“Take your time, take your time!” pleaded Paddy Upton, only to see his perfectly measured pass to Gary Kirsten come to nothing after a heavy first touch from India's cricket coach and occasional left-sided midfielder. A few yards away, Ravichandran Ashwin halted his run to the near post (a stump) and turned around, hands on head.
Outside the boundary hoardings, a ring of burly men stood stony-faced, arms folded across black T-shirts emblazoned with the words ‘Rajputana Bouncer'.
These men are likely to remain the most menacing bouncers on view during the second match of the five-match India-New Zealand ODI series at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
This might be the venue of Hyderabad's plummet to 21 all out against Rajasthan a month ago, but conditions aren't likely to suit the fast men anywhere near as much on Wednesday.
On the slower side
“I spoke to the curator and (he said) the wicket on which Hyderabad got out for 21 had a lot of grass on it, but they have shaved off the grass,” said India skipper Gautam Gambhir, addressing a press conference after his team's practice session on Tuesday. “It looks to be on the slower side, and it might spin.”
Both teams might field an additional spinner. Gambhir said that he hadn't decided on his eleven yet, but indicated that the extra tweaker “could be a good option.”
A glance through the resources available to him would suggest the possible inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja in place of Yusuf Pathan at number six.
As in most day-night games in the subcontinent dew is expected to play a role. Gambhir said that the outfield might get a coat of APSA-80 spray, which has been used to combat subcontinental dew before.
“Obviously, dew is a big factor. It looks like they will use the chemical, and that might have an effect,” he said. “But dew is something which is not in your hands. You have to get used to it and we've got experienced bowlers who have bowled in these conditions.”
Under such circumstances, were India to bat first, Gambhir said that he would be happy defending 300. “But the more we get, the better it is for our bowlers.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said he was fit to play after missing the first ODI at Guwahati with a sore back. He also confirmed that New Zealand would field two spinners, himself and offie Nathan McCullum.
Still a doubt
The latter's brother, however, is still a doubt. “We're waiting for a final confirmation on Brendon (McCullum),” said Vettori, when asked about the state of the wicketkeeper-batsman's back.
“I haven't seen him since training started, so we'll find out about him soon.”
With Daryl Tuffey ruled out for the rest of the series thanks to a bicep injury, the Kiwis will either go with two specialist seamers in Kyle Mills and Andy McKay, or replace all-rounder Grant Elliott with Tim Southee.
But Vettori might prefer to retain Elliott, who bowled a tight spell in Guwahati and adds to the depth of the side.
Batting is New Zealand's biggest concern, going by its chase in Guwahati. A lack of application from some of the top-order, and the inability of others, particularly Kane Williamson, to manoeuvre the spinners in the middle overs, might have cost the side a winnable game.
Crucial moments
“I think we'll reflect on the last game against India, and we had chances to win that,” said Vettori. “But I think, like most of the one-day games we have played recently, we just haven't captured those crucial moments. That's the challenge for us coming into this next game.”
To help them face this challenge, the Kiwis will have in their camp former England coach Duncan Fletcher, who joined the team on Tuesday as a consultant.
“Obviously (he has) a lot of experience with international teams and working with individuals,” remarked Vettori.
The teams (from): India: Gautam Gambhir (captain), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, S. Sreesanth, Saurabh Tiwary, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Yuvraj Singh. Coach: Gary Kirsten.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Grant Elliott, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson. Coach: Mark Greatbatch.
Umpires: Nigel Llong and Sanjay Hazare; Third umpire: Sudhir Asnani; Match referee: Roshan Mahanama.
Hours of play: 2.30 p.m. onwards (IST).
