West Indies fast bowling - once the scourge of batsmen worldwide - will have to come to the fore again if the team is to beat India in a five-Test series starting in Guyana this morning.

This was the unmistakable pronouncement of West Indies captain Carl Hooper, speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday evening after a selectors' meeting to decide on the final XI to face Saurav Ganguly's men in the first Test at Bourda Cricket Ground in Georgetown.

"The first Test match is going to be very important to see how well they play our quicks. I think that's going to be the key to winning this Test series - whether our fast bowlers can lift their game a notch to get among the Indian batsmen," he said.

Even in light of the eagerly-anticipated batting duel between West Indies ace Brian Lara, returning from injury, and the jewel in India's crown, Sachin Tendulkar - one century away from equalling Sir Donald Bradman's 29 Test hundreds - Hooper remained steadfast in his view that the bowlers will ultimately hold the key.

"Both players have the ability to score heavily, not only big scores but on a consistent basis. I think they will figure prominently and they will be a big plus to their respective sides if they can get going.

"As for the outcome of this game and the series, again, I say it will be dictated by how well the bowlers perform."

Observing the many similarities between the teams, the West Indies skipper felt his team may have the edge, despite the fact that India think they have their best chance of a series rout on their opponent's soil.

""When you look at the two sides it's a good match-up - we are similar - but I think, if we play good cricket, we can win the series. "Their batting is built around Tendulkar; ours around Lara. In support, they have (Rahul) Dravid and Saurav (Ganguly).

"In support of Brian we've got myself and (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul. I think we might have the edge because we have Ramnaresh Sarwan whom I think is an exceptionally good player and we have Chris Gayle and Stuart Williams at the top of the order.

The skipper said on the other hand, India had two young openers who had not played that many Tests.

"Also, their wicket-keeper would not have played as much as Junior Murray. This is not the first time I have heard people say `It's a good time to beat the West Indies'," he said. "Last year people thought the South Africans would come here and beat us 5-0 but we proved we can be competitive against good sides.

"I don't think, by any stretch of the imagination, that the Indians would be as strong as the South Africans, certainly not in depth and quality of players."

In the bowling department, he pointed out that apart from spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, and the experienced seamer, Javagal Srinath, India's bowlers were "not seasoned campaigners".

For the opening encounter, the West Indies have put faith in leg-break bowler Mahendra Nagamootoo, who set a regional record of 50 wickets this season, as well as fast bowlers Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy and debutant, Adam Sanford, who creates history by becoming the first cricketer from one of the Caribbean's indigenous peoples to represent the West Indies.

"He's young and has shown that he can be aggressive," said Hooper, of the Dominica-born Carib native who took 41 wickets at an average of 25.19 in the recent Busta Series.

Marlon Black and all-rounder, Ryan Hinds, have been omitted from the final XI for the West Indies.

Lara, who last played Test cricket in the West Indies' 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka last December, will bat at No. 4 following the openers and Sarwan, while Hooper and Chanderpaul will fill the No. 5 and 6 spots, respectively.

Lara's return could not be more welcome and regional fans will be hoping he can pick up where he left off. The world record-holder scored a mammoth 688 runs against Sri Lanka in three Tests at a staggering 114.66 average.

The left-handed Trinidadian has signalled his intention "to be competThe left-handed Trinidadian has signalled his intention "to be competing to score the most runs" and to build 400-plus totals for his team.

"Not only is he probably the best player in the side but he is showing a desire to score heavily and that's important. One of the blunders our batsmen are making is not converting good starts into three-figure scores so it's good to have him back," said Hooper.

As for his personal goal, the captain - who last weekend steered Guyana to the Busta International Shield title over Jamaica with an unbeaten 149 -expressed a wish to repeat such feats in the Test arena.

"It's important I have a good start this weekend and hopefully, by the time we come around to Jamaica (fifth Test), I will have a couple of hundreds under the belt."