for India on the last two days. Not surprising that, because the Punjab offie could just have made it 2-0 for India by now, instead of 0-0, considering that Sehwag, the part-timer, has already picked up eight wickets in two Tests.Yet, what’s going to create a buzz before the fight is who will Harbhajan replace? On the face of it, it looks like a straight swap for VRV Singh. But there is one big question mark over another name in the XI that could change the equation — Irfan Pathan.Word from the Indian war-room is that the 23-year-old is still struggling “mentally”, in speed, and on form, as the second half of the St Lucia Test suggested. They really don’t think it is a huge cause for concern, preferring to peg it on a complete loss of rhythm, which has been the swinger’s foundation. But if the team sticks to picking the “best XI available”, it’s Pathan’s place that is under threat.But if they are not yet completely convinced yet about VRV Singh, the other name in the frame is Sreesanth who bowled a stirring spell on the final day of the first Test to pack off Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara in the space of two overs. The only problem: Sreesanth, who missed the second Test due to an inflamed heel, has not bowled after that at fifth gear.While that one bowling slot will be filled over the next two days, the batting line-up may not be disturbed despite the drying up of two major sources — VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh. Laxman has contributed just 60 runs in three innings and Yuvraj has only been marginally better with 64. But with Sehwag, co-opener Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Mohammed Kaif stepping in to plug this hole, both may survive for another game — barely.
