The Indian Perspective
Batting
After the Jaffer ton at Antigua, Sehwag, Dravid and Kaif joined in the party and struck form in the second test. While Dravid has consistently been putting up solid innings, Sehwag's blistering knock could prove to be huge for India's test form in the near future - we all saw what a dominating impact Sehwag can have on a test match. Kaif finally earned a test century and it was definitely a classy one. Laxman and Yuvraj still haven't fired and the feeling is that one or two of these three middle-order batsmen (Laxman, Yuvraj, Kaif) will stake a claim over the next two tests before Tendulkar returns later in the year. Dhoni tried the grafting approach but it didn't quite work out; hopefully he faces more difficult situations soon.
Bowling
This time around, the Indian bowlers outdid their West Indian counterparts. Kumble was penetrative throughout the match but only earned six wickets. I personally felt that Kumble lost a little variety at the end when he was desperate for a wicket and ended up bowling too many googlies. Sehwag's off-spin was very handy once again but Sehwag is NOT Harbhajan. Munaf bowled well throughout the match and should've had far better returns, but the fact that he bowls some decent spells at 82 mph and other lethal spells at 87 mph is disconcerting. Pathan got two wickets and seemed to gain some confidence in this match. His mechanics seem alright, but he needs to get very good rythm before the third test. VRV Singh also bowled well in the opportunities that he got, but if we're only going to play 4 bowlers, we need guys who Dravid has confidence in and who are very viable wicket-taking options. There is no room for specialist support bowlers; we need clear-cut wicket-takers. Right now, VRV doesn't fit that description very well. Harbhajan must return if he is fit. Otherwise, we need Powar. As for Sreesanth, he should compete with Pathan for the second seamer's spot if fit, but Pathan is the favorite because he is more experienced and provides extra value with the bat.
Fielding
Most of the missed chances were difficult ones but the same old concern remains: Kaif at short-leg. He just can't help but hop around in fidgety fashion and that won't work. Yuvraj needs to man that position permanently, at least for now. Also, Dravid needs to stop dropping crucial catches. Why was Dravid fielding at 2nd slip and Sehwag nowhere in the slip cordon when our best slip cordon is Dravid-Laxman-Sehwag? Why was Raina so rarely used as a sub? Why was Yuvraj rotated between virtually every position?
Miscellaneous
We can't quite curse the selection of VRV as much this time because Harbhajan was injured, but even Powar would've been valuable. Dravid persisted with Sehwag a little too long on the fifth day and forgot that he's a part-timer; Munaf should've been introduced a little earlier. Perhaps Munaf is trying to cut down on the pace to get accuracy, but someone needs to tell him that he's just as accurate when he bowls with pace. We've seen him bowl probing spells in the high 80s, so why can't he do that regularly? Even if he bowls 5-over spells and takes long breaks, we'll be well-served considering how well he bowls when he gives it his all. All in all, this was an India win spoiled by the rain. It should've been 1-0 India right now.
3rd Test Projected Lineup
W Jaffer, V Sehwag, VVS Laxman, R Dravid*, Y Singh, M Kaif, MS Dhoni+, I Pathan, A Kumble, H Singh (or Sreesanth if the pitch is an absolute greentop), M Patel
Also, If India can bowl more overs within the given time, then I guess we have more than 11 overs left.
