West Indies series a chance for India to experiment
India failed in their first big overseas tour of the season, failing to win a game in England
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
India failed in their first big overseas tour of the season, failing to win a game in England. At the end of 2011, they will face their second big tour to Australia. Granted, Australia aren’t the Test force they were a few years ago or even the force England are today, but they will still provide a stern challenge at home. First though, India plays three Tests against West Indies in India. Writing in DNA, Suresh Menon says the series provides India and the BCCI a chance to iron out the kinks ahead of Australia.
Playing at home means it would make no sense to pack the batting – it is the bowling that needs to be experimented with so a proper combination emerges. Zaheer Khan’s fitness and future are uncertain, which means besides Ishant Sharma, there is room for at least two others. Whether both Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav will play the first Test or not, they will have to be blooded at some point. Likewise with the leggie Rahul Sharma, so that when the selectors sit down to choose the team, they have enough information on all the candidates.
Tariq Engineer is a former senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo