The Hindu : Sport : The heavyweights clash in appetiser before the final

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The heavyweights clash in appetiser before the final

S. Dinakar

Sehwag misses practice; Kirsten says he’ll recover from fever in time for the match

— PHOTO: AFP

FUN AT PRACTICE: M.S. Dhoni and his boys seem to enjoy their training session on the eve of their potentially high-octane match against Pakistan.

Dhaka: It promises to be an appetiser before the final. India and Pakistan face off in a heavyweight league clash here on Tuesday. In all probability, the two should meet again in the title clash of the Kitply tri-series at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. Sparks could fly.

Pakistan will seek to extend its streak of 12 successive ODI wins that began with a victory over India in a dead rubber fifth game at Kanpur last year. India had clinched the series earlier.

The focus, though, will shift from the past to the present.

Virender Sehwag did not make it to the pre-match practise session here on Monday. The marauder from Delhi is suffering from a bout of fever. Coach Gary Kirsten, however, was confident about Sehwag recovering in time.

It continues to be cloudy here and there could be a measure of assistance to the swing bowlers from the heavy atmosphere, even if the bland pitch might offer them little. Someone like India’s Praveen Kumar or Irfan Pathan or Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir might utilise the conditions.

Options for India

This will be India’s first ODI series after the historic tri-series triumph down under. Despite the inspirational Sachin Tendulkar’s absence, Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads a versatile side with options. It will be interesting to see what opening combination India fields.

Tendulkar and Robin Uthappa paired up in the crucial last phase of the Australian tri-series. The left-handed Gautam Gambhir, India’s most improved batsman in this format, walked in at No. 3. With Tendulkar not available here, the think-tank might be tempted to field Sehwag — if he is fit for the fray — and Gambhir upfront in the Power Play overs.

Uthappa is a flexible batsman who can, both, open or fire down the order. The side also has the aggressive Yusuf Pathan as an opening option. Under the circumstances, it would be a better idea to use Yusuf, likely to make his debut, at No. 6 or 7. The in-form Suresh Raina too would be pushing hard for a look-in. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has captained and batted with great maturity and youngsters such as the smooth-stroking Rohit Sharma have blossomed. Vice-captain Yuvraj Singh, among India’s foremost match-winners in this format, will need to adapt to the sluggish surface and the slow outfield.

Indeed, apart from the occasional big hits, clever placements and hard running will be critical. On this surface, the batsmen might not get much pace on the ball. Rotating the strike will be crucial.

The middle overs could hold the key but India might benefit from Pakistan’s lack of depth in spin. Apart from leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, Pakistan does not have too many options in this department.

Afridi is flighting the ball more these days but will he be effective against a bunch of batsmen who use their feet?

Pakistan’s pace attack should test the Indian batsmen.

There is real quality about Umar Gul, easily the foremost paceman in a Pakistani eleven, with or without Shoaib Akhtar.

He can swing the ball, seam it from a three-quarters length.

With his quick, round-arm action, Tanvir, who brings with him the left-armer’s angles, is hard to pick.

Wahab Riaz is a zestful left-armer with possibilities.

India’s young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla faces a challenge. How will he bowl at the likes of Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq — all fine players of spin? After his heroics in Australia, paceman Ishant Sharma also faces a test of skill and character on pitches not conducive to his kind of bowling. The stage is set for what should be a clash high on octane.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, R. Uthappa, Y. Singh, R. Sharma, Y. Pathan, I. Pathan, P. Chawla, P. Kumar, I. Sharma, S. Raina, R.P. Singh, M. Gony, P. Ojha.

Pakistan: S. Malik (captain), S. Butt, K. Akmal, Y. Khan, M. Yousuf, Misbah, S. Afridi, S. Tanvir, F. Alam, U. Gul, W. Riaz, Naumanullah, B. Khan, S. Khan, N. Jamshed, I. Anjum.

Umpires: Asoka de Silva & E. Haque. Match Referee: J. Crowe.

Match starts at 2.30 p.m. (IST).

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