Visitors face tall order
Baroda, Dec. 3: The series is only two games old, but so far, it has been one-way traffic. The young Indians, sans a few big guns have cashed in on the chances that have come their way, and New Zealand have struggled to come in terms with their onslaught.
The visitors’ task has turned monstrous as the Indians are just one victory away from sealing the five-match series, while Kiwis have to win all the three remaining matches, which looks tough considering the way the hosts have gone about their job. Just ahead of the crucial South African series and the all-important World Cup, it was an crucial series for the youngsters to make the most of their chances. If the first two games were any indication, they are ready for it.
With very few places up for the grabs, players like Virat Kohli had to come up with big knocks, which he did in the first ODI and was impressive in the second. But one person who has a fearsome reputation in the domestic circuit, but has failed on the international stage is Yusuf Pathan. With his brutal power, the Baroda all-rounder can turn a game on his own but has failed to do so until now. With Suresh Raina being rested for the last three ODIs, this may well be the last chance for Pathan to stake his claim.
Meanwhile, the talented Saurabh Tiwary, who was surprisingly left out of the first two ODIs, is likely to replace Raina in the XI. This will mean Yuvraj Singh along with Kohli, who has matured with every match he has played, will be the backbone of the middle order. Yuvraj has shown flashes of the destructive batsman he is and a big knock from the left-hander is in the offing.
It also looks like the captaincy has proved to be a blessing for Gautam Gambhir.
After struggling to score runs in the recent times, the 29-year-old was at his fluent best during his unbeaten 138 in the second ODI. The bowling has looked pretty much settled and the return of Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar will only add more to the existing firepower, which has been more than effective. But while Indians have shown that their bench strength is as good as their main team, the same cannot be said about New Zealand, who were struggling even otherwise and a few injuries have only added to their woes. Daniel Vettori & Co. had climbed as high as second in the ODI rankings three months ago and since then have seen their form plummet to a new low. Their worst came when they were floored by a spirited Bangladesh in the ODI series.
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