Sport

Sehwag vs. Bond, the battle begins

S. Ram Mahesh

WAITING FOR A TURNAROUND: Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid will have to put in a lot of effort to change India's miserable run of late. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan

BULAWAYO: The Videocon tri-series has only three matches of any consequence even if you account for the earth changing spin and the Indian team continuing its miserable run. One of them begins at the Queen's Sports Club here on Friday.

Till 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Team India had not visited the ground, which surprised New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming whose team mustered the energy and will to practise after Wednesday's match.

"Yeah I am surprised. We looked at the conditioning we needed, you get a deep burn in the lungs here, so it's an interesting way of going about it.

"If they can manage their energy levels, then maybe (it will work). But if as we suspect they struggle, it might not be such a smart thing."

This is just the latest in a series of not so smart moves in Indian cricket. Press conferences that do not start on time, inadequate preparation and players who do not follow deadlines indicate the rot that has set into the system.

"That was the itinerary we were provided," said Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. "We were not aware of it till we landed in Zimbabwe."

Lack in cohesion

He also said he had not received any intimation about the noon deadline the players were reportedly given to assemble in Mumbai before departure.

This lack in cohesion has been reflected in a wretched 2004 and a poor start to this season in the IndianOil Cup tri-series in Sri Lanka.

"We have not played well in the last 11-12 months," said the Indian skipper. "I don't know why it happens, we are also trying to find an answer. We need to be more determined and make things around us different."

Ganguly said the failure of batsmen to convert starts had played a big part in the decline. "In the past there were a lot more hundreds. This is definitely an area of concern."

Virender Sehwag comes up against old tormentor Shane Bond. An early battle that may settle the power equation.

The wicket bears little resemblance to those the Indians played on in New Zealand though.

The match will be played on the same track as the first one and if anything another day of sun-baking has improved its consistency. Ball came pleasingly on to bat, and the Indian batsmen should embrace this pitch.

How the Men in Blue utilise Power Play will be interesting. Will Ganguly float one of his batsmen and substitute a plodder in the middle or will he be his conventional self? More importantly, will India's bowling attack (one spinner or two?) contain a side that has acclimatised well and begun hitting its straps?

New Zealand served notice, amassing 397 in just 44 overs in the first match against Zimbabwe. Though Fleming conceded it was tough pegging such a performance against the host, he made the point that near 400 in that many overs against any side was special.

"What we have struggled with is injuries, with five or six getting injured at the same time," said Fleming. "What we are trying to do is to keep players on the park. We think we are potentially a very good side if we do that. The balance is very good and it's about using the right options at the right time."

Multi-skilled cricketers

New Zealand has evolved from a team of bits-and-pieces journeyman whose sum was greater than individual parts to a close-knit unit of multi-skilled cricketers. Fleming can call upon power hitters of the variety and calibre of Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, and Scott Styris, all of whom have Test centuries.

And Nathan Astle's finger has healed, which puts Fleming in a pleasant quandary. "It will be a tactical change not a form change," he said when asked if he would drop anyone.

The Black Caps skipper said the key to the side's success was the amount of time they had spent understanding themselves, "not something the other teams do." The team would concentrate on its strategy and not worry about what the Indians could do, he said.

"It should be a step up," said Fleming of playing India after Zimbabwe, "they (India) are always a very good side with a lot of naturally talented players. We will try to put pressure on their individuals and make them crack."

"Individuals" was an interesting choice of words. A subliminal message perhaps.

The teams (from):

India: Sourav Ganguly (capt.), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Venugopala Rao, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Jai Prakash Yadav, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Ashish Nehra, Rudra Pratap Singh.

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (capt.), Daniel Vettori, Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Hamish Marshall, Brendon McCullum (wk), Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Lou Vincent.

Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Russell Tiffin (Zimbabwe)

Third Umpire: Ian Robinson (Zimbabwe)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama

Hours of play (IST): 1.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and 5.15 p.m. till close.

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