India hope to justify favourite tag

India head for West Indies on Monday to play a five-Test series hoping to justify their unusual tag of favourites for an overseas tour.

Saurav Ganguly's side see an excellent opportunity to end a 16-year wait for a Test series victory outside the sub-continent against an opposition on the decline.

"We have to do well on the whole and not just in one area," Ganguly said in Calcutta on Sunday ahead of the team's departure.

India also play five one-dayers during the tour which ends on June 2.

Although India have been almost unbeatable on slow turning home tracks -- having lost just one series in almost 15 years -- they have not won a series outside south Asia since claiming a 2-0 victory in a three-Test series against England in 1986.

India also raised hopes of winning abroad last year, but were held to a 1-1 draw in a two-Test series in Zimbabwe and then lost to South Africa.

"We have to put runs on the board and get 20 wickets to win a Test match. But the most important thing is we need to show discipline," Ganguly said.

"We need to be consistent. We play like champions one day and probably not our best cricket the next day."

POOR RECORD

India pin their hopes on the recent poor record of West Indies, who dominated the game in the 1970s and 80s.

West Indies have lost five consecutive series since beating Pakistan at home in 1999-2000 and have been whitewashed in both Test series they have played in the 2001-2 season.

They were routed 3-0 by Sri Lanka despite Brian Lara's heroics and then lost both the games against Pakistan in Sharjah in the absence of the left-hander through injury.

Lara averaged 114.66 in Sri Lanka but suffered a fractured elbow on the tour and is just returning after being sidelined for three months.

But former test all-rounder Roger Binny said victory would still not be easy, because of India's own inconsistency rather than the weakened opposition.

"We have also not performed consistently. We beat Australia (2-1 at home in 2001) but the way we played against Zimbabwe was nothing great," he told Reuters from Bangalore.

India routed Zimbabwe 2-0 at home early this month, but looked shaky under pressure in the second New Delhi Test.

SLOW PITCHES

But Binny said the loss of pace and bounce in the West Indian pitches should favour Indian batsmen who are uncomfortable facing short, rising deliveries.

"The wickets have changed. Barring Jamaica, the bounce elsewhere is very much like India," he said.

Veteran paceman Javagal Srinath, who will spearhead a largely inexperienced new ball attack, hoped to do well despite slow pitches in West Indies.

"The Indian wickets are much, much slower, so pitches will not be a problem," said Srinath.

The first test starts in Guyana on April 11.

Mail Cricket Editor