Windies rue absent Lara on arrival in India

When India went to the Caribbean earlier this year, the expectation surrounding the battle between Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar ended in an anti-climax.

This time, it will be a complete non-starter.

The world's two best batsmen looked ordinary in the last five-Test series, with Tendulkar edging the personal duel by virtue of scoring 117, his only century of the tour, in Trinidad.

West Indies, led by Carl Hooper, arrived in India on Tuesday for a three-Test return tour hoping to combat the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble on turning tracks.

But without Lara, who misses the tour after being taken ill with suspected hepatitis during last month's Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, it will not be easy.

"It's a very big disappointment," Hooper was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India after his arrival in Bangalore.

"He is a very, very experienced player and we will miss him certainly. It's a major blow to us," Hooper added.

The 33-year-old Trinidadian left-hander scored 688 runs at 114.66 last year in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka.

He punished the world's leading off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, but could not prevent a 3-0 defeat for a team that once dominated world cricket but now regularly struggles overseas.

Winning will be even tougher in India, where world champions Australia lost 2-1 last year.

"We will put our best foot forward. We have played without Lara in the past. It is important for people like myself to lead by example," Hooper said.

TAKE HEART

West Indies can take heart, however, from the win over India earlier this year and from the recent batting form shown by Hooper and left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

The Guyanese duo were unstoppable, scoring more than 550 runs each in five Tests. Hooper hammered a career-best 233, while Chanderpaul made three centuries -- in Guyana, Barbados and Antigua.

"For most part of the series, Chanderpaul and Hooper were at the crease. I'm tired of watching them bat," Indian captain Saurav Ganguly joked after the series.

It was also series that marked the emergence of fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, who captured 23 wickets at an average of 27.21, and medium-pacer Cameron Cuffy who claimed 17 at 21.88.

Hooper said at the time that the series showed West Indies cricket had finally turned the corner.

But that proved premature when, despite 204 by opener Chris Gayle, they stumbled to a 1-0 home defeat by New Zealand in July.

"It's how you finish that counts. We have the ability, we need to get all the guys playing like Carl Hooper did against India," Viv Richards, chairman of selectors, said.

Former captain Richards said earlier this year that West Indies cricket was at its lowest point ever.

YOUNG BLOOD

India, fresh from their joint Champions Trophy victory with hosts Sri Lanka and a satisfying 1-1 Test series draw in England, are growing in confidence since the introduction of some talented young players.

Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh have transformed the team into a keener outfit, although they may have to wait before they can break into a batting line-up boasting Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Vangipurappu Laxman and in-form Rahul Dravid.

The bowling department, a perpetual worry, also looks more balanced. The experienced Javagal Srinath is expected to return from Test retirement and left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan is growing in stature with every match.

The slow bowlers, off-spinner Harbhajan and leg-break bowler Kumble, are always a handful on home pitches.

Kumble, India's most successful current bowler with 333 Test victims, is best known for capturing all 10 Pakistani second innings wickets at New Delhi in 1999.

Harbhajan, nicknamed "The Turbanator", grabbed 32 Australian wickets in last year's three-Test series.

The tourists take on a Board President's XI, captained by Kaif, in a three-day game starting in Bangalore on Friday before the first Test in Bombay begins on October 9.

Mail Cricket Editor