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India faces a stern test

By Vijay Lokapally

THE POWER OF PRAYER: Matthew Hayden, the prolific Australian opener, going through his prayer routine on the pitch on the eve of the tri-series final against India as groundsman Maheshwar Sahu walks by at the Eden Gardens on Monday .— Photo: V.V. Krishnan.

KOLKATA NOV. 17. The maidan has witnessed some historic events, each moment treasured in the hearts of millions of cricket lovers. Triumphs and failures have brought varied, and passionate reactions, at times wild too, but the spirit of this game has survived all the tribulations. Cricket has remained the paramount binding factor for people from all walks in this great city of hope, where modernisation blends nicely with tradition. Against the backdrop of high expectations, India faces a stern test against Australia when the teams meet at the majestic Eden Gardens here to decide the winner of the tri-series.

Winning the title may not necessarily mean that India be recognised a better team than Australia. The difference is huge and cannot be bridged with one odd-victory. The Australians know their strength well and it is for India to identify its strong areas.

The Australians have looked the champion team right through the competition, dominating the series with some commanding performances from all quarters. Conditions do not count when Australia takes the field. The same cannot be said of India.

The Indians have been spoilt by their tactics to create favourable conditions and then hunt, giving their cricket a false image. Consistent defeats at the hands of Australia have only shown the Indians in a poor light and the contest on Tuesday would put things in perspective.

Australia can have an off-day when things could go awry despite the awesome potential the team possesses and the Indians would pray for such opportunities, given the state of the team where much depends on individual brilliance.

Australia has set high standards for itself and it is the desire to surpass them every time the players take the field that keeps the focus in place. As John Buchanan said ``we look to take the game to greater heights.'' The Indians find themselves facing a challenge tough to tackle.

Australia has had few problems on the way to the final. The batsmen have enjoyed the placid tracks with every one showing brilliant form. The ease with which the Aussies belted the Indian attack at Bangalore did expose the limitations of the home bowlers but then the stage would be different here.

The Indians are motivated to match the Australians. A victory here could just provide the ray of hope that the team has been in search of before they embark on the tour to Australia. It would be naïve to assume that only Australia could win the big match.

India has the potential to raise its game and this would be the best platform for Sourav Ganguly, who faces a fitness test on the day of the match, and his men to gain the faith of their supporters. Too many wins against easy opponents have not helped the Indian team grow even though the team has made a big impact in limited overs matches.

The emphasis would obviously be on improving its performance and India does have a task at hand. From containing the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Damien Martyn to taming the attack would need the Indians to be at their best. The batsmen have shown encouraging form but the bowlers have caused concern with their inconsistent line and length in the matches against Australia.

The pitch promises to produce a cracker, what with the rapid fast outfield likely to contribute towards making it a high-scoring match. The heady atmosphere of the Eden Gardens should lift the game to greater heights and a close contest would provide a fitting finale to a series which saw some quality cricket from three competitive teams, adding one more chapter to the glorious history of cricket.

The teams (from):

India: Sourav Ganguly (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, V. V. S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel, Murali Kartik and Avishkar Salvi,

Australia: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Bevan, Andy Bichel, Brad Williams, Ian Harvey, Nathan Bracken, Michael Kasprowicz, Brad Hogg, Jimmy Maher and Michael Clarke.

Umpires: Messrs David Sheperd and A. V. Jayaprakash; third umpire : Mr. K. Hariharan; Match Referee : Mr. Ranjan Madugalle.

Hours of play: 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 6.45 p.m. onwards.

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