Teams wary of the other’s "superstar"

More so, since the tournament has seen high scoring games so far. The West Indians are studying the tape of Tendulkar’s century against Australia.

“Our bowlers have been directed not to give any width to him. The margin of error is almost negligible with him,” coach Clive Lloyd said.

The Indians, on the other hand, want to get Lara quickly. “He wants lots of action in little time. That’s where we will try to get him. If our bowlers deny him early runs, anything might happen,” the Indian coach said.

Rahul Dravid’s form suggests that he needs to bat at number three and not four, despite his success at thatspot. Mohammed Azharuddin’s leaden-footed approach early on makes him more vulnerable and that’s where Dravid can fit in.

The Indian bowling looks fragile. Apart from Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble, the others are struggling. Though Sunil Joshi came back to claim two wickets, he cannot afford a lax start. He, alongwith Kumble, has to spin a web around the West Indians who really went after the Pakistan spinners from the first ball.

“We have worked on different theories and each person knows his role now,” Lara said.

The Windies rediscovered a new hero in opener Philo Wallace and with Shivnarine Chanderpaul also chipping in, the West Indies scored 289 even though a middle-order collapse had rendered them a good 30-40 runs short of the total they were aiming for.

The outfield was rendered soggy after today’s rain. The Meteorological office has forecast a cloudy sky with a possibility of light showers tomorrow. In that case, the spectators will be robbed of a fascinating duel. A tie-breaker resultwould be a pity.