Sport

The stage is set for an exciting series finale

London: A mix of inspired cricket and elementary errors has made this NatWest ODI series a nerve-jangling one of fluctuating fortunes.

It’s 3-3 and the winner takes it all at Lord’s on Saturday. A wrong move and there would be no comebacks.

This indeed is the crunch time. Time for those who are calm of mind and brave of heart. Time for the heroes. Time for the knock-out punch.

This has been a triumphant campaign for Team India. Rahul Dravid men’s roared back to defeat South Africa 2-1 in Belfast in the ODIs, importantly won the Test series here, and are a match away from a famous one-day series victory.

A defeat here should not diminish the earlier achievements. A victory on the Big Saturday will, however, make it one of India’s most successful away campaigns ever.

History beckons India in the Summer of ’07.

There have been plenty of positives for India. Sachin Tendulkar has batted like a dream, Sourav Ganguly has played smart cricket, Dravid has changed gears, Yuvraj Singh has made runs with typical flourish, Zaheer Khan has bowled with precision and skill, spinners Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla have bowled with heart and craft, M.S. Dhoni has lifted his game behind the stumps, and Robin Uthappa discovered himself at The Oval.

India has the momentum and the edge, but Andrew Flintoff could hold the key to what effectively is a Cup final. Flintoff batted and bowled — at a lively pace — during the England nets on Friday and the expectations are that he would be a part of the host eleven on Saturday. The influential all-rounder has been injected with steroids on his left ankle.

Team coach Peter Moores said Flintoff had bowled and batted without discomfort. “We will have to see how his ankle reacts tomorrow (Saturday) before taking a final decision. We are hopeful.”

Flintoff’s bounce in the middle-overs and reverse swing at the Death make him vital. He can contain and strike, create the pressure for the others to make inroads. England was clearly a paceman short at the Oval.

The surface for the game appears a good batting track, but there is bound to be some assistance in terms of seam movement for the pacemen early on. The famous Lord’s slope will also be a factor.

The forecast for Saturday predicts sunshine till noon and then a period of partial cloud cover. It will not be an easy decision for the captain winning the toss, but exploiting the early moisture and chasing down the target on the small arena and the fast outfield could be the better option.

The cloud cover in the afternoon, unless it turns very dense, may not be much of a factor. The locals say that the clouds would be higher than lower, having less impact on the game.

There could be a possible change in the Indian eleven. Left-arm paceman Rudra Pratap Singh could come in for either Chawla or Powar.

Playing just four bowlers with Agarkar being one of them is a risk, but the team needs the Mumbai paceman with the new ball where he forms a right-left combination with Zaheer Khan; the pair has struck at the beginning.

But then, Agarkar cannot be relied upon to operate in the end overs and the skipper might not again risk a spinner at the end. R.P. Singh could provide the answer.

It will, however, be a tough call for the team-management since Powar and Chawla has been impact bowlers in the series. Much would hinge on the surface and the conditions on the morning of the match. India is likely to continue with seven batsmen.

The England batting has fetched the runs. Ian Bell has been stroking the ball beautifully and Paul Collingwood, effectively, Kevin Pietersen has shown encouraging signs of recovering his form and the lower order has blitzed.

However, the bowling remains a worry. James Anderson went for runs at The Oval, so did Stuart Broad and England desperately needs Flintoff.

This is the time for Heroes.

The teams: