'Windies young guns could surprise India'

West Indies chairman of selectors Vivian Richards has warned India to watch out for some of their young players in the three-Test series starting in Mumbai next week.

The West Indies squad landed in India on Tuesday without Brian Lara, down with suspected hepatitis, but Richards said he was confident the team would put his loss behind them.

"We've got a good young bunch," Richards, a former West Indies captain, told reporters on Wednesday.

"I've been reading comments about Lara not being here but all I can say is we have a bunch of talented individuals here."

The West Indies beat India 2-1 in a five-Test series in the Caribbean earlier this year despite the lack of any serious contribution by Lara.

But on turning Indian tracks the home side start firm favourites mainly due to a batting line-up boasting Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, captain Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, as well as spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble.

"I believe there is renewed vigour in this West Indies team," Richards said. "It is always very difficult to beat India in India but we've got to be confident about it.

"Who knows, at the end of the tour the heroes could be Ramnaresh Sarwan or Marlon Samuels."

Guyanese Sarwan, hailed as one of the team's most promising batsmen, is chasing an elusive century after scoring 13 fifties in 24 Tests.

The West Indies, led by Carl Hooper, start their tour on Friday with a three-day game against a Board President's XI team.

Frontline seamer Mervyn Dillon said: "I am quite happy with my form, but having said that I'm trying to get used to the conditions.

"India are one of the best batting line-ups in the world but it takes only one ball to get a batsman out."

Dillon grabbed 23 wickets against India in the series earlier this year which was being hailed in the Caribbean as a turning point for a struggling West Indies team.

But the celebration prove premature when, despite 12 wickets at an average of 21 by left-arm seamer Pedro Collins, New Zealand handed them a 1-0 defeat in July.

"We have Pedro Collins, who did very well against New Zealand. We've also got young pacers such as Jermaine Lawson and Darren Powell. We are an upbeat bunch of guys," Dillon said.

Mail Cricket Editor