Erapalli Prasanna at a Calcutta hotel on Sunday

Calcutta: Former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna feels that the West Indies tour will be an acid test for the Indian team which has performed exceptionally in the past few months.

“The Indian team has performed well in the subcontinent, but in the Caribbean, conditions will be different. Some of the tracks will favour fast bowlers, which will test our batsmen,” said Prasanna on Sunday.

Prasanna, who is in the city to pass on tips to boys at the Zonal Cricket Academy (ZCA) camp, also felt that the West Indies trip will show Rahul Dravid’s maturity as a captain.

“Last time Sourav Ganguly did well by leading the team to a 2-1 triumph in ODIs, though we lost the Test series. Rahul will have to prove himself as a good captain,” added the spin legend.

Prasanna feels Harbhajan Singh will be the bowler to watch out for. “Harbhajan is a top-class bowler and I think he is in fine shape to deliver the goods,” he said.

He acknowledges Kumble’s worth as a champion Test bowler. But Prasanna agrees with the selectors’ decision to ignore him for the ODIs. “See, in the ODIs, he can bowl only 10 overs? after that he becomes a liability for the team since he can’t contribute as a fielder. In Tests, he is our trump card because he can bowl 20-25 in a day.”

Prasanna also feels the selectors should have picked 18-year-old leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. “The selectors showed their immaturity by not picking him for the (West Indies) tour. He is a great find for Indian cricket and I think he should have been given a chance to prove himself irrespective of his age,” Prasanna remarked.

The legendary off-spinner gave credit to Team India coach Greg Chappell. “He has done well to create a nucleus of 20 players for the World Cup.”

Prasanna doesn’t think Sourav’s career is over. “I believe he can still be an important player for the Indian team and has a lot of cricket left in him.”

On the controversy surrounding off-spinner Mohnish Parmar, Prasanna slammed the selectors for including him in the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Parmar was among 12 bowlers reported for suspect action during the tournament.

“During the pre-World Cup camp in Bangalore, I repeatedly told the selectors there is a problem with his action. I told them he shouldn’t be selected before his action was corrected. That wasn’t done and it has left a scar on Indian cricket,” Prasanna signed off.