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 Cuttack,
Nov 5: Comprehensively outplayed by world champions Australia in
Mumbai, India need to fire on all cylinders to bolster their chances
of reaching the final by prevailing upon a winless New Zealand in a
day night encounter of the triangular cricket series here tomorrow.
With Australia having assured themselves of a place in the title
round by gleaning 18 points from four matches, the Kiwis and the
hosts are now in the race for making it to the majestic Eden Gardens
-- venue for the grand final on November 18 -- though the home side
look superior on current form.
India, culling
eight points from three outings are in the second spot, while the
Black Caps have only four points in their kitty from three games.
However, India's build-up for the first-ever day-night encounter at
the Barabati Stadium hit a speed breaker when leggie Anil Kumble
opted out following the demise of his father, prompting the
selectors to rope in Sairaj Bahutule as the replacement in the
14-member squad.
 Indian
coach John Wright has indicated that left-arm-slow bowler Murali
Karthik stood a bright chance of making it to the playing eleven as
the spin partner of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. "Kartik did a
good job against the West Indies, and he has always done well given
a chance," Wright said. On the positive side, the inclusion of
seamer Ashish Nehra, sidelined for eight months since spraining his
ankle at the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, has
increased the pace options for the Indian team management.
Nehra, who played a
vital role in taking India to the World Cup final by claiming 15
wickets with his magical ability to extract lateral movement both
ways, seems impatient to return to on-field action. He has been
bowling his heart out in the nets to impress the team think-tank.
Fast bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan succeeded in the Gwalior tie
against the Aussies before being clobbered all around the park in
Mumbai; Ajit Agarkar's graph nosedived at Gwalior before he sparkled
in Mumbai. Thus the pace line up on the morrow might be interesting
to watch.
With one-day
cricket being regarded as a batsman's game, the performances of the
top willowers of the two battling sides present a study in contrast.
The Indians hold a distinct advantage in the section, with their top
order, save Virender Sehwag, firing well in the tournament so far.
Doing justice to his awesome reputation, little master Sachin
Tendulkar has led the Indian charge plundering 216 runs including a
100 at Gwalior. A highly impressive average of 108 has raised the
expectations of his teammates and fans and they will expect him to
script another memorable knock at the Barabati Stadium, which has
seen a favourable Indian record of six wins in nine one-dayers.
 The
stylish V V S Laxman has a hundred to his credit, stand-in skipper
Rahul Dravid got a half century in Mumbai, while Yuvraj Singh played
a useful cameo in Gwalior. Sehwag's dismal show (31, 0, 0) stood out
like a sore thumb for the Indians, and the attacking player needs to
be among the runs to silence his growing number of critics. On the
other hand, the tale of the Kiwi top order has been one of abject
failure. The first five batsmen Chris Nevin, skipper Stephen
Fleming, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris and Brian Mcmillan have
collectively totalled a miserly 74 in the two matches that the
tourists lost against the Aussies. The New Zealanders' opening match
against India was a no-result and they never got the chance to bat.
 Fleming,
who also failed in the Test series, scored a gritty 40 in Monday's
match against Australia, his only respectable knock in the tour.
However, Fleming has resorted to blaming the wickets for the his
side's poor performance, saying that the tournament organisers had
prepared the tracks to suit India's interest. 'There are two
competitions going on - one for us and Australia where it seams
around and is tough to bat and India play another one where it gets
lower and slower then turns," he said, oblivious of the fact
that his country had hosted India on under-prepared tracks, drawing
all-round criticism.
The New Zealanders
also need to improve on their fielding and catching, as they dropped
catches at crucial junctures in Pune to practically gift the game to
the mighty Aussies. But India can also take heart from history, as
they carved out a five-wicket win in the only one-dayer played
between the two sides in Barabati in 1988-89. (Agencies)
Published:
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
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