Lara146;s dream is Test at Eden Gardens

Brian Lara may one day be acknowledged as the greatest player ever to pick up a cricket bat...

Brian Lara may one day be acknowledged as the greatest player ever to pick up a cricket bat, but one thing that will stand out in his career graph is the fact that he did not get to play much in India. He is all ready to make up for that when the West Indies begin their campaign to defend the ICC Champions Trophy against Zimbabwe on Sunday.

The last time Lara played a one-dayer in the country was way back in the 1996 World Cup against India at Gwalior and the last Test match at Mohali in 1995. And he knows he will not get to play much here again, as he is nearing the twilight of his international career. 8220;I will be coming back in January for a one-day series, and after that I really cannot predict for how long I am going to play, and especially in this part of the world. But my dream, of course, is to play a Test match at the Eden Gardens,8221; said Lara.

8220;It8217;s really unfortunate that I have not got to play much in this part of the world. Yes, it8217;s been a long time since I played in India. The passion for the sport here is intrinsic. Lord8217;s has been known as the home of cricket, but in terms of the cricket played here and the following for the game, India8217;s the place to be,8221; said Lara.

So Lara is all pepped up for the Champions Trophy and looks forward to making the most if it. 8220;This tournament will be a good platform for me, and I will give my best and hope to entertain Indian fans by making the most of my opportunity,8221; he said.

His focus then shifted to the West Indian team and their strategies. 8220;There8217;s a lot of competition within the side. There are a lot of people vying for spots. So I think we are shaping up well. For tomorrow8217;s match, we will not be making many changes to the squad from the one that played in the final of the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur,8221; he said.

For Lara, the performance of all-rounders has given him the extra option of going in with another batsman. 8220;With Bravo and Smith doing well with the ball, it gives us a chance to be flexible with the playing XI,8221; he said.

But if there8217;s one chink in the West Indies squad, as Sunil Gavaskar wrote in this newspaper, it8217;s their inconsistency. And that8217;s what Zimbabwe skipper Prosper Utseya is banking on. 8220;We have a good chance of beating them, as they have been inconsistent of late. We have played them this year in a one-day series and we know their team, too,8221; said Utseya. What Utseya didn8217;t say, of course, was West Indies won that series 5-0. Will it be any different tomorrow?

WEST INDIES VS ZIMBABWE

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West Indies: Brian Lara capt, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Carlton Baugh w-k, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.

Zimbabwe: P Utseya captain, CJ Chibhabha, E Chigumbura, T Duffin, AJ Ireland, T Kamungozi, H Masakadza, S Matsikenyeri, T Mupariwa, EC Rainsford, HP Rinke, V Sibanda, GM Strydom and BRM Taylor wicketkeeper

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen 038; Mark Benson. Thired umpire: Aleem Dar. Fourth official: Asad Rauf. Match referee; Jeff Crowe.Hours of play: 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. onwards