da gbg bet： Boosted by their victory in the Pro20 game on Friday night, India’scricketers head to Centurion on Sunday seeking to avoid a 4-0 drubbing inthe one-day series
The Preview by Dileep Premachandran at Centurion02-Dec-2006
The return of VVS Laxman, unfazed by foreign conditions, should herald some improvement. © AFP
Boosted by their victory in the Pro20 game on Friday night, India’scricketers head to Centurion on Sunday seeking to avoid a 4-0 drubbing inthe one-day series. Thus far, South Africa have had it all their own way,with the 80-run margin at Port Elizabeth the closest in a hopelesslyone-sided series.To be fair, India’s bowlers have nearly matched their South Africancounterparts, with Zaheer Khan especially impressive. But the batting,with the odd exception here and there, has been appalling, with run chasesruined even before the Powerplays were exhausted.The return of VVS Laxman, who batted in the nets at Centurion on Saturday,should herald some improvement. His one-day record in South Africa isnothing special – 20 runs in two innings – but as he has repeatedly shownin Australia, the extra bounce doesn’t faze him. Lateral movement isanother matter, but there’s unlikely to be much of that on a bone-dryCenturion pitch that should be full of runs.There will be enough bounce to keep pace bowlers on both sides interestedand the strong winds that blow across the ground – two sides of it arecompletely exposed to the elements – will also be a major factor in a daygame starting at 10 AM. Chasing a target could well be the smart option,though given India’s travails, they might just prefer to defend whatevertotal they can put up. Having dealt with the likes of Johan van der Wathand Tyron Henderson in the Pro20 game, they will once more be confrontedwith the far more lethal trio of Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel.Laxman’s inclusion provides a nice sidelight to a game that is little morethan a statistical irrelevance. On Sunday, the side will be led byVirender Sehwag, who has just lost deputy status in the Test team to the manreplacing him – Laxman. At the press conference following the Pro20 game,Sehwag suggested that he would just get on with his game, slap on thewrist notwithstanding. And that’s exactly what the team needs from anindividual who can still turn a game in the space of a few overs with someblistering strokeplay.For Mohammad Kaif, who has failed to grasp his chance, the match should bean opportunity to remind the selectors of what he can offer, with onlyeight more games remaining before India head for the World Cup. His exclusionfrom the Test side is a bitter blow, and it will be a test of character tosee how he bounces back.With Ajit Agarkar and Munaf Patel both injured, the bowling is down to thebare bones, and Harbhajan Singh should return to partner Anil Kumble in anattack spearheaded by Zaheer and Sreesanth. Irfan Pathan probably savedhis tour with a good allround display in Port Elizabeth, and needs torecover much of the ground lost in the past few months.For South Africa, the choices are far more straightforward. Andrew Hall,whose allround show was so pivotal in the Cape Town victory, is carryingan injury, and Robin Peterson could get a first game of the series.Loots Bosman’s failures at the top will see the equally inconsistent AB deVilliers moving up to partner Graeme Smith, opening a spot for Ashwell Prince in the middle-order.Smith’s form is a matter of concern, and he needs to reassess his approachto Zaheer in the initial overs. Great batsmen eventually adjust, andSmith has enough quality about him to solve the problem. India will onlyhope that he doesn’t find a solution until the tour is over.TeamsSouth Africa (likely): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3Jacques Kallis, 4 Herschelle Gibbs, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 Mark Boucher (wk),7 Justin Kemp, 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Andre Nel, 11 MakhayaNtini.India (likely): 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 VVSLaxman, 4 Mohammad Kaif, 5 Dinesh Karthik, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 7 IrfanPathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Sreesanth.