CRICKET / Tendulkar, Dhoni doubtful for the third Test as the hosts aim to seal the series at the Chinnaswamy Stadium
Weakened India gear up to face Pak threat
By G Unnikrishnan, DH News Service, Bangalore:
It will not be entirely fantastic to think that some hidden force is contriving against the Indo-Pak series. Just when the element of excitement appeared to be seeping in, an unexpected turn of events has ensured that a massive amount of luck will be required for the third Test to reach the desired heights.
Foremost among them is the weather, as the chill and steady drizzles have thrown a heavy blanket over the City for the last two days. The forecast for the next few days too does not indicate any paradigm shift in the climate.
Up 1-0 in the series, courtesy their win in the first Test at Feroze Shah Kotla, the Indians will have to contend with injuries to Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Mumbaikar picked up a niggle in his knee during the second Test, and it remains to be seen whether he can take the field on Saturday. Delhi's Gautam Gambhir has been drafted in as back-up, and if Tendulkar is declared fit, Gambhir will be released to play in the Ranji Trophy.
Dhoni too is under the grip of an ankle injury that he had suffered during the fifth one-dayer in Jaipur. The Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batsman had played the previous two Tests with his ankle strapped up, though he was in no obvious discomfort.
But with a long tour of Australia looming large, the team management will certainly not like to see their stumper number one suffering a breakdown. They will risk the Jharkhand player on the morrow only if they are 100 percent sure of his fitness. Otherwise, it will give Yuvraj Singh a chance to get into the Test side after a while.
Then, there is the pitch factor. There is a certain unfamiliarity as regards the 22-yard track. The Chinnaswamy stadium surface was re-laid some months ago, and not many matches have been played on it. There are expectations of a sporting track, but it remains to be seen how the pitch behaves over five days.
These external factors apart, India will perforce have to field a new-look line-up. With Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel unavailable due to fitness reasons, the responsibility of shouldering the attack will have to be carried by Irfan Pathan and VRV Singh. The Punjab paceman has a better chance of making it to the eleven than Ishant Sharma if the team management sticks to the two-pacer theory.
The youngsters will have to take it as a challenge, not just cementing their place in the side but also shackling a Pakistan batting line that showed glimpses of its firepower in Kolkata.
Not just the Pakistani batsmen, but a youngster from the Indian line-up too will be eager to give a good account of himself. The last four innings have been very disappointing for Dinesh Kaarthick. The highest run-getter in the Test series against England has struggled to piece together a meaningful innings in the current series. There are already rumours of Parthiv Patel being considered for the Test squad for the Australian trip.
But the Tamil Nadu youngster is a gritty character, and the failures will only have made him all the more determined to score runs. If Tendulkar does not play on the morrow, it is almost certain that Gambhir will walk out with Wasim Jaffer at the top, giving Kaarthick a chance to bat lower down the order. It could be a blessing for Kaarthick as he will then not need to face the new ball, a difficult job when not on top of your game.
Slight edge
The visitors hold a slight edge in the bowling department with all their bowlers ready to fire. Paceman Shoaib Akhtar has recovered fully from the chest infection he had picked up before the Kolkata Test, and the firepower a fit Akhtar brings along with him is priceless in the prevalent conditions.
But the elemental forces will have to relent if calculations and hopes are to turn into reality.
