Champions League Twenty20 2009 - LIVE TV, PHOTOS,NEWS

The Big Picture

	India will have to look beyond Yuvraj Singh to counter the West Indies pace attack © Associated Press
Related Links Player/Officials: Dwayne Bravo | Gautam Gambhir | Ravindra Jadeja | Ravi Rampaul | Rohit Sharma | Jerome Taylor | Yuvraj Singh Series/Tournaments: India tour of West Indies Teams: India | West Indies

It's been a year of contrasting fortunes for the two teams in the ODI format, and they have much to make up for in tomorrow's contest in St Lucia. India have had a successful 2009 in the 50-over game, with series wins in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. An unassailable lead with a win in St Lucia will boost their chances of wrapping another series away from home, making amends for their debacle in the World Twenty20 and ending their hectic few weeks ahead of a two-month break on a high. West Indies have been disappointing this year, winning four ODIs and losing eight, but have the momentum going into a crunch game with a comprehensive win in Kingston to level the series. However, they are under as much pressure to perform at home. A 2-1 lead, and more so a series win, will do a lot towards easing that burden and leaving them a confident outfit as they take on Bangladesh in their next series.

The home team's performance in the second ODI marked a major improvement, particularly in its bowling. West Indies found a gem in Ravi Rampaul, who swung the ball both ways, inducing the batsmen to make mistakes, while Jerome Taylor was the pick of the West Indies bowlers. He claimed the wickets of Dinesh Karthik, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, each of whom had a role to play in smashing 339 in the series opener. Though they didn't have a big score to chase, the West Indies batsmen ensured their team outclassed India in every field, with Chris Gayle and Runako Morton deciding the game even before a wicket fell with a century opening stand.

India's bowlers were indisciplined in the first game, bowling 19 wides and two front-foot no-balls, and the trait seemed to have rubbed off on their batsmen. Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj, each got out chasing wide deliveries, while the tail, with the exception of RP Singh, who added 101 with Dhoni to save India's blushes, was hapless. Dhoni, at the end of the game, pointed out that over-reliance on Yuvraj, who has scores of 131 and 35 in the series, was not going to win India the series. And with an important game coming up, India's top order will have to step up, with greater preparedness to counter the short ball.

ODI form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

India - LWLWW
West Indies - WLLLN

Watch out for ...

Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma: With an average of 25.33 in 39 ODIs, there is plenty of room for improvement for Rohit in the ODI format. Another failure at No.3 tomorrow is something he can ill afford after scores of 4 and 0 in the series so far. Gambhir has had a satisfactory year, averaging 38.80, but his weakness against the short ball was exposed in the ICC World Twenty20, and in the first game by Jerome Taylor. The pair will do well to deliver when it matters tomorrow to boost India's chances of a series win.

West Indies' pace attack: Each of West Indies' pace bowlers bagged wickets in the eight-wicket rout in Kingston, using swing and variations to unsettle the Indian batsmen. Taylor was the best among them, Rampaul was the surprise package and Bravo bowled a scorcher to get rid of Yusuf Pathan. They made the best use of favourable conditions while India were batting, and if they are offered anything similar at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, India's batsmen are up for another serious challenge.

Team news

Ravindra Jadeja had an impressive ODI debut, making an unbeaten 60 against Sri Lanka but has failed in this series, getting dismissed in an identical manner on both occasions. He was out first ball in the first game, playing away from his body and edging to the keeper, and managed just 7 in the second with his team in trouble. He could be left out of the next game for allrounder Abhishek Nayar to make his international debut.

India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Dinesh Karthik, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja/ Abhishek Nayar, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 RP Singh, 11 Ashish Nehra.

West Indies retained their squad for the final two one-dayers and Gayle said the allrounder Darren Sammy will return to the line-up. He rubbished rumours of an off-field rift with Sammy and said he had great confidence in him.

West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Runako Morton, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Darren Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Darren Sammy, 10 Suleiman Benn, 11 Ravi Rampaul.

Pitch and conditions

Gayle expects the pitch to be full of runs as the venue has traditionally helped the batsmen.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have played nine games at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, winning five and losing four. India are yet to play a game at this venue.

• West Indies' eight-wicket victory in Kingston was their biggest against India in terms of balls remaining after winning. They won with 95 balls to spare, bettering their effort in Port of Spain 20 years earlier, where they had won with 68 balls left.

• MS Dhoni and RP Singh's stand of 101 is the fourth-highest for the ninth wicket in ODIs, and the third-highest for India.

• The average score while batting first in St Lucia is 243. The side batting first has won on seven occasions and lost nine. The highest score at the venue is 363, by New Zealand against Canada in the 2007 World Cup. The lowest is 146, by West Indies against England earlier this year.

Quotes

"It is a case of two good teams playing against each other, and we expect two very competitive matches."
Denesh Ramdin

"Yuvraj, on any given day, can destroy any bowling attack. When he is in that sort of mood (as he was in the first ODI) he is very difficult to bowl to. We have to try and contain him as much as possible but at the same time he's experienced and has a lot of power and he is definitely the main batter in this Indian team."
Chris Gayle

"We have good communication out there which is very good and we can assess the conditions as quickly as possible and make the necessary adjustments. I want him to play his game and I will support him at the other end."
Chris Gayle on Runako Morton

India 339 for 6 (Yuvraj 131, Karthik 67) beat West Indies 319 (Chanderpaul 63) by 20 runs

Yuvraj Singh made up for the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina with an explosive century, allaying fears of weakness in the Indian batting order, and led his team to a hard-fought win in the first one-day international against West Indies in Kingston. His 131 from 102 balls, which contributed to a substantial partnership with Dinesh Karthik, helped India recover from a shaky start to post a match-winning total of 339 on a pitch and outfield which were on the slower side.

West Indies chased manfully but none of their batsmen combined aggression with longevity, a blend that made Yuvraj's innings so devastating, and one that is a necessity while chasing a target of such proportions. Three of their best batsmen - Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul - made fiery starts but fell at inopportune moments, causing the innings to hit a speed breaker when it needed a batsman to bat at full throttle but stay the distance. As a result, India were always marginally ahead of the game, if only by a hair's breadth at times, and even though the lower-order caused India's bowlers and fielders to palpitate, West Indies fell 20 runs short.

25 overs West Indies 151 for 3 (Chanderpaul 17*) need another 189 runs to beat India 339 for 6
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

West Indies made promising progress in their difficult chase, reaching 151 for 3 at the half-way stage, despite the inability of their batsmen to convert quick starts into long and damaging innings, like Yuvraj Singh did for India. Chris Gayle, Runako Morton and Ramnaresh Sarwan made useful contributions but their untimely dismissals left Shivnarine Chanderpaul with a lot to do, as West Indies needed 189 runs off the last 25 overs to win the first ODI against India at Sabina Park.

India's fast bowlers got little movement with the new ball on a slow track and Gayle began in customary fashion, clouting the fourth ball from RP Singh to the midwicket boundary. He did most of the early scoring, pulling again through midwicket, this time of Ashish Nehra, before lofting RP Singh's length deliveries for a four and a six over mid-off. No matter what the target - and 340 is a stiff one - West Indies were always in contention while Gayle was at the crease. That hope, though, was snuffed out when Gayle top-edged a pull from Nehra and was caught by Harbhajan Singh at mid-on for 37.

Morton attempted to fill the void left by Gayle. He had taken six balls to get off the mark and focused on rotating strike but stepped up after his captain's departure. He helped steer West Indies to 70 for 1 after ten overs, lofting the left-arm spin off Ravindra Jadeja over wide long-on for six. He and Sarwan had begun a promising partnership when Morton was given caught down the leg side, for 42, off Yusuf Pathan when the ball appeared to have come off the thigh pad.

West Indies suddenly had one brand new, and another relatively new, batsman at the crease and Sarwan took on the responsibility of maintaining a brisk run-rate. He used his feet superbly to the spinners, getting to the pitch of the ball before smacking Yusuf and Harbhajan over the long-off and long-on boundaries. With Chanderpaul playing a supporting role to Sarwan, who lofted Yuvraj Singh over the straight boundary with a languid drive, West Indies kept abreast with the asking-rate. However, they were jolted on the stroke of half-time when Sarwan was run out while attempting an unnecessary second run. That wicket tilted the balance in India's favour and West Indies will need someone to stay the distance if they are to challenge the target.

50 overs India 339 for 6 (Yuvraj 131, Karthik 67) v West Indies
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Yuvraj Singh's brutal 131 helped India to the second-highest total at Sabina Park © AFP
Related Links Player/Officials: Chris Gayle | Dinesh Karthik | Ramnaresh Sarwan | Yuvraj Singh Matches: West Indies v India at Kingston Series/Tournaments: India tour of West Indies Teams: India | West Indies

Yuvraj Singh, by himself, made up for the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina with an explosive century, allaying fears of weakness in the Indian batting order. His 131 from 102 balls, which included a substantial partnership with Dinesh Karthik, helped India recover from a shaky start to post 339 in the first one-day international against West Indies, on a pitch and outfield which were on the slower side.

A total of such proportions, though, seemed unattainable on evidence of how India batted at the start of their innings. That familiar bugbear of Indian batsmen - the short ball - began to undo the top order once again before the 135-run stand between Yuvraj and Karthik, which had shaky beginnings, gave the innings direction. India's dominance was so untested during the period when Yuvraj was approaching his hundred that West Indies did well to restrict the score to 339, relatively speaking, after India were 253 for 3 in 38.1 overs when Yuvraj was dismissed.

Jerome Taylor was part of the attack that exploited India's ineptness against the rising delivery during the World Twenty20 and he resorted to the approach once again despite the Sabina Park pitch being far slower than the one at Lord's. He hurried the batsmen with pace, beat them with seam movement, and proved extremely hard to score off during his first spell by giving nothing to drive or cut. Unfortunately for West Indies, the pressure Taylor created dissipated because there was none forthcoming from the other end with Lionel Baker, Dwayne Bravo and David Bernard unable to bowl economically.

India started briskly, moving on to 25 in the fifth over, before Taylor unsettled Gautam Gambhir with a 92mph delivery from round the wicket that hurried the left-hander and cramped him for room. Gambhir's attempt to hook was feeble and one hand came off the bat as he top-edged a catch to midwicket. Rohit Sharma fell soon after, pulling a less ferocious ball from Baker to Dwayne Bravo at deep square leg.

The run-rate slowed as Karthik, opening in Sehwag's absence, and Yuvraj attempted to rebuild the innings from 32 for 2. Both struggled early on: Karthik was cut in half by an incutter from Baker while Yuvraj was constantly beaten by short of length deliveries that seamed across him. The moment the ball was full, though, the batsmen took advantage: Karthik drove Dwayne Bravo's first ball to the extra-cover boundary and Yuvraj, despite being beaten several times outside off, was able to put away Baker's full offering to the point fence.

West Indies missed an opportunity to run out Karthik when he was on 34 and the batsmen gradually grew in confidence as the danger in the bowling reduced. Karthik added Twenty20 flavour to the sedate pace of 50-over cricket by reaching his half-century with his own version of the Dilshan - a scoop that carried all the way for six over fine leg - against Bernard. He tried it again, on 67, but this time he was undone by Bernard's subtle change of pace and scooped a catch to the wicketkeeper.

The momentum swung violently towards India in two phases, the first of which was when the spinners came on after the 20th over. Yuvraj attacked Suleimann Benn and Chris Gayle, pulling and slog-sweeping them thrice over the midwicket boundary. India, largely through Yuvraj, who also feasted on Bernard's full deliveries on leg stump, scored 70 runs between overs 20 and 27.

The second period of acceleration was during the batting Powerplay, taken in the 34th over, following a dormant period after Karthik's dismissal. India began the five-over spell on 191 for 3 and Yuvraj set the tone by carving Baker to the cover boundary off the second ball of fielding restrictions. He then proceeded to launch sixes over cover and midwicket to take 16 runs off the over.

Gayle turned to his best bowler, hoping for a repeat performance, but Yuvraj tore into Taylor's second spell, flicking him twice off the pads for four, and hitting him for sixes over cover, midwicket and long-on. MS Dhoni, who had been content with giving Yuvraj strike, also went after Taylor, shoveling a six down the ground. Taylor's two-over spell cost 37 runs and India scored 62 off the Powerplay. Taylor never recovered from the onslaught and bowled a wayward final spell to finish with 1 for 74 after conceding only 16 off his first five overs.

West Indies appeared hapless against Yuvraj until Dwayne Bravo found the edge of his bat as he tried to glance towards fine leg. Bravo raised hopes of a fightback by dismissing Ravindra Jadeja first ball but useful innings from Dhoni, Yusuf Pathan ahd Harbhajan Singh steered India past 300. It was only the second time that the landmark had been overhauled in ODIs in Jamaica, and judging by the excitement from their fans at Sabina Park, the disappointment of India's World Twenty20 exit had been momentarily forgotten.

	Both Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan are aware the Indians will be quite a handful © Getty Images
Related Links News : We're looking to rebound - Gayle Player/Officials: Chris Gayle | Ramnaresh Sarwan Series/Tournaments: India tour of West Indies | ICC World Twenty20 Teams: India | West Indies

West Indies captain Chris Gayle has said he is not underestimating the Indians despite the visitors fielding an understrength team for the four-match ODI series in Jamaica and St Lucia.

Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan have opted for rest while Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina failed to make the short tour due to injury concerns. Looking ahead, Gayle said India's poor showing in the ICC World Twenty20 - they failed to win any of their Super Eight games - would have no bearing on the forthcoming ODIs. West Indies reached the semi-finals before crashing out to the Sri Lankans but Gayle insisted it was too early to jump the gun and pick a favourite.

"It is never a walkover against India," Gayle told PTI. "There are a lot of guys still there to give us a lot of trouble, so we just have to stick to the game plan and make it a successful one."

Gayle's team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan also agreed. "The Indians are a very good one-day team and while they may be without a couple of their players, they will prove to be a handful for us," Sarwan said. "But we are in good form and have confidence in our abilities and hopefully, beginning Friday, we can get a good start to the series."

The Indians haven't had the best of fortunes in the Caribbean over the last few years. In 2006, they were comprehensively beaten 4-1 before crashing out of the World Cup in the first round the following year.

West Indies also announced changes to their one-day side for the first two games, the most notable casualty being their in-form bowler Fidel Edwards who's nursing a back injury.

"There are a few changes in the squad, there is Darren Bravo and [Narsingh] Deonarine coming in and it is a good opportunity for them to play an important part against India," Gayle said.

Despite bowing out of the semi-finals, Gayle was happy with his team's comeback after a lacklustre start to the tour, which included a Test and ODI series defeat to England.

"It was a pretty decent performance. We tried our best but in the end it was not to be," Gayle said. "But I am not disheartened. In fact, I am proud of the guys, as at the championship, not many were expecting us to reach that far.

"The aim was to bring home the trophy and make everyone happy, especially the fans. Having said that, however, it was a wonderful experience, one that I think will serve the team well going into the future and one that should serve us well when we host the next World Twenty20 Championship here in the Caribbean."

Meanwhile, three Indian players - M Vijay, S Badrinath and Abhishek Nayar - are yet to depart for the West Indies as they are awaiting their UK transit visas. "They will get their visas today and are set to leave tonight (Monday)," a BCCI source told PTI. "They are scheduled to reach Jamaica by tomorrow evening local time."

The series begins on Friday at Sabina Park.