The third match of the series between India and West Indies has come to a tame end. It was poised for an exciting finish though. At one point it looked as though India were running away with the game but it was that man again Shiv Chandrapaul. He has done it time after time especially against India. It seems as if he gets the best out of him whenever he plays against the Indians. He has a very envious kind of record against the team from the sub-continent. His is a technique which is very unique and it has worked well for him nicely considering the fact that he has just notched up his 23rd ton in test match cricket. He is like Rahul Dravid of West Indies in many ways. He plays the ball very late and doesnt get flustered by the situation or the pitch conditions. Just goes about his business quietly and collects his runs by pushing and nudging to begin with. He always remained in the shadow of the more illustrious and more versatile Lara like in the case of Dravid who remained in the shadow of Tendulkar.
There were few others as well who performed well in the match. Fidel Edwards, for example, bowled with vigor and surprisingly this was his best series so far in his career statistically speaking. He also contributed with the bat in that crucial partnership with Chandrapaul and that partnership helped them in taking the game away from India. The other Edwards in the team had a dream debut. He achieved something which many other greats could not. That is to score a ton in the first match of your test career. From the Indian perspective, Ishant Sharma had a good outing once again. He achieved a landmark during this series. It must be a great feeling for the young man to reach the first major milestone of 100th wicket. He was not the only bowler to achieve a milestone during this series. Harbhajan Singh grabbed his 400th wicket when he dismissed the wicket keeper from the West Indies.
So next station for this Indian Express is England. It will be an interesting contest with some of the best cricketers taking part in it. The likes of Swan, Peterson, Strauss, Anderson playing against guys like Dhoni, Tendulkar , Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Zaheer. Mouthwatering to say the least. For the first time India has got a variety which is unmatched as far as the bowling department is concerned. They have Zaheer who has some county experience alongwith Sreesanth. Ishant and Praveen had good outings as well in the West Indies. Perhaps this is an ideal opportunity for them to consider going in with Four seamers into the match. The only question mark will be Sreesanth's form and his temperament. Then they have Bhajji and Mishra to handle the old ball. Mishra needs to be given a long spell in order to make him comfortable. He might be a good bet especially with the kind of record englishmen have against good leg spin bowling. Either way its going to be a good series. Hope the weather doesnt intervene like it did in the West Indies series or the Sri Lanka - England series for that matter.
