Top 5 Questions Ahead Of West Indies Tour Starting Nov 6

The West Indies cricket team will soon be in India for a three-match test series, followed by a two-match ODI series. The first test match is due to begin in Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi, on November 6, 2011. Ahead of the series, there are five questions that intrigue the average Indian cricket lover, who will seek answers to these questions during this series:
1. Will Sachin Get His Hundredth 100?
This was the question uppermost in cricket fans' minds when India toured England earlier this year. Regardless of how much some critics are likely to use this issue to underscore Indian fans' tendency to elevate players to gods, the fact remains that the whole country would like Sachin Tendulkar to get his hundredth hundred as soon as possible. And everyone is waiting with bated breath for the day it happens.
2. Can India Improve Their Test Ranking?
India went to England with a great deal of expectation riding on their shoulders, especially after winning the world cup. While England were not expected to be pushovers, nobody expected a clean sweep in the test series in the hosts' favour. That rout not only humiliated the Indians but also cost them their number one ranking in tests. India will view the upcoming series as a stepping stone to recovering their number one ranking.
3. How Will The WI Youngsters Perform?
West Indies have been served by brilliant players in the past. Even relatively weak Windies sides in the last two decades had the services of players of the calibre of Lara. But the current side has a surfeit of youngsters, like Darren Bravo and Ravi Rampaul who have already shown that they have world class talent. Good performances on this tour could make these youngsters superstars of the future, and could lead to a revival of the glorious days of West Indies cricket.
4. Will Indian Youngsters Come Good?
The series is an acid test for the likes of Rahane, Vinay Kumar, Ashwin and Umesh Yadav. Indian cricket is at a transitional point and nobody knows how much longer their senior stars will serve the side. Among the bowlers, players like Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan already seem to be on the way out of international cricket, while Sachin, Laxman and Dravid are definitely in the twilight of their careers. This series is a golden opportunity for Indian youngsters to launch long and successful careers.
5. Can India Make It A Clean Sweep?
Not only will India seek to win the series but they would also want to make it a clean sweep, thereby serving the dual purpose of boosting the confidence of the team and taking a giant step towards recovering their number one test ranking in the near future.

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Suresh Iyer is an avid sports fan and blogger.