Tri-nation series: For India,a win,win situation

Kohli and co need victories in back-to-back games to stay alive in tournament.

It8217;s not exceptional to walk around Port of Spain,the venue of India8217;s do-or-die game against the West Indies,and actually feel at home as an Indian. Not just because of the tropical climate or the opportunity to whet your appetite for Indian food-or stuff that tastes a lot like it though the names might differ. Trinidad after all has always been the hub of East Indian influence,with more than 60 per cent of the population here being the descendants of the thousands of indentured labourers brought from India. Also read: West Indian fans: Divided they stand,together

For many years,the Queens Park Oval too fostered a soft-corner for touring Indian teams. The story goes that Sunil Gavasakar received louder cheers in Port of Spain than even the local West Indians whenever the former Indian captain walked out to bat here. And for a variety of reasons,Trinidad has always seemed like a home away from home for Team India. The slow-turners here too have assisted India greatly over the years,and it8217;s not surprising that their best Test record in the Caribbean is at the Oval.

Even now there8217;s no dearth of support for India,and if nothing else,Virat Kohli amp; Co will at least be treated to some Bollywood numbers in between the usual steel-band,calypso and soca emanating from the generally raucous Trini Posse stand. Also read: No comments,thank you: Gambhir on Kohli8217;s captaincy

In a spot

Under the pump in the ongoing tri-series after defeats in both their matches so far,the world champions couldn8217;t have asked for a better venue to try and get their campaign sorted.

Not much has clicked for India so far. For starters,they lost their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the early going after he suffered a hamstring pull in their opening match. Despite arriving here in peak form,their top-order is yet to fire,and if anything,has been a major disappointment. Also read: Jayawardene,Tharanga floor India

The slowness of the Sabina Park wicket proved a major obstacle for the free-flowing Indian batsmen and they can expect much of the same at the Oval in Port of Spain.

Their bowling has suffered too. The seamers,led by Ishant Sharma,have lacked consistency,and have missed their line and length more often than not. Another failure has been the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja,who8217;s erred too often with his length and dished up half-trackers to the opposition,much to the delight of Johnson Charles and Mahela Jayawardene. In Pics: India vs Sri Lanka

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Kohli said after the massive defeat to Sri Lanka that the prospect of coming back from the dead should motivate his team to get their house in order. The situation would suit him,he claimed. The Indians can only hope that the feisty new skipper backs his words by finding his own form to start with.

The equation is straightforward for Kohli and his team. Win and stay alive or prepare to face the ignominy of a premature ouster in a tournament that they entered as red-hot favourites.

Rayudu or Vijay

Another quandary for the team management would be whether to include Ambati Rayudu,who arrives as Dhoni8217;s replacement,straight away at the expense of Murali Vijay. The Tamil Nadu opener scored 30 in his return to ODI cricket but played a hand in slowing down the innings during India8217;s pursuit of a mammoth target.

The Trinis on the other hand will be chuffed to see one of their own leading the West Indies in the form of Dwayne Bravo,the last captain from these parts having been Brian Lara. With two wins,the West Indies are almost home and dry,and unlike India,have clicked in most of their departments though the middle-order still seems suspect.

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India need to shake off their dreariness and go back to winning ways in a place where they are bound to draw some cheers from the crowd.

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Kohli,co. fined for slow over-rate

INDIA8217;S stand-in captain Virat Kohli has been fined 20 per cent of his match fees and his team-mates 10 per cent for maintaining a slow over rate in their Tri-nation ODI series match against Sri Lanka.

Jeff Crowe,of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees,imposed the fines after Kohli8217;s side was ruled to be one over short of its target,after time allowances were taken into consideration. PTI