Powar packed India aim for kill against WI plagued by suspect Lara

Cuttack, Jan 23 (UNI) The word 'tricky' has evidently been playing on captain Rahul Dravid as he chose to go with five bowlers, including two spinners, tomorrow striving to keep up the winning momentum against a spirited West Indies in the second one-dayer at the Barabati Stadium here.

Another positive from India's point of view is that West Indies captain Brian Lara may not take the field tomorrow after a left-knee injury.

''I will practice today. But I will decide tomorrow whether to play or not,'' Lara said here today.

Immediately after winning the first ODI against the Caribbeans at Nagpur, Dravid said the pitch in Cuttack is ''slow and tricky and we have to be on our toes''. He has evidently not forgotten Scott Styris and Craig MacMillan, who robbed India of a victory when India played New Zealand last time at this venue under his stewardship, after the then captain Sourav Ganguly opted out due to an injury.

Coming to terms with the dew became a problem for the Indian bowlers, as New Zealand stole the match after being 50 for four at one time. He would keep that in mind during the toss.

Dravid further said he preferred to play with five bowlers and was looking to play an all-rounder. Another lesson the Indian skipper had learnt.

Other than giving Ramesh Powar a berth, young Suresh Raina, who turned out in the opening game of the series at Nagpur has made way for pace bowling all-rounder Joginder Sharma in the 12 announced by Dravid at the match-eve media meet.

It will also be a toss-up between either S Sreesanth or Sharma before the final XI is decided tomorrow. Dravid described the track as dry being potentially a spinning pitch.

The Indian captain said, ''The ball could come slow on to the wicket and even keep low. We have decided on the combination after looking at the condition, and opted for the extra spinner.'' The hosts' decision to play a four-pronged bowling attack in the opening match almost mis-fired as Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul tore apart three of the frontline bowlers and Dravid found it difficult to plug the holes in the bowling attack.

From the 15-member squad, apart from Raina, opener Robin Uthappa and pacer R P Singh would continue to sit out.

On the decision to leave out Raina, Dravid said, ''We decided to give him a break as we want to play the extra spinner. It is more vital for us in this condition.'' With comeback man Sourav Ganguly setting the stage by scoring an electrifying 98, the star-studded Indian batting line-up -- derided for their consistent streak of inconsistencies and a string of poor shows in the recent South Africa tour -- sparkled to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

However, the Indians can hardly relax. West Indies demonstrated what they were capable of when Shivnarine Chanderpaul went ballistic putting the home side on a sticky wicket, before they finally scraped through.

The game at the Barabati stadium, which is hosting an ODI after a three-year gap, is vital for both teams in deciding the series. An Indian triumph would mean the hosts cannot lose the rubber, while for the West Indies it is a battle for keeping alive their chances of taking home the series.

Pitch Curator Prabir Mukherjee, however, feels that it would be an ideal one-day track. Mr Mukherjee told UNI, ''It will be a belter of a track in the morning and if the dew factor comes into play in the evening, it could take the pace off the pitch.'' ''So the team that wins the toss should bat first. It will be an advantage,'' he said. Asked if the ball would get soggy in the evening if the dew factor comes in, Mr Mukherjee said, ''That could be an issue only if the dew is much more.'' The fact that Sourav Ganguly has fully recovered from his calf muscle injury will be a boost. Dravid said, ''If Sourav continues to bat the way he is at present he has a lot to give to the side.'' MORE UNI