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India will look to test its bench strength

S. Dinakar

With Tendulkar and Sehwag sitting out, Vijay looks set to make ODI debut

— Photo: S. Subramanium

WAITING IN THE WINGS:It remains to be seen if pacer Abhimanyu Mithun or off-spinner R. Ashwin (right) get a look-in.

Ahmedabad: There is considerable disappointment in this historic city that Sachin Tendulkar will not be seen in action in the third and final ODI here at Motera on Saturday. The maestro was the cynosure as he journeyed from Gwalior on Friday. A young lady broke down seeing the legend in flesh and blood. The applause from the rest of the passengers was spontaneous as the aircraft captain welcomed Tendulkar on board.

Tendulkar was relaxed, sharing some lighter moments with teammate Virender Sehwag during the flight. The master batsman was calm and relaxed after scaling yet another peak.

Soon after the aircraft landed, the cameras started whirring again. Tendulkar was requested by the crew for a group picture and he obliged with a smile never deserting his face. It is not easy being Sachin Tendulkar.

Good call

The selectors are right though in resting Tendulkar and Sehwag for the final ODI even if India is already without Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.

India, with an unassailable 2-0 lead, has the opportunity to complete its first series sweep over South Africa. However, the wise men have opted to look at the big picture — the World Cup 2011. India will need to test its bench strength ahead of the huge event and there would be no better opportunity than Saturday's dead rubber.

The absence of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir suggests opener M. Vijay may be making his debut in ODI cricket. He is an organised batsman of feet movement and poise, timing and placement. And he is capable of scoring runs at a brisk clip.

There is a good chance that Dinesh Karthik, in fine nick in this series, could partner Vijay. Karthik has batted fluently, leaning into his drives and going right back for the lofted stroke over mid-wicket. He should be eying a three-figure knock here.

Like Karthik, Virat Kohli is a batsman of tremendous bat speed. And Rohit Sharma, back in the side after battling fitness concerns, is a smooth-stroking batsman of much grace and charm. The left-handed Suresh Raina, a dynamic player in these conditions with a compelling range of shots, will don the senior batsman's role.

Skipper M.S. Dhoni will be around to deliver the big hits. It remains to be seen if either the big-hitting Yusuf Pathan or the handy Ravindra Jadeja is left out to accommodate leg-spinner Amit Mishra or offie R. Ashwin.

In the pace bowling department, the lanky Sudip Tyagi is likely to come in for Praveen Kumar. S. Sreesanth should share the new ball with left-armer Ashish Nehra. Sreesanth, in particular, bowled with verve in Gwalior. Attacking bowlers such as him need to be backed.

Abhimanyu Mithun, the most impressive paceman on the domestic circuit, is also in the squad.

Need to deliver

South Africa will seek sizable contributions from the elegant Hashim Amla, the solid Jacques Kallis and nimble-footed A.B. de Villiers.

The dreadfully out-of-form Jean-Paul Duminy will not be in the South African scheme of things though. Duminy injured his hand while fielding in Gwalior and has left for home.

The explosive Loots Bosman could be given another go.

The aggressive Herschelle Gibbs — he has the strokes and the experience — needs to convert his starts. Gibbs has let himself and his team down in the first two games.

South Africa's batting has been inconsistent — the side only got close in Jaipur after late heroics from tailenders Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell — and the bowling has lacked discipline.

The South African pacemen, striving for pace, have either been too short or too full and bowled on both sides of the wicket.

It remains to be seen whether dew will be a major factor under the lights. The number of fresh faces should make the final ODI an interesting contest.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), M. Vijay, D. Karthik, V. Kohli, S. Raina, R. Sharma, Y. Pathan, R. Jadeja, S. Sreesanth, A. Nehra, S. Tyagi, A. Mishra, R. Ashwin, A. Mithun.

South Africa: Jacques Kallis (captain), H. Gibbs, L. Bosman, H. Amla, A.B. de Villiers, M. Boucher, van der Merwe, M. Morkel, W. Parnell, D. Steyn, C. Langeveldt, J. Botha, A. Petersen, A. Morkel, L. Tsotsobe.

Match starts at 2.30 p.m.

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