Date:17/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/17/stories/2008101751692300.htm

Sport

War of words precedes beginning of pivotal second Test at Mohali

S. Dinakar

Skipper Kumble to take a call on fitness today; Pitch conforms to ICC norms, says curator

— Photo: S. Subramanium

LOOKING HEAVENWARDS: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who may lead if Anil Kumble opts out on fitness grounds, will be hoping that the weather gods are kind.

Mohali: The cricketing temperature has gone up ahead of the second cricket Test beginning here on Friday. A war of words has preceded what could be the pivotal match of the Border-Gavaskar series.

Ricky Ponting’s direct assault on counterpart Anil Kumble in his column in The Australian has not gone down well with the Indian camp. The ‘Punter’ wrote that if India were to drop anyone to include a third paceman for the second Test, it probably would have to be Kumble.

“They (India) are in a predicament at the moment with Anil (Kumble) being the captain,” wrote Ponting. Ahead of the Test, the mind games are on.

Kumble, who bowled after rain forced the players to the indoor nets on Thursday, said he would take a call on his sore left shoulder on the morning of the match. It would only be prudent to trust Kumble for his word.

Grassy pitch

The pitch for the match sports grass and should have moisture on it when the match gets underway. The surface has been covered due to the constant showers — more rain has been forecast for the week — but water could still have seeped in from outside the square.

Curator Daljit Singh, a wonderfully honest and straightforward man, insisted that the grass left on the surface would not be chopped off. “The sun dries the top one-and-a-half inches of the surface. It is the grass that dries the surface from below. If we cut the grass, it would affect the pitch,” he said.

Then Daljit, the chairman of the BCCI Grounds and Wickets Committee, observed, “Home advantage is important, but there are certain norms. You have the ICC match referee watching the Test. There will not be a repeat of Kanpur.” The pitch at Kanpur, where India levelled the series against South Africa earlier this year, turned alarmingly from day one.

The moisture content on the pitch here would make it sluggish initially, said Daljit. India faces a big decision if it wins the toss. Batting first can be a dangerous ploy and the side could, possibly, be 70 for five at lunch. On the other hand, if the team backs itself and survives the first session, then it has a chance to dictate the course of the play on a pitch that could assist spin from day four.

Of course, India’s decision, if it gets the spin of the coin right, would depend on the composition of the eleven. If Kumble recovers in time and India fields two specialist spinners, then the host is likely to bat.

If the skipper opts out and paceman Munaf Patel is included in the eleven, then fielding first makes sense. India is unlikely to play five bowlers — with a batsman short — against Australia. If Kumble misses out, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the side.

The Australians will be without paceman Stuart Clark, whose painful left shoulder has still not healed completely. Paceman Peter Siddle will make his debut; he is sharp and has this ability to reverse swing the ball.

Talking about reverse swing, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma out-bowled their Australian counterparts in Bangalore. Zaheer, who was involved in verbal duels during the match, appears to have rubbed the Aussies the wrong way.

Ponting said the Indian paceman was attempting to get his batsmen to play in a certain manner. Zaheer has said the Aussies were defensive in their approach.

Compelling duel

Zaheer and Ishant form a compelling pair but the Australian batsmen should appreciate the truer bounce at Mohali. From the bowling perspective, Brett Lee’s initial burst should be critical.

He is likely to share the new ball with the impressive Mitchell Johnson; the ball should carry to the slip cordon here.

The Indians want to fire collectively and are not looking at individual records. The words from the opposing camp have made the side more determined. It’s match on at Mohali.

The teams (from): Australia: R. Ponting (captain), M. Hayden, S. Katich, M. Hussey, M. Clarke, S. Watson, C. White, B. Haddin, B. Lee, P. Siddle, M. Johnson.

India: A. Kumble (captain), V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, R. Dravid, S. Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, S. Ganguly, M.S. Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, M. Patel, A. Mishra, R.P. Singh, S. Badrinath.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen and Asad Rauf. Match referee: Chris Broad. Play begins at 9.30 a.m.