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Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006
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Selection dilemma for the Indians

S. Dinakar

DETERMINATION PERSONIFIED: With his experience of having played in South Africa, India will be tempted to turn to the old warhorse Anil Kumble to deliver the goods. — Photo: AP

Durban: The trick, they say, lies in the mind. On pitches with pace and bounce, and against bowlers of speed and precision, a negative approach can be suicidal.

"You don't play expecting a short pitched ball all the time," says India coach Greg Chappell. He has a point. "You got to play expecting a full length ball," points out Chappell, famous for his technical expertise.

He elaborates, "Your initial instinct has to be to get on to the front foot, although you do not commit yourself. If the ball is up, you drive it off the front foot. If the ball is short, you just get back for the horizontal bat strokes. Adam Gilchrist is a wonderful example."

The Indian batsmen will have to keep the negative thoughts away when Makhaya Ntini & co. let rip in the second match of the MTN ODI series at Kingsmead, here, on Wednesday.

Rain, always a factor

It rained here too on Tuesday morning. Mercifully, there was bright sunshine in the afternoon, but rain will always remain a factor during this part of the year in these parts.

The Kingsmead surface should offer plenty of bounce to the pacemen. Talk to some of the local cricketers who have played on the pitches there in the last two weeks and they tell you that there were a lot of deliveries around the shoulder height. With the ground so close to the sea, the ball swings around too, particularly in the second half of a contest. A batsman's technique is bound to be probed.

Rahul Dravid maintains India has batsmen who have performed well against such attacks. But the Indian captain seeks consistency and a collective effort from his men. Virender Sehwag, with his ring finger healing well, is likely to play.

The Indians will ponder whether to go in with six batsmen, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and four bowlers, or have an equal number of batsmen and bowlers and rely more on Dhoni to add weight to batting. On the lively Kingsmead track, the skipper hinted that India could opt for an extra batsman.

Tough call

The side will be tempted to play Anil Kumble. The leg-spin ace should relish the extra bounce. But then, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been the in-form bowler for India in the ODIs. If the side opts for a lone spinner, it will be tough call.

Munaf Patel will spearhead the pace attack, and Irfan Pathan's swing will be handy. The side will be keen to field S. Sreesanth because of his telling outswing. But then, Ajit Agarkar, who can get the ball to reverse, could be a better option in the end overs. Left-armer Zaheer Khan will provide variety to the attack. Happily for India, Sachin Tendulkar has resumed serious bowling at the nets and could chip in with his seam-up variety.

Mind games

The South Africans have started the psychological games. Considering how important Dhoni is to Indian batting the hosts are targetting the wicket-keeper batsman.

Coach Micky Arthur acknowledged that Dhoni had enjoyed some stunning successes in the sub-continent, but made it clear that he would be tested here. The host has depth and options, and are encouraged by the fact that off-spinner Johan Botha, permitted by the ICC to resume bowling in international cricket, is now available for selection.

South Africa has more than a few marquee names, but the man to watch out for at Kingmead could be swing bowler Charl Langerveldt.

The teams (from): India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Wasim Jaffer, S. Sreesanth, Dinesh Kartik. Coach: Greg Chappell.

South Africa: G. Smith (captain), L. Bosman, H.Gibbs, J. Kallis, A.B. de Villiers, M. Boucher, J. Kemp, S. Pollock, C. Langerveldt, A. Nel, M. Ntini, A. Hall, R. Peterson. Coach: Mickey Arthur. B. Dippenaar released from squad.

Umpires: B. Doctrove & I. Howell. Third umpire: B. Jerling. Match referee: Chris Broad.

Hours of play: 6 p.m. (IST) to 9.30 p.m. & 10.10 p.m. till end of match.

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