Having watched 4 days of mundane and largely uninspiring cricket, I will now attempt to make the remainder of this match slightly more interesting to follow. So here is my prediction of what will unfold tomorrow. Let's see if I am right!!
1. Assuming we get a timely start, Laxman and Virat Kohli will carry on in the same vein that they did during the post-tea session. That means no unnecessary risks, playing percentage cricket and capitalising on the occasional loose deliveries.
2. The lead will be stretched past 300, and India will carry on batting. Dhoni will continue feeling his ass in that comfy chair, and any thoughts of declaration will be far, far away.
3. An eventual declaration will be made after tea, and the West Indian openers will get some batting practice against the likes of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, until play is called off with an hour and half left before stumps. Test ends in a draw.
This is all assuming that there is no rain interruption, fingers crossed
This won't be to the liking of the moronic IPL generation, the mob of Indian 'fans' raised on DLF maximums and Citi moments of success. They will want India to up the ante and go for the proverbial kill. But if you think about it, and this involves rubbing a few brain cells together, India could potentially go in for DA KILL by doing the 3 things outlined above.
West Indian bowlers suffered 89 overs of grind in bowling to India. West Indian fielders ran hard to pick up all those balls that were reluctant to hit the boundary rope after trundling along on a super slow outfield. They have been worn out. Another day of forced labour in the field would be a nice way to make them feel a bit sore before the 3rd test.
India needs to get it's batsmen into form before the England tour. The batting lineup has relied too heavily on Dravid and Laxman. With that in mind, it makes sense to trade a pointless test victory against WI for a morale-boosting hundred from Virat Kohli. This tour is a huge one for the younger batsmen and their success has far bigger implications on the future of Indian cricket. Let Kohli or Raina bat as long as they want, and in doing so, the team will give them the chance to claim that spot on merit. Having in-form reserves would only strengthen the squad.
Finally, India will be able ensure that their bowlers, particularly Ishant Sharma, are in good shape for the 3rd test and beyond. No point in risking them. I single out Ishant for obvious reasons, but leaving aside his figures and his good performance, it is worth noting that he is the kind of bowler that gives 100% at all times and it would be a shame if he were to injure himself in the attempt to win some glorified dead rubber. Let him rest, and then let him loose at Dominica for one final round of sparring before the big fight in England.
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