Praveen leaves his mark

Pacer claims three WI wickets on Test debut; taken off the attack thereafter.

The face-lift that Sabina Park received in the build-up to the 2007 World Cup may have to some extent killed the old-school charm that this historic venue represented. But the retention of the Kingston Cricket Club on the western side and the Mound Stand in the eastern part of the ground has ensured that some of it is thankfully still preserved.

The lack of concrete structures on the two sides,though,means that the players hardly get shade on the ground to escape the brutal Jamaican sun.

But it does allow for a strong breeze to blow right throughout the day,which is a major solace for the men in the middle. The breeze is also strong enough to provide enough assistance to those fast bowlers who thrive on,and are dependent mainly on swing as their major weapon.

So,it didnt take too long for the Indians to realise that the West Indians are rather inept at playing the moving ball. And though it was an enforced selection,Praveen Kumar8217;s Test debut at Sabina Park ended up as a blessing in disguise.

Though Praveens first delivery in Tests was slightly misdirected,it swung in a long way and also sharply at that. The final delivery of his first over,however,landed on the right spot and swung prodigiously away from Lendl Simmons. And though the opener did shoulder arms and let the ball go convincingly,Praveen would have realised that he was in business.

Most West Indian batsmen in the present line-up,and in fact over the last few years,have a tendency that borders on addiction to chase the ball outside their off-stump. And that weakness stems mainly because of their anxiety to meet the ball on the up,rather than play it late. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is just an exception.

In his opening spell in Test cricket,Praveen got the better off Simmons,Barath and Ramnaresh Sarwan on a number of occasions,but each time in vain. He kept squaring Barath up with late movement across the diminutive right-handers body,but the youngster survived. Praveen was easily the better of the Indias new-ball bowlers on the first day,though it was Ishant Sharma who got the first wicket.

Prodigious swing

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On Tuesday,Praveen didnt come onto bowl till the second hour of the days play,by which time Ishant had bowled an incisive spell to get rid of Sarwan. It was the 32nd over of the West Indian innings,and the ball had been quite scuffed up. By then,Barath had brought up his second Test half-century and begun to open his shoulders,hitting Amit Mishra for a four and six in the same over. Praveen hence began his new spell with a couple of sharp in-duckers.

In the next over,the Uttar Pradesh medium pacer bowled Barath an out-swinger but bowled it too full,allowing Barath to drive him for four. The next ball though was pitched on a better length,one that moved in the direction of the shiny side. Praveen had got the ball to reverse,and dismissed Barath caught by the keeper with a beauty. It was his first wicket in Test cricket.

He produced a similar delivery to left-hander Darren Bravo,who too obliged with an outside-edge,before accounting for a squared up Brendan Nash,inducing a leading-edge to Suresh Raina at third-slip. Praveen had justified his selection,and crucially left the West Indians in a heap of trouble at 102/5.

But Praveens debut saw an unfortunate twist just when he was getting under the West Indian skin,as he received a third warning for running on the wicket in his follow-through. With India losing the services of Praveen for the rest of the innings,the hosts seemed to have got some respite,with Chanderpaul fighting a lone battle.