DHAKA : The Sher-e-Bangla stadium is a cauldron. Just not the place for cricket. If the players wish to file a mercy petition with the cricket authorities, the move could very well evoke sympathy.

This is not the time for cricket in Dhaka. The scene of competition has shifted from pleasant Chittagong and the players begin their test of attrition here on Friday.

The weather indeed is cruel. The Indians used their energy sparingly at the `nets' on Thursday. If the bowlers shirked from their duties, it was understandable. The batsmen too retired quickly, their concern for the bowlers very touching.

This essentially is the background to the run up for the second Test of this series with the players facing an exacting task of surviving the harsh playing conditions.

India has so far fallen short of its plans. The failure to press home the advantage in the last Test when Bangladesh faced the threat of a follow-on has shown the Indians to be still exploring the right combination.

Here the inputs of the support staff comes in handy, for the experience of Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh should add to the wisdom that Ravi Shastri, in his last Test as coach, brings to the job.

Aggressive intent

The emphasis has been on aggression but the bowlers have not performed, as the team management would have desired. During the partnership between Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain, it was clear the bowlers were trying too hard. In the process they sprayed the ball and Bangladesh managed to recover.

It was the most frustrating period for the three stalwarts in the slips — Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Their collective experience could not help the team find that elusive breakthrough when it mattered.

Discipline is one important factor that the Indian bowlers have been told repeatedly to attain. For an attack that included Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh, the results were disappointing. True, both came in for praise from Dravid but those were words of encouragements keeping in mind the fact that the schedule is long and demanding and the captain may need to whip these bowlers more as the season progresses.

Wasim Jaffer was unlucky in failing to make a run in the last Test but the arrival of Dinesh Karthik is a pleasant acquirement for a team looking desperately for a quality opener.

The names of Aakash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir do crop up during selection meetings but this wicketkeeper-batsman seems to have cemented his place with some quality batting. Dravid is convinced he would serve Indian cricket for long.

For this match, India's mindset becomes clear from the 12 announced for the match. Once again, V.V.S. Laxman and Yuvraj Singh do not figure in the scheme of things and would be joined by VRV in the dressing room. The choice of the fifth bowler hinges between left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar and young Delhi speedster Ishant Sharma.

Splendid progress

Ishant has made some splendid progress to deserve this break. A debut here may not be the ideal initiation for this 6'4'' tall bowler, but then he is mentally tough too.

He can also bowl long spells, at times even at the cost of harming his body. The way he tirelessly bowled for Delhi in the senior league and then gladly assumed the responsibility with some long spells in under-19 cricket too reflected the youngster's exuberance.

He may not be the fittest on the circuit but he is second to none in discipline and commitment, which his coach Sharvan Kumar has drilled in from that eventful day when Ishant approached him as a 15-year-old lad who wanted to bowl fast only because he was tall.

Tremendous promise

The diminutive Pawar too has toiled to earn his place. Ten years ago, Tendulkar had confided he had come across a bowler with tremendous promise.

"Watch his loop, very mystifying, he pivots well.'' He said about the young Mumbai left-arm spinner. But Pawar drifted, then faded, and moved to Baroda on a journey that now sees him share the dressing room with his greatest supporter.

Tendulkar is excited about seeing Pawar wear the Test cap, depending on the team management's decision on who to keep out — a spinner or a seamer.

The curator, Badiul Alam Khokon, says the ball would turn from the third day.

As for Bangladesh, the team would be happy to repeat the Chittagong show. "I don't want to talk about drawing or winning the match. We want to play good cricket over a period of five days. We know our opposition is a very good team and we just want to play well,'' said Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar, as humble as ever.

First match on this pitch; a couple of players anticipating a debut; and a harsh weather to deal with. A typical set up for a Test match in the sub-continent. The last word, however, lies with the man in the weather office. "Will rain for two days,'' is the prediction.

The teams (from):

India: Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik, Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, M.S. Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Ramesh Powar, Rajesh Pawar, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh and Ishant Sharma.

Bangladesh: Habibul Bashar, Mohammad Ashraful, Javed Omer, Shahriar Nafees Ahmed, Shakib al Hasan, Rajin Saleh Alam, Tushar Imran, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Enamul Haque, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain Rajib, Syed Rasel and Mehrab Hossain (Jr).

Umpires: Daryl Harper and Billy Doctrove; Third umpire: Nadir Shah; Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama.

Hours of play (IST): 9.30 a.m. 11.30 a.m.; 12.10 p.m. to 2.10 p.m.; 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.

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