The Hindu : Sport : Another run feast awaits fans at Kanpur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport

Another run feast awaits fans at Kanpur

Nandita Sridhar

India’s worries will again be restricted to its bowling combination

— Photo: PTI

ALL THE BEST: Yuvraj Singh gets a warm welcome at the team hotel in Kanpur on Saturday, the eve of the third ODI against Pakistan.

Kanpur: Gautam Gambhir and Misbah-ul-Haq have gone about their batting assaults with refreshing quietness. They’ve done their bit for their respective teams’ successes, and their roles should assume greater importance through the course of the series.

Misbah is an eerie sight for an Indian fan. His uneasy calm under pressure and an unreadable body-language belie one of the fiercest hitters in the Pakistan team. A bit like Ijaz Ahmed without the smile, Misbah’s hard-hitting has come to hurt India in the past. The only respite has been the self-destructive scoop that he never tires of.

Quietly fierce

Gambhir does share some similarities with the Pakistani. The left-hander is an assaulter with an anchor’s body language. His deceptive timidity on the pitch drives bowlers into hurling expletives. Their intimidation tactics do not succeed. Only in his shot-execution does Gambhir reveal himself. There is authority, clarity and signs of a batsman enjoying the confidence of his captain.

“He hasn’t been given the chances he deserved in the past. I want to give him a good run before resting him and giving someone else a chance,” said India captain M.S. Dhoni

Both batsmen played crucial roles at Mohali, only Misbah’s helped his team’s cause. With the third ODI at the Green Park on Sunday, there will be little talk of these two restrained personalities. But bowlers need to beware. Sachin Tendulkar and Younis Khan deserve well-researched countering strategies, but on a good batting track that could offer some turn, Gambhir or Misbah could notch up dangerous cameos.

India’s worries will again be restricted to its bowling combination. Murali Kartik should ideally make a comeback at the expense of Virender Sehwag.

The opening bowlers have been found wanting and Sreesanth might provide some variety; but dropping any of the three left-armers might seem a panic-driven move. Bowling at the ‘death’ had been an issue of concern both at Guwahati and Mohali.

Teams are struggling to cope with the 35-over ball change rule that makes it easier to score runs at the ‘death’. But India captain Dhoni was confident that bowlers would adapt soon. “They are the ones who adapt the quickest. Free-hits, Powerplays and other batsmen-centric changes have happened, but bowlers have adapted quickly."

It only means that predicting a defendable score at the Green Park could prove hazardous. There will be turn, but both teams are adept at playing spin. Shoaib Akhtar has impressed in spurts but Umar Gul has been the most bothersome. His scalps of Tendulkar and Gambhir changed the complexion of the match.

But Pakistan isn’t free of bowling worries. Sohail Tanvir went for runs despite picking up a brace of wickets. Iftikhar Anjum had a disastrous outing at Mohali, going for more than nine runs, after Tendulkar singled him out for the harshest treatment. An unsettled feel to both bowling attacks could spark off another run-feast.

The teams: India (from): M.S. Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, R.P. Singh, Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh.

Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (captain), Younis Khan, Abdur Rehman, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Anjum, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Yasir Hameed

Umpires: Ian Gould and A.M. Saheba. Third umpire: Suresh Shastri.

Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama.

Match starts at 9 a.m.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail