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 Faced with the grim prospect of being blanked out 2-0, India are ready to fight with renewed vigour in the second and final Test starting tomorrow even as New Zealand prepares to torment the Indian batting line-up with a fresh dose of intimidating bowling. Having lost the first Test by ten wickets within three days, the Indians, especially the batsmen, have a lot of pride to play for against a pumped up New Zealand attack on a pitch that is said to possess even more pace and bounce than seen in Wellington.
As home captain Stephen Fleming threw a challenge to the Indian batsmen to prove themselves under hostile conditions, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today put up a brave face saying it was not the first time his team was faced with such a situation. "We have lost before. We were 1-0 down in England. Similar was the case in Sri Lanka (Both times India drew level). And against Australia we came from one Test down to win the series. It can happen again," Ganguly said echoing the general mood.
Amidst all the hype surrounding the pitch here that is supposed to be one of the fastest in the world, Ganguly said it was not the track but the lack of application by his batsmen that had let the team down in the first Test. "It did a bit but was not unplayable. I don't think it was one of the most difficult wickets. We should have batted better. I don't think the wicket was responsible for our poor batting display," he said, seeking to end the discussion over pitch conditions. Indian coach John Wright said it was challenging to play on the tracks in New Zealand but expressed full confidence in the abilities of his batsmen.
"It is challenging. At home we played on some of the flattest wickets. And then you come to Wellington," he said. Wright felt the Indian batsmen were fully aware of their responsibilities and themselves knew best how to tackle the bowling here. "Its very fair for you to give the message to players what you want them to achieve and it is pretty dangerous when you start telling them how to do it," he said. Ganguly has already ruled out any major changes in his batting line-up and that means both Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar, failures in the first Test, will get an opportunity to redeem themselves.
There is no panic in the batting yet but they can't sit on the past and it's time they did well at Hamilton," Ganguly said. "These guys have put you in winning positions in the past. They put the team in a hole in this Test and it is up to them to pull us one in the next game."
Both Bangar and all-rounder Ajit Agarkar, who had injured their fingers during the first Test, were declared fit by Ganguly and participated in today's practice session, which was held indoors due to incessant rains. In fact, it has been raining constantly in Hamilton in the last few days and it is doubtful whether any cricket would be possible on the opening day tomorrow. Ganguly, who is facing a whitewash for the first time in his otherwise glittering career as captain, admitted the team's preparations had suffered due to the rains but stressed on the need to go into the match in a positive frame of mind.
"We have come early in the season. So there is going to be rain. But you can't help it though obviously our preparations have been affected," said the captain who has led India to victory in 13 of the 31 Tests and is just one win short of catching up with Mohammad Azaruddin's record as the most successful Indian skipper.
As things stand now, Kerala speedster Tinu Yohannan is likely to be the only replacement in the side, set to play in place of left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra who had an unimpressive performance in the Wellington match. New Zealand, who are basking in the glory of being ranked third in the latest ICC ratings for Test playing countries, have already ensured that they would end the year without a series loss and are now eyeing a wonderful opportunity to record a 2-0 victory. Fleming looked assured in the belief that his bowling firepower, led by Shane Bond, would once again lead the team to victory over the Indians. "It is a big factor," he said of the role of his bowlers in the team's impressive performance this year when they scored 1-0 wins against Pakistan and West Indies and drew 1-1 with England. "Shane Bond has added a new dimension to our Ganguly hopes for another rescue act.
He also ruled out replacing spinner Daniel Vettori even though the pitch was most conducive for fast bowlers. The fine performance of the bowlers has also helped in glossing over the not-so-impressive display by the batsmen in the first Test. "They have scored enough for us to win a Test. I think in pre Christmas season, its very difficult for batsmen to score runs," Fleming said. New Zealand is almost certain to field the same side that played in the first Test in Wellington. |
