Spin could be the key as second Test begins today

The scenes around the Eden Gardens are a throw-back to a distant past. A tram glides across, yellow Ambassadors screech around and a few statues of heroes long gone fringe the adjoining roads.

History is always at a touching distance in Kolkata and when India clashes with the West Indies in the second Test starting here on Monday, the whispers of the past and the need to etch fresh milestones will jostle for space in the hosts' dressing room, besides the primary quest for an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Ten years ago, V.V.S. Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) built a 376-run partnership here that knocked out Steve Waugh's men. The memories of those days reverberate even now as was evident in the profuse claps that greeted Laxman, as he walked back after practice. Add to it the air of expectation that swirls around Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international hundred and you get a fair idea of the backdrop.

The reality, though, is low-key as the sale of tickets remained muted and, going by the nature of the practice wickets, the pitch could be another sluggish track while curator Prabir Mukherjee has promised a surface with good bounce. During nets on Sunday morning, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron found the turf muffling their pace.

It is a cue-card that, perhaps, goaded Darren Sammy to mull about fielding an extra spinner. The West Indies skipper said that he might consider Shane Shillingford ahead of Ravi Rampaul.

The off-spinner, who has slowly emerged after a dark cloud passed over his action, bowled extensively ahead of the game.

Good news for the host

The prospect of spin weaving doubts and extracting wickets will keep the Indians in high spirits especially after R. Ashwin (nine for 126) and Pragyan Ojha (seven for 109) shared 16 scalps between them in the first Test at Delhi.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite, with their contrasting styles, showed that the Indian spinners can be countered but the rest displayed slow feet and stiff hands.

Sammy believes that positive batting and two spinners can help his team bridge the obvious gap with the Indian squad. But his counterpart M.S. Dhoni has seen enough hints about India's return to its dominant ways in home conditions.

In Delhi, all of the batsmen got runs except for Yuvraj Singh, who frittered away his starts. And among the bowlers, seamers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav had their moments of belief while Ashwin and Ojha led the way.

The last time the teams clashed here in 2002, the match ground to a draw under a pile of runs, with Tendulkar, Laxman, Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels and Wavell Hinds slamming tons.

Four centurions from that match are present for this game but the pitch has slowed down since, and the visuals of Winston Davis getting one to rear and break the then Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar's arm in 1987, remains a distant memory.

Now, spin could well be the key and it is a weapon that suits India best.

The match, meanwhile, will commence at 9.05 a.m. as the sun sets early in the eastern part of India.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain & wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R. Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Sharma.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wicket-keeper), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels and Shane Shillingford.

Umpires: Rod Tucker and Bruce Oxenford; Third umpire: S. Ravi; Match referee: Jeff Crowe.

Hours of play: 9.05 a.m. to 11.05 a.m.; 11.45 a.m. to 1.45 p.m.; 2.05 p.m. to close.