Dambulla, Aug. 24: This has been a tournament of lop-sided results so far. With the last league game — between India and New Zealand here on Wednesday — emerging as a knockout, the demand for better application stands magnified for both sides.
Conditions too have dictated terms and exposed faulty techniques and both teams will be praying that they can make the most of what is available to try and put pressure on the opposition.
The toss has been no guarantee either. It has all boiled down to the unit that makes fewer mistakes emerging winners. The ball has dominated and that has provided a refreshing change from tall-scoring duels.
The weather is the other joker in the pack. Strong showers are predicted for Wednesday and there is every likelihood of this one being a truncated game. As a sharper fielding unit, New Zealand might just fancy their chances. Fitness issues and poor fielding efforts apart, India cannot afford to slack in the field.
A fresh wicket that sees the ball stopping on batsmen has meant that rotating the strike rather than boundaries will be the key. India’s batsmen usually don’t find this to their liking. A sluggish outfield also means the running between wickets have to be hard. Virender Sehwag has looked the only batsman in some rhythm. Yuvraj Singh showed good signs against Sri Lanka.
In M.S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina, India have two solid finishers, and if there is a collective effort from the batsmen, other shortcomings can be covered up momentarily. The management continues to repose faith in Rohit Sharma and with Ravindra Jadeja’s form being patchy the temptation to play Virat Kohli as an additional batsman cannot be ruled out.
The bowlers have an equally big role to play. In Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra, Dhoni has two good exponents of swing and seam. The third seamer has been the problem and here, Munaf Patel will not be a bad choice. His accuracy in the practice sessions was there for all to see. Nehra did not bowl much at nets in the last two days and some midnight oil will be burnt before the final combination is finalised.
It has been 12 days since New Zealand have had a bat. The rain-marred game against Sri Lanka will not help them either. The team news is that Martin Guptill is fit and probably in line for selection. Kane Williamson has a bicep injury and will have a fitness test on Wednesday morning.
For India there are no such concerns and all members in the squad are available for selection. New Zealand will be lighter in terms of match-play, while the weight of expectations surrounding India can pull them down.
The Squads
India: MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik (wk), R. Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Saurabh Tiwary. Coach: Gary Kirsten.
New Zealand: Ross Taylor (capt), Martin Guptill, Peter Ingram, Andy McKay, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Daryl Tuffey, Kane Williamson, Grant Elliott, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, B.J. Watling, J. Ryder. Coach: Mark Greatbatch.