West Indies on the lookout for a win
In this dry textile town with no sign of December’s chill in the air does India have a chance to wrap up its second successive ODI series?
How perfect it would be if the whitewash of England could be reprised against a team far lower in the pecking order, in a year the World Cup champion can do no wrong on its own turf!
Hard-achieved
If only it were that straightforward. This is just the third game of a five-match duel and India’s 2-0 lead has been hard-achieved. The first win at Cuttack required the participation of the last pair and second at Vishakhapatnam was not as convincing as had appeared before Ravi Rampaul broke through with a record-breaking knock.
Another way of looking at it is that India has learnt to succeed from situations of relative crisis — the hallmark of a team that is brimming with confidence and feels secure in the backing of the various structures of power and finance that support it.
Not that India has been entirely free of concern. Skipper Virender Sehwag and his opening partner Parthiv Patel —, who will play his first ODI on his home ground — the Sardar Patel Stadium — on Monday have done little of note.
Gautam Gambhir, the senior pro along with Sehwag in the absence of the Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and M.S. Dhoni, has totalled 16 in two matches. Suresh Raina, five and 0, has fared worse.
Kohli’s knock
The solidity and enterprise of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has helped India tide the paucity of runs at the top-order. Kohli has scored four ODI hundreds, including the match-winning knock in the second match this year and is the second highest run scorer of the season, 57 runs behind England’s Jonathan Trott.
Rohit has continued to draw from the rich vein of form that he struck in the Caribbean and is yet to be dismissed in the series. Ravindra Jadeja has fused his bits and pieces together to form a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Yadav has impressed
The pace bowlers, Umesh Yadav in particular, and Vinay Kumar and Varun Aaron in patches, have delivered the goods.
R. Ashwin was taken for 74 (including six sixes) at Vizag after an expectedly stifling show at Cuttack. The off-spinner would be itching to show the Caribbeans their place on a wicket that is expected to dry out under the harsh sun.
The West Indies enters game three still on the lookout for a win. The batting, except for Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo (and Rampaul, perhaps) has failed to click. The bowling, spearheaded by Kemar Roach, has salvaged all it could from the totals the line-up has posted.
Although it is heartening the way a team ranked several places below India has challenged the home team, nothing but a West Indian win would keep the series alive. It might be time to bring out Sunil Narine and his knuckle ball.
Sammy’s woes
Captain Darren Sammy, whose credentials for the big job are forever in question, has done himself no favours by a 12-ball duck and an eight-ball two, to say nothing of the catch of Sehwag he dropped in Vizag.
At least the visiting party can seek some hope in ground statistics. India has won just six of the 14 matches it has played here. The previous international fixture here earlier in the year witnessed the dethronement of Australia as World Champion.
Although nothing as momentous is slated for Monday, there are reasons enough for both sides to go fervently into battle.
The teams (from):
India: Virender Sehwag (capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, R. Ashwin, Abhimanyu Mithun, R. Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Rahul Sharma.
West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy (capt.), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell and Jason Mohammed.
Umpires: Tony Hill and Shavir Tarapore. Third Umpire: Sudhir Asnani.
Match Referee: David Boon. Match starts at 2.30 p.m.
Keywords:ODI series,England , World Cup champion ,Cuttack,Vishakhapatnam ,Ravi Rampaul,Skipper Virender Sehwag , Parthiv Patel , the Sardar Patel Stadium ,Gautam Gambhir,Sehwag ,Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh , M.S. Dhoni, Suresh Raina,Virat Kohli , Rohit Sharma , ODI hundreds,Ravindra Jadeja , pace bowlers, Umesh Yadav,Vinay Kumar and Varun Aaron,R. Ashwin ,Kemar Roach,Captain Darren Sammy, World Champion,Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy (capt.), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell and Jason Mohammed,Umpires: Tony Hill ,Shavir Tarapore,Third Umpire: Sudhir Asnani,Match Referee: David Boon.
