The Indians' favourite haunt in the Caribbean
Shady Moosavi - 18 April 2002

Not too long ago, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Rev. Wes Hall mentioned that, if West Indies had to survive as a cricketing nation, they had to bring in real changes; it was either change or perish. They had to overcome what he called the "dinosaurial syndrome."

It seems that the authorities are finally paying heed to his words; at least the curator working at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, is. This ground, located in the heart of Trinidad, has been a favourite haunt for spinners, and when you say "spinner," the next word that comes to mind is "India," a country that has produced more top-class spin bowlers than any other. It is also a known fact that when the Indians come to the West Indies, they cannot wait to visit Port of Spain.

However, this year's touring party may not be too happy with the preparations. Word is that the pitch at the Queen's Park Oval has been freshly laid recently. Carl Hooper expects it to be grassy, and the West Indian skipper has not made any effort to hide his satisfaction at the fact. He has said that his pace spearheads may get the much-needed support from the track that they were deprived of by the Georgetown pitch. However, I would have preferred him to give the more honest reason - that India, thankfully, will not have the advantage they are used to on this ground.

Arguably, India would definitely have experienced an upper hand had they faced a more typical Trinidad track. In seven series in the islands, 11 Tests have been played on this ground. The West Indies have won three, six have been drawn, and India have registered their only two victories in the Caribbean at the Queen's Park Oval - in the second Test of the 1971 series and in the third Test in 1975. In fact, their first victory on this ground was even enough to win them their first series in the West Indies, with new boy Sunil Gavaskar scoring 774 runs and ensuring that the rest of the Tests were drawn, if not won. The fifth Test of that same series was also at Port of Spain, and the West Indies, batting last, managed to escape with a draw at 165 for eight while chasing 262 for victory.

So why do India put up a good show here most of the time? The answer lies in the slowness of the track and its tendency to turn sharply as early as the third day. Sound similar to Indian wickets? Such conditions have been exploited by Subhash Gupte and the spin quartet of the 70s, and also by Anil Kumble to a certain extent. During their last visit in 1996, Port of Spain was the one venue where India had the West Indies' backs against the wall in an otherwise evenly balanced series, thanks largely to Kumble's five-wicket haul in the first innings and Navjot Singh Sidhu's maiden double ton during India's turn at bat. However, helped by rain and improved batting by the hosts in their second innings, the match ended in a dull draw.

The ardent West Indian supporter would though argue that a 2-6-3 win-draw-loss record wouldn't necessarily make India favorites here, especially since the hosts have won more Tests. However, two of those three West Indian victories were during the 1961 whitewash series, where India were playing without all their veteran stalwarts, including Gupte.

From 1971 - when India had a real cricket boom with the arrival of Gavaskar and the by-now-renowned spin attack - to 1996, there have been seven Tests here, of which India have won 2 and West Indies just one, in 1988. That West Indian victory came during the period after Gavaskar's retirement and before the entry of another little master, Sachin Tendulkar. That weak spin attack was led by Ravi Shastri and newcomer Narendra Hirwani. On the other hand, the West Indians could boast players such as Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards.

India, thus, have always done well here, whether batting or bowling. This ground, most notably, was also witness to India scoring 406 for victory in the final innings of the third Test of the 1975 series, that still being the highest successfully achieved target in Tests.

With Harbhajan Singh expected to be back to partner Kumble here, the hosts cannot afford to go down 0-1 on a spinning track. That is one reason why I don't blame the re-laying of the pitch "coinciding" with India's visit. After all, wasn't that just what the mighty Aussies did at Sydney during the 2000 series against the same opponents? But India could always go back to being tigers at home; at least nobody's changing pitches there anytime soon.

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.
© CricInfo

[Archive]