Aggression is the key
Amit Mookerjee - 6 April 2002

The hype generated by this Indian tour of the West Indies is tremendous. Brian Lara versus Sachin Tendulkar. The West Indies versus India. The Underdogs versus the Favorites. The Indian team that will walk out on April 11th may still be shrouded in mystery, but whatever the composition, they need to realise that the most important factor in winning this tour is easily within their control.

Aggression - that is the key to Australia's success, not their amazing batting line-up or their thunderous bowling attack (of course, those help too!). It is the supreme confidence, bordering on arrogance, that separates the Aussies from the rest of the world.

This deep belief that they are the best is what scares other teams - the fact that Adam Gilchrist can come in at 99 for five and destroy India's bowling attack shows it. Not only are Australia the best, but they also rub the other teams' noses in it.

This is exactly what can turn India into world-beaters. How else could VVS Laxman and Harbajan Singh turn Steve Waugh's plans upside-down? It is this very same self-belief. Laxman believed that he could score 281, and he did.

When Australia played the West Indies last, the series was won before it even started. Glenn McGrath riled up Lara with some well-planned comments, and when the Caribbean maestro came to the crease, the pressure was enormous. Not only was Lara being targeted off the field, but on the field he was greeted with searing bouncers. I remember one of these missiles rocketing off the pitch and knocking Lara in the grill. He could only stand there helplessly as the tall New South Welshman dished out one after another.

Although the West Indies are still a reasonably talented outfit, mentally they are nowhere near what they could be; just like India, they do not believe that they can win. The fact that Sir Vivian Richards does not give them much of a chance proves this.

India need to exploit this mental weakness to the fullest. If Tendulkar were to walk in at 30 for two, with both Shiv Sunder Das and Sourav Ganguly gone, he should at this point simply attack. A 50 off 40 balls will do much more damage than a century off 250.

Good, positive cricket will do India a world of good. It is pointless to attempt to merely contain Lara; the man from Trinidad is so abundantly talented that he will barely notice the fielders. The only way to get Lara out is to constantly set aggressive fields.

The problem that Tendulkar (although he has overcome this marginally of late) and Lara face is that, at times, they get over-aggressive and tend to make mistakes. When Lara does, we should get him. Even during bowling, a few bouncers, even if not exactly at Brett Lee speeds, to surprise the batsmen can show the Windies that we are not taking this series lightly.

It baffles me that a quality so simple seems to not exist with this team. Although we may not be able to control the result of the match, a good display of positive, attacking cricket should be enough to make any Indian fan smile.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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