Sehwag or Mongia may open with Ganguly

With a rain-enforced break providing them welcome respite from a hectic schedule, India will be in a better frame of mind to take on the West Indies when the one-day series finally gets underway in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Wednesday.

Looking to redeem some pride in the one-dayers after losing the Test series 1-2, the Indians have had absolutely no opportunity to take the field after the fifth and final Test in Jamaica. But the forced break gave them the much-needed rest and they can now pursue their objective with greater zeal.

Unlike Jamaica, where it rained continuously the last few days, conditions in Barbados are bright and sunny. Even though scattered showers have been forecast for Wednesday, there is no major threat to the match as of now.

Unfortunately, the venue of the third one-dayer has not been a very happy hunting ground for India. They lost seven of the eight Tests, the last one coming in the just-concluded series, which saw West Indies neutralise a 0-1 deficit, and both the one-dayers played there.

The Indian batsmen have generally struggled to come to terms with the extra pace and bounce in the pitch in the West Indies. Having strengthened their batting department with a few one-day specialists joining the squad, they will be hoping they are able to put up a good total on the board this time.

Skipper Sourav Ganguly had slight concerns about his health during the intervening days but is feeling well now and there are no doubts about his participation in Wednesday's game.

It is likely that Rahul Dravid would be asked to double up as wicketkeeper-batsman to accommodate an extra batsman. Even though there was no official word on it from the team management, among the five new arrivals, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh as also all-rounder Ajit Agarkar are likely to feature in the final eleven.

Coach John Wright was concerned about India's inability to chase totals and was busy chalking out new strategies. As part of the game plan, India may also go in for a change in the world's most successful opening combination of Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. There are reports that either Sehwag or Dinesh Mongia, who did not get to play in the Test series despite being in the squad, would be asked to open the innings with Ganguly if India bat second and Tendulkar would come later in order to provide greater stability to the middle order.

With the pitch set to favour the fast bowlers, Agarkar is most likely to form the pace troika with the two left-arm seamers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra while offie Harbhajan Singh would be the lone spinner. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik and Mohammad Kaif, the other two to join the squad for the one-dayers, are likely to be left out.

The West Indies are all pumped up after their victory in the Test series and are keen to assert themselves in the shorter version of the game too.

Their main batsmen are in top form even though star Brian Lara is far from his best. Skipper Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan have had a dream run in the Test series and look set to continue their form in the one-dayers too.

And despite all the talk about the decline in their fast bowling standards, the West Indies have been served well by the Mervyn Dillon and Cameron Cuffy-spearheaded attack in the Tests.

The hosts have reinforced their pace attack with Corey Collymore, who has come in for Adam Sanford, and also brought in newcomer Gareth Breese.

The previous one-day international at this venue between the two teams resulted in a 10-wicket defeat for India, the hero for the West Indies being Chanderpaul, who scored a fine unbeaten century.

Teams (from):
India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Mohd Kaif, Ajay Ratra, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Tinu Yohannan, Murali Kartik.

West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Gareth Breese, Ryan Hinds.

Mail Cricket Editor