A chance to get their own back India's record in away one-day matches isn't quite as pitiful as in the Test arena, but they have not fared too well in the West Indies all the same. Admittedly, many of their matches were played against Clive Lloyd's all-conquering side, but two wins in 12 matches – with stalwarts like Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar often in the thick of things – still makes poor reading. On their last tour in 1996/97, India managed only one win out of four one-day internationals, with Abey Kuruvilla and Noel David picking three wickets apiece to bowl the hosts out for 121. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly then played with incredible ease to knock off the rain-revised target of 113 in merely 23.1 overs. Whether India can win their first one-day series in the West Indies remains to be seen, but with the arrival of the one-day specialists and the relatively innocuous bowling opposition, the tourists must be counting on doing well.

India decide to leave out Laxman, Nehra Skipper Carl Hooper believes that the West Indies middle-order batsmen will play a key role in deciding the outcome of the third one-dayer at Bridgetown, Barbados. The first two one-dayers being washed out at Sabina Park has meant that winning Wednesday’s match has become vitally important to the two sides. "It will be crucial to go one-up in this series. Who knows, it might rain in Trinidad as well, and this game might end up as the decider," Hooper said. "The fast bowlers did well in the Tests, but this is a one-day series, and it is mainly about the batters. We want a side that can bat deep and then add two or three quicks in the lineup," he added. One of the two West Indian all-rounders - Gareth Breese and Ryan Hinds - is certain to be included in the side. "We would like a line-up that has a strong middle-order, with one of the all-rounders coming in at number seven, wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs at eight and then three quicks," Hooper said. India, for their part, have decided to drop the prolific VVS Laxman. "We have to leave Laxman out," Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said. "The youngsters - Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh - have all been batting really well, and they can contribute with the ball as well and are excellent fielders. We would like to give them a chance." Rahul Dravid will keep wicket, while Sachin Tendulkar will bat in the middle-order if India are chasing. The tourists have also decided to play fast bowler Tinu Yohanan ahead of left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra. Yohanan will team up with Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar, while Harbhajan Singh will be the lone spinner.

All for a friend The death of a close friend spurred Sir Garry Sobers into becoming the greatest cricketer the world has seen. In 1959, a fatal car accident claimed the life of Collie Smith, whom Sobers rated highly as a friend and a cricketer. Sobers told BBC's Outlook programme that from then on he felt that he "had to play for two because he (Smith) could have been one of the greatest. I realised that the West Indies had lost a great player and I had to substitute." Sobers, who scored 8,032 runs and claimed 235 wickets and 109 catches in his dazzling 93- Test career, re-emphasised the toil that went into making him the all-round genius he eventually became. "I worked hard to achieve what I achieved," the great man said.

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