Bravo not fit to play

Bassterre, St Kitts, June 21 (UNI) West Indies all rounder Dwayne Bravo is down with viral flu as he did not come to net practice a day before the match.

West Indies skipper Brian Lara hopes that Bravo would be fit enough to play in the third test beginning tomorrow. Lara also said the pitch would provide more bounce than what was on offer in the first two tests.

''It looks hard with bit of grass too. It will certainly bounce more than St Lucia pitch but I still feel it is more of a batting wicket. With Indian strength lying in spin and ours in pace I would have expected slight more help to pace bowling on this pitch,'' Lara said.

Lara also said he expected Sehwag to play in the first test.

''Harbhajan is a quality bowler and I feel if he would have played in Antigua or St Lucia he would have put us under more pressure. But whatever eleven the Indians put up tomorrow, our boys are capable of overhauling them,'' said Lara.

Lara also said the contract row was handled by WIPA and the players were focusing on the game.

''We have a match tomorrow and our focus is on that. There is no uneasiness in the team,'' Brian said.

Lara also said he had taken a cue from the Indian strategy and looks to score more in the first innings.

''Sarwan, Gayle, myself have to score more. We have to put a big to talk if we bat first, and take a good lead if we bat second. This is the bets way to put them under pressure,'' said Lara.

Lara also said the performance of Trinidad and Tobago soccer team was commendable. '' They went out but they certainly didn't disgrace themselves. Coach gave Latapy half and hour in the last game and he showed what difference he could have made in the team,'' said Lara.

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