Hooper pins hopes on pace attack

West Indies captain Carl Hooper is likely to use a four-pronged pace attack to try to blast out India in the third Test starting on Thursday.

The Barbados wicket is supposed to be the fastest in the Caribbean and Hooper will need all the help he can get from the well-grassed track as his team, trailing 1-0 in the series, seek to bounce back from their 37-run loss at Trinidad last week.

"I would be inclined to go with four seamers on this wicket," Hooper said.

"If all things remain equal and the Kensington Oval wicket remains traditionally fast, we should go with four quicks."

But Hooper said a final decision would be made only on the morning of the match.

The West Indies have Mervyn Dillon, Adam Sanford Cameron Cuffy and Pedro Collins, who was recalled in the squad in place of Marlon Black, as their four frontline seamers with leg-break bowler Dinanath Ramnarine the lone spinner.

"Looking at the last 12 to 18 months, we have seen that we haven't been able to bowl out the opposition twice using three seamers and a spinner," Hooper said.

"I don't mean to be critical of Ramnarine, but that combination has just not worked for us."

West Indies had played four paceman at Trinidad where they bowled out India for just 218 in the second innings but their batsmen fell short.

BATTING WORRY

"A lot of players are making fifties, but we have to convert that into big scores," Hooper said.

"The main aim naturally is to bowl out India twice, but it is also very important to get a big first-innings score on the board."

West Indies had gone into the last day of the Test as favourites, on 131 for two with Brian Lara and Hooper at the crease, but failed to chase 313 as India's pace trio of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra struck telling blows.

"We need to win this Test, but we certainly must not lose it," Hooper said.

"If the Indians go 2-0 up here and then we get rain in the next Test at Antigua, the five-Test series will be over."

India have nasty memories of the Barbados wicket.

The last time they were here, in 1997, they failed to chase 120 for victory in the fourth innings, capitulating for just 81 against the rising ball.

But captain Saurav Ganguly is confident things will be different this time.

"Most of our players were injured back then, we have a much better bowling line-up now," he said.

India have shortlisted 12 players for the match, with leg-break bowler Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh again locked in a contest for a place in the team.

KUMBLE v HARBHAJAN

India had dropped Kumble, their most successful bowler with 318 wickets in 69 Tests, for the Trinidad game and Ganguly later described that decision as the most difficult one he has had to make as captain.

But the chances of Kumble being left out again in favour of Harbhajan are extremely high considering the leg-spinner's poor form in a three-day game against a Busta XI side last week.

"Harbhajan bowled well to Lara in the first innings at Trinidad but Kumble has been a great performer and can run through any tail," Ganguly said.

What could clinch the spot in Harbhajan's favour is that he will take the ball away from the four left-handers in the West Indian frontline -- Lara, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs, who has been included in place of wicketkeeper Junior Murray.

Harbhajan was nicknamed "Turbanator" after he grabbed 32 Australian wickets to lead his team to a stunning 2-1 home series win last year.

India have decided to open the batting with Wasim Jaffer as Shiv Sundar Das's third partner in as many Tests.

Jaffer comes into the side in place of all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, who had bowled only two overs at Trinidad and scored nine and 16 while opening the batting.

Teams (from):

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

West Indies - Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Stuart Williams, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs (wicketkeeper), Adam Sanford, Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Dinanath Ramnarine.

Mail Cricket Editor