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India ‘A’ has the psychological edge

S. Dinakar

Yusuf Pathan is India’s trump card in the
middle-order
India ‘A’ bowling could test the Australians

Chennai: Sparks could fly at Chepauk on Friday as India ‘A’ has the psychological edge going into the final but Australia ‘A’ could come back hard.

The title match of the one-day tri-series could be decided by a moment of inspiration. Both sides have match-winners.

The emphasis, however, will be on a collective effort; building the pressure gradually and then forcing the other side to crack under the stress.

A final is a lot about playing the key moments well, holding one’s nerve.

The influential Shaun Tait will be back for Australia in the summit clash.

With young paceman Mark Cameron impressing with his seam position, pace and line on Wednesday, left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty might miss out.

The inability of the spinners to stem the flow of runs or strike tellingly in the middle overs cost Australia the last league game. Between overs 20 and 40, skipper White and part-timer David Hussey sent down 11 overs for 54 runs without picking up a wicket.

Skipper Suresh Raina, batting with flair again, and Rohit Sharma, such a natural timer of the ball, are back among the runs.

Robin Uthappa’s form, however, is still a matter of concern for the host. The opener needs to get into the innings building mode.

Of course, Yusuf Pathan is India’s trump card in the middle-order. The big-hitter has earned the respect of the Aussies, swaying away or pulling the short balls from the pacemen.

The Australian game-plan against this punishing batsman will be interesting. Yusuf might have to watch for the bounce-yorker routine by Tait with an older ball.

There were indications in Monday’s game against New Zealand ‘A’ that Tait was finally achieving reverse swing, his most potent weapon.

“We probably have the mental edge going into the final but the Aussies are a good side. Tait will be back and we will have to be watchful,” said India ‘A’ coach Dav Whatmore.

Depth in batting

The home side has depth in batting with men like Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla having the ability to strike the ball long and hard. But then, pacing the innings well will be critical.

Given its strength — pace — Australia is expected to field in the event of winning the toss.

Both sides will keep an eye on weather; spells of cloud cover and rain cannot be ruled out. The surface has encouraged strokeplay with the ball generally coming on to the bat. Only the odd delivery has tended to keep a trifle low.

India ‘A’ bowling could test the Aussies. Praveen Kumar’s wrist position and movement have troubled batsmen in the series. Irfan — off-colour in the last game — has had his moments in the tournament.

Will the think-tank include the heavy-hitting Abhishek Nayar, a handy seam bowler as well, for the ‘now-good-now-ordinary’ paceman Dhaval Kulkarni?

Impressive Yusuf

Yusuf has been tight with his off-spin in the middle overs; his spell reduced the Aussie total by at least 20 runs on Wednesday. And Piyush, despite an occasional hammering, is a useful leg-spinner.

In the final, Piyush will have to vary his length cleverly to prevent the batsmen from settling into a rhythm.

The Indian bowlers will be aware of the David Hussey factor.

Hussey has personified confidence in the middle, dictating the contest with the bowlers, blending aggression with judicious stroke-selection.

The host needs to improve on two aspects; running between the wickets and bowling at the ‘death’.

Ashley Noffke, a bustling paceman, almost took the game away from India with his inventive strokeplay during the end overs in the last league game.

After the final, there can be no comebacks.

The teams (from):

India ‘A’: S. Raina (captain), R. Uthappa, J. Shah, R. Sharma, R. Teja, Y. Pathan, A. Nayar, I. Pathan, W. Saha, P. Chawla, P. Kumar, D. Kulkarni, D. Karthik, S. Asnodkar.

Australia ‘A’: C. White (captain), P. Hughes, L. Ronchi, D. Hussey, A. Voges, M. North, G. Baily, A. Noffke, B. Geeves, S. Tait, M. Cameron, X. Doherty.

Umpires: T.R. Kashyappan & S. Ravi; Match referee: Sambaran Banerjee.

Play starts at 9 a.m.

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