Gone are the days when the best of Indian teams could not stand up to the pace of the West Indian bowlers on far livelier pitches than they are today. India won a Test and series in the Caribbean for the first time in 1970/71.Four years later, the Indians under Bishan Singh Bedi looked good to win another series after winning the third Test chasing a target of 413, with Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath cracking centuries. But the West Indian pacers recovered to win the series 2-1, terrorising the Indian batsmen with intimidating short-pitched stuff.
Then, there was a let down with teams in the 1980s and the 1990s unable to knit themselves together, though there were some unforgettable individual performances.India returned to winning ways in the new millennium. First, India's most successful overseas captain Sourav Ganguly could win a Test but not the series in 2002, losing it in 1-2.Four years later, Rahul Dravid's team pulled off a second series win 1-0 and Dhoni's side repeated the result five years later.
Someone might pipe up to say that the West Indies teams that lost the last two series were not up to scratch. Yes, their cricket may not measure up to the high international standards set by their predecessors, still it will not be easy to beat them in their backyard. Kumble knows it, having seen how the teams, of which he was a part, capitulated, more so from a winning position.
Kumble might allow skipper Virat Kohli to continue with his five-bowler plan to win Tests overseas, like he did in Sri Lanka. Maybe, that's the thinking behind Kumble making the bowlers have long nets sessions so that they, too, can contribute with the bat.The team's think-tank has a wide range of bowlers to pick from — Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra, with Stuart Binny to use seaming conditions. Considering the slowness of pitches in the Caribbean now, three spinners could be pressed into service as all of them are also handy with the bat.
Coach Anil Kumble's experience will not let him take unfancied hosts lightly. “Everything is organised. Kumble wants players to understand the importance of discipline and, at the same time, give them freedom. He knows where to draw the line. The Indian team is scheduled to go for scuba diving in the coming days. These small things have been kept for the players to unwind,” a source travelling with the team said. With its new coach, team India is definitely in a good position for the upcoming series.