India v West Indies 2nd Test at Barbados Preview and Live Score

The Indians will do well to forget what happened at Barbados 14 years ago. On a difficult pitch alright, the Indians were left to get only 120 to win their first Test match in the Caribbean for many years. They should have got there easily with a line-up that they had; instead, they were bowled out for 81, leaving West Indies victors and captain Sachin Tendulkar teary-eyed.

Tendulkar is not a part of this series but there are Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman from that fateful game who will take field on June 28 to take on West Indies in the second Test match at Barbados. And they will look to erase those wounds and the ones that get reflected out of a poor Indian record at the venue, by trying to win their first ever game on this ground.

India have played eight Tests here and lost seven of them – hardly a record that would do them proud. Of course, if they want to win, they will need to ensure that they can overcome the bounce and the pace associated with the Barbados track and bat out time. Scoring runs was difficult in the first Test and there isn’t any suggestion that the Indians are going to have it any easier here. It will, then, be left to the two stalwarts of the Indian Test cricket, Dravid and Laxman to get going.

The West Indian coach, Otis Gibson has often complained about the behaviour of the pitch aiding the opponents, but this is the one track that should be in his favour. What playing eleven does the side go for could decide the fate of the game as well. With Darren Sammy the captain, he cannot be chucked out, which means that the side could need an extra pace bowler in Kemar Roach to get the better of their opposition. One of the batsmen may need to be given the axe.

On the other hand, India will look to welcome back Munaf Patel as their third seam bowler. However, whether or not he plays depends on how fit he is after having suffered from his elbow injury. The rest of the line-up should remain the same.

There is one other factor; the rains. If the rains do not stay off, then a draw could look inevitable but if the rains do enough to spice up the pitch, then, things could get even more interesting. All in all, this could just be the Test match to look out for.