When Saurav Ganguly walks out for the toss tomorrow at the Wankhede with his counterpart Carl Hooper, he will be raising the curtain on what could be a watershed series for Indian cricket. Credentials firmly established in the one-day game, it’s the five-day variety where Ganguly and his boys have to make their mark.The team is currently on a high, with two phenomenal one-day victories in the past month. But its Test credentials are still slightly suspect: a late resurgence in form saved the series in England, while the one before that was lost to the West Indies. It is with that rankling in their minds, and the current surge of confidence, that India will approach the three-Test Exide series. THE TEAMS India (from) : Saurav Ganguly (capt), SS Das, Sanjay Bangar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra. West Indies (from): Carl Hooper (capt), Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ryan Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Gareth Breese, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins, Jermaine Lawson, Daren Ganga, Darren Powell. Umpires: David Shepherd (England), Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka) They will be aware that much water has flowed since that Caribbean defeat, not least the return to vintage form of Rahul Dravid, with Ganguly too among the runs again.Such, indeed, is the skipper’s confidence that he brushed aside all talk of the venue being an unlucky one for his team. When reminded that India had lost their last two Tests — against South Africa in 2000 and Australia in 2001 — inside of three days, he said those results did not weigh on his mind at the moment.What seemed to occupy the captain’s mind, though, was the behaviour of the newly-laid track. Ganguly had little or no clue about the brownish strip that raised eye-brows of the think tank on both sides.About how he felt it would behave during the Test, Ganguly said, ‘‘The curator himself doesn’t know much about it, so I don’t know either.’’ While Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will form the spin strike force, Javagal Srinath’s return to Test cricket will lend experience to the pace department.Above all, though, India’s hopes — and confidence — rest on the batting department, working like a well-oiled machine of late. Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar (with a personal popint to prove in his 101st Test), Ganguly and Laxman would look to stamp their authority over the Windies attack.That attack will be led by Merv Dhillon, Cameroon Cuffy and Pedro Colins, while left-arm spinner Gareth Breese and leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo will take care of the slow bowling.Viv Richards, chief of the West Indies selectors, appeared satisfied after his inspection of the track, rubbing his hands on the wicket to feel the blades of grass. ‘‘Maan, I tell you there’s something beneath this’’, he said looking at the curator.And skipper Carl Hooper was his usual cool self, sporting his enigmatic smile despite the absence of the hepatitis-stricken Brian Lara. That means Hooper will have added responsibility on his shoulders in what will be his 100th Test match.His confidence stems largely from the fine form displayed by his batsmen, especially Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, in the warm-up match. And then there’s Ramnaresh Sarwan to add a dash to their batting. Sarwan’s a player for the future, and this series will be an acid test for him.The Indians have left out Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra and Shiv Sunder Das from its playing eleven. The West Indies will name its squad an hour before the start.
