Dasgupta dropped for second Test

All-rounder Sanjay Bangar will open the innings instead of wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta, left out after a lacklustre display behind the stumps in the first Test for Ajay Ratra, who will make his Test debut.

"Bangar will open and we have decided to leave out Deep," Ganguly said. "Ratra will keep in his place."

Dasgupta has been severely criticised for his work behind the stumps in the last two months and dropped three catches in Georgetown, including Carl Hooper on nought. Hooper went on to score his Test-best 233.

Indian captain Saurav Ganguly is contemplating using just one spin bowler in the second Test against the West Indies starting on Friday, leaving Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh fighting for one spot.

"If we decide to go with three pacemen, it will be a very tricky choice," Ganguly said on Thursday. "Kumble and Harbhajan are both world class spinners and it will be a tough one but sometimes hard decisions have to be made.

"We'll decide after looking at the pitch on the morning of the match."

Off-spinner Harbhajan missed the first Test at the Bourda ground with a shoulder injury but bowled in the nets on Wednesday and is expected to be fit and available for selection.

"Harbhajan is looking in good shape, his shoulder has improved a lot in the last week. He can be a key member of the side and we'll have to keep that in mind when we decide the team," Ganguly said.

Harbhajan, who grabbed 32 Australia wickets to lead India to a stunning 2-1 home series win last year, pulled a shoulder muscle while throwing from the boundary line in a warm-up match last week.

India have decided to promote Rahul Dravid, who hammered an unbeaten 144 in the drawn first Test, to the number three spot with Ganguly slipping down the order to five.

"Rahul is in great touch, he played an excellent knock in Guyana. He should bat at three," Ganguly said.

GRASSY PITCH

Ganguly was happy with his team's performance in the first Test at Georgetown, which was washed out after India had scored 395 for seven on a flat track in reply to West Indies's first innings 501.

But India, known to be weak on fast pitches, will have their work cut out in the Test as the wicket has a fair bit of grass on it.

For the West Indies, captain Carl Hooper has decided to go with a four-pronged pace attack -- Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Adam Sanford and Marlon Black -- after leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo was ruled out on Thursday with a niggling hamstring injury.

Dinanath Ramnarine had been picked as a back-up spinner but a West Indies team official said they had decided to leave him out.

But the most awaited contest at Port of Spain will be between hometown hero Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, regarded as the two best batsmen in the world.

Lara will be looking to bounce back after scoring a duck in the first Test and Tendulkar will be eager to equal Australian Don Bradman's 29 Test centuries in this match.

India last won a Test series outside south Asia when they beat England in 1985-86 and have recorded only two Test wins at the Queen's Park Oval.

They won here in 1971 under Ajit Wadekar and then again in 1975, when they successfully chased a world record 403 in the fourth innings.

"India's wins here have been a part of cricketing folklore and that eggs us on," Ganguly said. "Even the last time we were here, in 1997, we had a good chance of winning but West Indies batted five sessions to save the match."

Teams:

India (from)- Saurav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Shiv Sundar Das, Vangipurappu Laxman, Ajay Ratra, Sanjay Bangar, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.

West Indies - Carl Hooper (captain), Christopher Gayle, Stuart Williams, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Junior Murray, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Marlon Black, Adam Stanford.

Mail Cricket Editor