'It's important to keep our momentum going' - Lara

Jarret Park might have been packed for the Indians' warm-up game against a Jamaica XI but it's pretty obvious that cricket's popularity has taken quite a battering in these parts. The declining standards of the West Indian side appear to have triggered a sense of disillusionment, and it's not too uncommon to find young boys veering towards other sports. One man, though, can change all that and, on the eve of the first game, he faced the press with an air of assurance.

Brian Lara made it clear that the 5-0 verdict against Zimbabwe could hardly be used as an index to measure West Indies' competitiveness. The real battle was just about to begin. "We've definitely improved over the last two or three weeks - ever since I took over as captain - but we can't use Zimbabwe as an indicator. I'm 90% happy with our current form but we need to work on a few areas. Our allrounders did well with the ball and on the field, but they need to do more with the bat."

The mere fact that they won, though, and that too comprehensively, could be a vital factor. "Winning can be contagious," he continued, "and it's important to keep our momentum going." Also, a number of new players capitalised on the rotation policy and grabbed their chances. "All good teams around the world have been resting players and we rotated some during the last series. Players like Carlton Baugh, who was picked for the last two games, took his chance and ended up replacing the earlier keeper [Ramdin]."

But would he experiment against India? "You wouldn't want to experiment too much while playing against a tough team. We have a pretty settled batting line-up and also have the option to change batting positions around."

Rahul Dravid pretty much made it clear that India would continue to be flexible. "It's benefited us in the past, helped us to not rely on particular individuals."

Both captains agreed that India's new crop of fast bowlers could make the difference. "We haven't seen too much of them but are using videos of the England and Pakistan series to analyse their performance," said Lara. "They appear to have a varied attack." Dravid proffered another angle: "Most of them haven't come to West Indies earlier and it's good in a way because they won't be carrying the scars of defeat. The history of experiencing tough tours won't haunt them."