Nov. 11: Indian cricket’s evergreen firefighter VVS Laxman finally getting to play the highest grade of cricket at his home ground after 115 Tests. Sachin Tendulkar on the verge of an unprecedented 50th Test century. The first Test in Hyderabad in 22 years, one that promises a result. There is plenty to look forward to when India and New Zealand step on to the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Friday for the second Test, yearning to take the lead in the three-game series.
India may have got out of jail in the previous game but go into this one with a strong conviction to shrug off the setbacks. Gautam Gambhir’s lean run is a concern but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni says he would persist with the pugnacious opener, giving Murali Vijay some more time in the pavilion.
India would also want to write off the top order collapse in the second innings after a fantastic outing in the first one at Motera as a one-off thing even as rescue man Laxman and hardy Harbhajan Singh pulled the team out of the well they had plunged into. However, to be saying ‘All is well’ because the hosts managed to draw the game would befit the title of the infamous movie from which the line is taken — only that the number will have to be changed.
Well, Team India, with a wealth of experience and abundant talent, is not so foolish. Overconfidence must have been a word erased from their dictionaries right after the Ahmedabad alarm. “Once you have lost quick wickets, your hearbeat goes up. We were a bit worried but at the same time we were waiting for that one good partnership to prosper,” Dhoni said on Thursday.
New Zealand too have a few worries at the top, opener Tim McIntosh and Bradley Watling being the concern. However, with newcomer Kane Williamson coming to the party to share the batting burden alongwith heavyweights Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, the Kiwis look comfortable on the batting front.
Ryder has an injury niggle that prevented him from bowling in the second innings of the first Test, but will play purely as a batsman, according to captain Daniel Vettori, who hopes he won’t need Ryder’s contribution with the ball. Not after Chris Martin showed he is capable of transforming himself into a one-man army — the bouncy Rajiv Gandhi wicket can only boost his already-high confidence.
Dhoni conceded that the hosts would go batting heavy into the Test — seven batsmen and four bowlers. “Playing with five bowlers is always a difficult pick. Most of the times we have not played with the fifth bowler and rely on part-timers. It will most likely be the same,” he said.
That points to a toss up between speedsters Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, who according to Dhoni are on an equal efficiency plane. “Both are very talented with different lengths of attack. It’s tough to pick between the two as both are bowling really well right now. Their selection usually depends on the type of wicket we play on,” he said. Given the bouncy nature of the RGICS strip, Ishant seems to have the upperhand.
The Squads
India
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Venkat Sai Laxman, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
Coach: Gary Kirsten.
New Zealand
Daniel Vettori (captain), Brent Arnel, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Tim McIntosh, Andy McKay, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.
Coach: Mark Greatbatch.
Umpires: Simon Taufel (Australia) and Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka). Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka).