ALL IS WELL? Coach Greg Chappell has a word with Sourav Ganguly after the practice session, and going by the signs, the ice between the two has been broken. - PHOTO: V. GANESAN.

Chennai: How time flies taking people and events with it. It was here in March 2001 that Sourav Ganguly conquered a peak as India's skipper on an evening of high drama at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. India finished at the right end of a thriller to upstage Steve Waugh's formidable Australia. And the captain was quite the toast.

From the past to the present. `Dada', now, begins the quest to retain his slot in the middle-order at the same venue. Ganguly is no longer the captain, his selection into the Test squad was hotly debated upon, and the youngsters are snapping at his heels. There, clearly, is pressure on him to perform.

Ganguly was under sharp focus here on Wednesday when the Indians had a practice session ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka beginning on Friday. He appeared in good touch at the nets too.

This was Ganguly's first session with the team after losing the top job. Mentally, it might not have been easy for a long-standing captain to adjust to a new role, but Rahul Dravid, ever the cricketer and the gentleman, put his former skipper at ease, even sharing a lighter moment with him before the nets.

Ice broken

After Ganguly finished batting, coach Greg Chappell walked up to him to offer his views. The differences between the two have been well documented. Now, both were engaged in a conversation that suggested the ice had been broken.

Though the selectors and the team management are rightly looking at youth, the indications are that Ganguly will figure in the eleven for the first Test. Yuvraj Singh has the form and the momentum with him, and Mohammed Kaif drips with character and commitment. But, as a senior cricketer and a past skipper and someone with a century in his last first class match, Ganguly is unlikely to carry drinks.

The opportunity in Chennai will be a lifeline for Ganguly. He needs to grab it.

The Indians had a strenuous work-out, although the pacemen were given a rest day. The uncertainty over the weather continued, with rain and storm forecast over the next 48 hours.

The pitch for the match appears a hard, dry surface. The track has cracks, and if the sun, proving the forecasts wrong, beat down, then they could widen. The spinners might then turn hugely influential, extracting spin and bounce.

A challenge, says Murali

Muttiah Muralitharan will be eyeing those cracks. The off-spinner is looking forward to the Chennai Test. "I am a Tamil and we will be playing in Tamil Nadu."

The off-spinner with eyes that reflect his zest for life will duel it out with the Indian batsmen, who are fluent players of spin. "It is a challenge. It will be one against one."

The Sri Lankan felt a bowler's performance depended on how well he operated on a given day. "Sometimes you try hard and things happen. I am going to try hard. 90 per cent of the time, it happens for me."

The pitch could assist the spinners from the second day, he said. "Every Test match is a special feeling," he said. "I am hungry for wickets," he continued.

Muralitharan, who had words of appreciation for Shane Warne, is also a great advocate for Test cricket. "I think we should play more Tests than ODIs. The cricketers value their performances in Tests more."

Earlier, Lankan manager Michael Tissera expressed hope that Sri Lanka would overcome the nightmare of the ODI series, where he conceded that the islanders let themselves down. He, however, said the Lankans had not allowed their spirits to drop. Mr. Tissera spoke about the long season ahead. Coach Tom Moody shared a good rapport with the boys, he said.

Laxman eager

Back to the famous series of 2001 when Steve Waugh's final frontier remained unconquered. V.V.S. Laxman orchestrated the astonishing turnaround in that series, and he continues to be an integral part of the Test line-up, although he has lost his ODI place. Laxman dwelt on the high morale in the Indian camp following the side's stunning displays in the ODI series. He has played a few first class games this season, practised with the Hyderabad Ranji side and is keenly awaiting facing Muralitharan for the first time in a Test. "I have designed a plan to counter him. Hope it clicks," he said.

The face-off between the off-spin wizard and the wristy shotmaker should be exhilarating.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail