At the picturesque Gangotri Glades ground here, a steady drizzle was just setting in when India A skipper Cheteshwar Pujara walked in for the press briefing along with coach Lalchand Rajput. But the uncertainty in the weather surely did not reflect in Pujara’s personality. For, he looked confident and even defiant.
If the painful memories of his last encounter with the West Indies A the previous year was bothering him, it wasn’t on show. The Rajkot batsman and his men had lost the four-day series 1-2 then, and it wasn’t a defeat for the Indians, it was a thumping victory for the Windies.
The first of three four-day fixtures may not have much of a star presence simply because the out-of favour Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambir and Zaheer Khan will feature in the squad only from the next tie at Shimoga the following week.
But then, over the next four days, with selectors Vikram Rathore and Roger Binny in attendance, it will be the only chance for the youngsters to showcase their wares.
Given the nature of the pitch here, which is likely to favour the pacers initially, the Caribbeans, given their formidable bowling attack, will have a slender advantage, a factor which could be a cause of concern in the hosts’ camp.
For India A the pace battery will be picked from among Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohammad Shami, Ashok Dinda and Ishwar Pandey with Parvez Rasool and Bhargav Pandey being the spin options.
Led by the soft-spoken Pujara, 25, the batters look a steady lot. The youngsters in the team like Manprit Juneja, K.L Rahul and Rohit Motwani need not look beyond their captain for inspiration with the willow.
The prolific right-hander has been in fine nick, with a good outing against the South Africa A in the away tour recently.
The Caribbean crusaders, meanwhile, can be tough customers with many of them looking to make an impression over the next three weeks.
With a berth in the main squad for the forthcoming tour of India as the driving force, the visitors will be keen to go that extra mile to prove their worth, like they did in the one-dayers last week. Changes in the team have been plenty, starting with Kirk Edw-ards taking over the reins from Kieran Powell and five places in the squad re-jigged. In terms of experience, the visitors’ side, in comparison to the Indian side, weighs heavier with Edwards, Powell and Kraigg Brathwaite coming in with a wealth of experience.
An exciting contest is on the cards with the only dampener being the rain threat which looms large in this Royal city.