The Hindu : Sport : India looks at trying out bench strength

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India looks at trying out bench strength

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

After four losses on the trot, England needs to regroup quickly

— Photo: S. Subramanium

GEARING UP: Skipper Dhoni’s statement that the team’s bench strength may be tested in the remaining games gives Virat Kohli and Pragyan Ojha a chance to get a look in.

Cuttack: Kevin Pietersen’s men perhaps thought it was better to relax in their hotel rooms. Down with four defeats on the trot and having lost the series, the England team might have been more perturbed had they ventured to the Barabati Stadium here on Tuesday, as a posse of policemen did their security drills in a corner of the ground.

Briefly, there were even uniformed men holding machine-guns near the pitch. Ahead of Wednesday’s day/night ODI, the fifth of the seven-match series, the venue was like a fortress.

The England team cancelled its scheduled nets while the Indians had a light optional stint in the afternoon, which was skipped by Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Munaf Patel.

The authorities scampering around giving finishing touches to the venue was in contrast to the scene out in the middle where birds glided smoothly onto the grass, presenting a picture of serenity. It could well be the reflection of the series so far as India has played with a touch of calmness despite the frenetic schedule and a rain-marred thriller at Bangalore on Sunday.

No problems for India

M.S. Dhoni’s men have answered almost all the queries thrown at them by England.

At Rajkot, where the visitor opted to bowl first, India out-batted England on a pitch that was presumed to favour the seamers. At Indore, a top-order collapse resolved into Yuvraj Singh’s second consecutive century. At Kanpur, Dhoni seemed to have read the situation well, and the Duckworth/Lewis system presented no problems, while at Bangalore the rains never hampered India’s momentum as Virender Sehwag and then Zaheer Khan did the star turn.

There have been a few worries over the form of Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, who made way for Sachin Tendulkar in the last match. Now, with India having won the series, Dhoni is weighing the option of resting a few players and giving opportunities to the likes of Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli and Pragyan Ojha.

Zaheer Khan, the pick of the Indian bowlers, deserves rest and so does Harbhajan Singh, while Ishant, who has just returned from an ankle injury, needs to play and find his rhythm. The trio is critical to India’s success in the subsequent Test series.

Wanted: heroes

England, meanwhile, is still searching for its heroes. Pietersen, after his 63 at Rajkot, seems to have ebbed away. Andrew Flintoff has slowly begun to impose himself through cameos with the bat and incisive spells, while Owais Shah did threaten India last Sunday but fell in the slog to the crafty Zaheer.

The rest are yet to find their voice.

The bowling has been fodder for the Indian batsmen as only Stuart Broad and Flintoff have had some success.

At a venue where India has won seven of its 11 matches, England needs to tide past its poor form or risks getting lost like a pebble in the Mahanadi which flows nearby.

The teams (from):

India: M.S. Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha.

England: Kevin Pietersen (Captain), Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Alastair Cook, Graeme Swann, Tim Ambrose (wicketkeeper), Ryan Sidebottom and Luke Wright.

Umpires: Daryl Harper and Amiesh Saheba; Third umpire: Shavir Tarapore; Match referee: Roshan Mahanama.

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

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