The Hindu : Sport : Pietersen’s men face an uphill task

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Sport

Pietersen’s men face an uphill task

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

England will be hard-pressed to find a spark against the Indians with their tails up

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

Raring to go: Ishant Sharma, who had a full session at the nets on Wednesday after recovering from his ankle injury, is expected to be back for the third one-dayer on Thursday.

Kanpur: An arid pitch, in contrast to the Stadium’s name — Green Park — greeted the teams ahead of Thursday’s ODI. India leads the seven-match series 2-0 against England and relishes its memories of the pitch, which crumbled in April as the South Africans lost a Test by eight wickets within three days.

When a scribe asked M.S. Dhoni about the pitch’s lack of longevity, the Indian captain quipped: “No worries. It will definitely last a day. That’s enough.”

Facile victories at Rajkot and Indore have helped Dhoni’s men strike a confident picture, propped up by Yuvraj Singh’s blazing willow and the ability to grab the key moments like Yusuf Pathan’s demolition of Steve Harmison or Suresh Raina’s run-out of Ian Bell at Indore.

Heartening sign

Another heartening sign was Ishant Sharma running in at full tilt for a while as bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad watched at Wednesday’s nets.

If the team management fields Ishant in the playing eleven, it would stem from its fierce desire to go 3-0 up in the series as well as to provide cover for an errant R.P. Singh.

The team does have a few rough spots despite victory’s gloss. The batting has thrived on Yuvraj’s cenuries and Gautam Gambhir’s consistency while Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan have had their moments.

Rohit Sharma’s lack of runs in recent times has been perplexing and with Virat Kohli snapping at his heels, the Mumbaikar needs to score.

A pitch that promises runs and spin will leave Dhoni in a quandary over playing an extra spinner. “It is a difficult choice. Sometimes an extra batsman helps…like the way Yusuf batted at Indore,” Dhoni said.

Harbhajan Singh, though not his usual chirpy self, pouched Paul Collingwood at Indore and part-timers Sehwag and Yuvraj have peddled spin and delight in equal measure, making it difficult for Prayan Ojha to get a berth.

England, meanwhile, has drafted in off-spinner Graeme Swann into the twelve for Thursday’s match. Swann had an extended spell at the nets though attention was riveted on skipper Kevin Pietersen’s switch hits that had journalists running for cover.

Pietersen, has been forced to sound weak in his interactions with the media for the last fortnight as his team has received flak back home for its Stanford Series stumble in the West Indies and a lack of urgency on the field against India. The captain batted with flair at Rajkot and seemed resolute at Indore where Andrew Flintoff’s belligerence also ringed in hope but the rest have failed to shed their diffidence.

Struggling

Paul Collingwood, a batsman who can steal runs much like former England batsman Neil Fairbrother, has struggled while openers Matt Prior and Ian Bell have failed to drop anchor. Owais Shah needs to increase the tempo. A nice on-drive that finds the fielder is a waste.

The bowling had its acme when Stuart Broad scalped three in the morning session at Indore but with Flintoff oscillating between sharp and benevolent, Steve Harmison looking lost and James Anderson strangely failing to find swing, Pietersen’s glum look has worsened and an injured Ryan Sidebottom has reduced the options. The England attack has to get over its shock of running into Yuvraj.

Pietersen’s team needs to find that elusive spark. Easier said than done against the Indians who are enjoying a rich vein of form and fortune in their backyard. If Dhoni’s men stick to the form-book, they will be on the cusp of a series victory and many in the England ranks are yet to forget their 1-5 loss here in 2006.

Pietersen truly has an unenviable task.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, M. Vijay, Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha.

England: Kevin Pietersen (capt.), Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Alastair Cook, Tim Ambrose (wicket-keeper), Ryan Sidebottom and Luke Wright.

Umpires: Russel Tiffin and Amish Saheba.