India v West Indies, 5th ODI: preview

Until the 4th one-dayer in Antigua, the only news coming from West Indies was that of an Indian win. Indian fans kept waking up to news of how a second string team continued to dominate the Windies in their den and how the once mighty nation continue to fade away. After Antigua, talks of Indian domincance have been paused, but it will take much more than just one win for the home side to silence their critics.

India: Despite having won the series, the 5th ODI is an important game for the visitors - for various reasons. For one, they would try and ensure that the scoreline suggests domination by signing off 4-1. More than the series scoreline, the match is vital for many of its players, as it provides them with one last chance to make a mark ahead of the Test series. With some seniors missing from the Test squad, a few positions in the starting eleven are up for grabs, for which the likes of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Amit Mishra, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel would be battling it out. The match would be an acid test for Badrinath and Yusuf Pathan in particular; both have failed to make use of the opportunity to seal their spots in the squad. While Badrinath has struggled against the short pitched stuff, Yusuf Pathan has thrown away the chances he has got with some wrong shot selection.

Amit Mishra's performances in the series so far may force India to revise the trend of going into a Test abroad with just one spinner. The leg spinner has troubled the West Indians with his variations and has picked up 9 wickets at 17 apiece from the four games. The competition will be tough among the pacers as well, as Ishant, Praveen and Munaf will be looking to impress the team management ahead of the first Test.

West Indies: There is something about West Indies and playing for pride. They were down and out 0-3 against Pakistan in the last series but ended the series at a respectable 2-3 with wins in the last 2 games. They have taken a step in the right direction in this series and would be hoping for an encore of that performance against the Indians. The biggest problem for the West Indies has been the brittle top order: the top 6 are consistently collapsing to leave the job for the lower middle order. Andre Russel did the rescue act in the 3rd ODI and Kieron Pollard showed that he belongs to the international arena in the 4th, but West Indies can not afford to rely on them always. Adrian Barath's return post a hamstring injury is a welcome sign and he replaces the not-too-impressive Kirk Edwards.

Anthony Martin's Man of the Match performance in the last ODI should give him a world of confidence going into the last ODI. Darren Sammy has been tidy at the top and Andre Russel has been bowling with pace and spirit. In Sammy's own words, the West Indies expect much more from Kemar Roach, who has looked off colour in the chances he has got. Will West Indies replace him with Ravi Rampaul or will he be given a chance before the Test series?

Quotes:

"I don't think short-pitched bowling is any issue with this team. It's not as if we lost only because we were softened up": Suresh Raina on the question which follows every Indian skipper in an away series.

"If I can pick him, I can play international cricket": Anthony Martin's confidence came in the form of a Rahul Dravid dismissal in 2006.

Source: http://live-feeds.cricbuzz.com/~r/CricbuzzFeed/~3/EdorDlGdBrM/

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