India enter Lara country

The timing couldn't have been better. Trailing 2-1 in the series after three heart-stopping games, India arrived in Trinidad, large chunks of which are distinctly Indian. If they switch on the radio, they are likely to hear Bollywood numbers; if they take a walk, they are likely to be offered roti and dal. Past Indian teams have enjoyed Trinidad - just ask Sunil Gavaskar - and the only ground where they have won Tests in the West Indies, three games in all, is the Queen's Park Oval.

In the larger scheme of things, for most of the locals at least, all the above is mere piffle. This is Brian Lara country. He's made it amply clear that these will be his last two one-day games in front of his doting crowd. He stands on the threshold of leading West Indies to a famous series win, one that could trigger off some sort of resurgence. More worryingly for India, he hasn't made too many in this series. In 28 previous games at Trinidad, he's spanked seven fifties and two hundreds. He averages 55.76 at home. He's a man with a sense of occasion. Don't bet against this fella. Don't even try.

So far in this series, it's been other batsmen giving India all the headaches. Ramnaresh Sarwan has spoken about improving his consistency and backed up the talk with two magnificent innings; Chris Gayle has, customarily, blown hot and cold; and Shivnarine Chanderpaul has failed, limped, succeeded and limped off. Lara has urged players like Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels to deliver more often. Also, there's Sewnarine Chattergoon and Wavell Hinds to contend with. India have to stop not one, but several, bullet-loaded barrels.

India may get back their chief weapon, with Yuvraj Singh likely to play. "He looks OK," commented Rahul Dravid, "we'll get him to bat in the nets and see how it goes." India need all their batsmen to come good. The cracker called Mahendra Singh Dhoni is yet to explode and it's a bomb that has no timer. Watch out for it.

West Indies will bank on home advantage. "We played here recently against Zimbabwe and have a fair idea about how the pitch behaves," Lara said on the eve of the match. "But this one [pitch] looks different. Normally, when we have back-to-back matches, there's usually some moisture on the pitch and in the outfield. But this one is devoid of moisture. I'm more worried about how it will hold for Sunday."

For India, Sunday can wait. They need to first stay alive, then start kicking, then think of levelling the series, and then - only then - can they harbour hopes of winning it. Like against South Africa at home, late last year, and in Pakistan a few months back, the bounce-back-ability will be tested. They've pulled it off before; this one might just be their toughest test yet.

India 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Sreesanth

West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Sewnarine Chattergoon, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Corey Collymore