India opens tour against Oppenheimer XI

By Our Special Correspondent

JOHANNESBURG, SEPT. 30. Nicky Oppenheimer XI has announced a squad of eleven for the tour opener against the Indians at Randjesfontein on Monday. The diamond mining family has assembled eleven players, among whom, two have played Test cricket and eight in the highly competitive provincial cricket. The odd man out is the captain himself, Jonathan Oppenheimer.

If one has to believe Dr. Aaron (Ali) Bacher, the former high profile Managing Director of the United Cricket Board South Africa and the current CEO of World Cup South Africa 2003, the Test and first class players of the Oppenheimer team could prove to be tough customers for the Indians in a match in which the nature of the team will be determined by the Oppenheimer family before the two captains go out for the toss.

The Indians are familiar with Dale Benkenstein and Mornantau Hayward. Benkenstein is a phlegmatic batsman, who has played against India. But he has not inflicted as much damage to the Indians as the other player, fast bowler Mornantau Hayward has.

Hayward first played against India for Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth in the tour opener in 1996-97. The Indians scored 300 plus in the first innings and fared well in the second.

But it was after four seasons at the Brabourne Stadium, Cricket Club of India (CCI), that India's Mohammad Azharuddin and wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia - both picked in the trial match against the tourists - received blows in their knuckles and webbing.

Azharuddin, picked in the Indian team for the two Test series, was ruled out of the first Test in Mumbai, but Mongia managed to recover. Had Azharuddin not been injured, he might have completed his 100th Test match; his return to the National team in Bangalore was his 99th. He made a century, but thereafter has not been chosen to play for India.

Dr. Bacher said: ``Jacques Rudolph is an exciting batsman and Graeame Smith is a tall and solid opening batsman. He and Rudolph should play for South Africa in the next two years. Gulam Bodi is a left arm spinner, who can bowl the `chinaman'. Kruger van Wyk is another promising player. These four are future prospects for South Africa. Especially Bodi. He has a good chance of getting into the World Cup squad.''

The Indians, who arrived here on Monday, September 24, look forward to their first match. On Wednesday they will be playing their second warm-up game, a day/night match against a South African `A' side at Benoni, where five years ago, Sachin Tendulkar hammered a brilliant century against Zimbabwe. It helped India qualify for the final of Standard Bank Tri-series.

Coach John Wright has recognised the significance of these two matches before next Friday's Tri-series' opener against South Africa at `The Wanderers'. The Indian batting line-up will have, as Wright revealed on Saturday, Shiv Sundar Das, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar and two more from the other four in Yuveraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Reetinder Singh Sodhi and Jacob Martin.

Tendulkar has not played a match since he returned from Zimbabwe in early July. He has taken care of the `great toe' of his right foot, which was a major topic for discussion among cricket buffs in India for nearly two months.

He is one of the many cricketers, who have been asked to wear the special orthotic insoles to protect a part of the underfoot. That he bowled for more than an hour at `The Centurion' is a good indication of the recovery he has made in less than two months.

Another player who will come under scrutiny is Anil Kumble. He played his last match for India in October 2000 in Sharjah, underwent a shoulder surgery in mid-January and followed a rehabilitation programme to stage a comeback.

Kumble seems to have played sufficient matches in tournaments in Bangalore and Chennai in July and August and is said to be in good condition for the tough battles to be fought here. So he must be pleased with the way things have turned out for him.

The teams:

India (from): S. Ganguly (Captain), S.S. Das, R. Dravid, S.R. Tendulkar, Yuveraj Singh, R.S. Sodhi, V. Sehwag, J. Martin, J. Srinath, V. Prasad, A. Agarkar, Harvinder Singh, A. Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Deepdas Gupta.

Nicky Oppenheimer XI (from): Jonathan Oppenheimer (Captain), Jacques Rudolph, Graeme Smith, Dale Benkenstein, Pieter Koortzen, Loots Bosman, Gulam Bodi, Kruger van Wyk, Garnett Kruger, Mornantau Hayward, Albie Morkel.

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