The relaxed, laidback environs of the Manuka Oval, and a competitive -- but not overly so -- ACT Invitational XI will offer the Indians the ideal setting to purge unpleasant memories of the last few days and re-focus energies on cricket, leading up to next week's third Test against Australia in Perth.
The three-day, 12-a-side affair against the Invitational XI beginning on Thursday will not be a first-class fixture, but its importance can't be exaggerated. The Indians need to unearth answers to a few serious questions, apart of course from shedding the inertia in the aftermath of the Sydney Test and picking up momentum ahead of Perth.
Belated entry
Having made a belated entry into the Australian capital on Wednesday afternoon, the Indians reached the match venue around 4.00 pm, an unforgiving sun in attendance. A light warm-up session at the Oval was followed by a lengthy bat-and-ball duel as an air of togetherness and unity dotted their every move.
Apart from offering a clue to the state of mind of the Indians following the emotionally draining events of the immediate past, this outing will also go some way towards helping the think-tank zero in on possible contenders for a place in the eleven for the Perth Test, which India must win to not surrender the series with a game to go.
Under most scrutiny will be batsmen Wasim Jaffer and Yuvraj Singh. Both have been woefully short of runs in all four Test innings here. Jaffer has been dismissed by Brett Lee four times on the trot, thrice caught behind the stumps, while Yuvraj has looked ill at ease during his all-too-brief stints, almost indifferent to the fact that major reshuffles to the batting order have been enforced to fit him in the eleven.
At Wednesday's nets, team work was at its most obvious as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly took it upon themselves to guide the struggling duo back into some sort of touch. Ganguly spent time with Jaffer, driving into him the need to get his feet moving, while Tendulkar took Yuvraj under his wing as he engaged the left-hander in long conversations. Hopefully, the words of wisdom will have registered on the beleaguered pair.
It is almost certain that Tendulkar and Ganguly will sit out the match -- Anil Kumble has already said he won't be playing -- to allow Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Kaarthick their first game on tour. Should India decide to leave out one or both of Jaffer and Yuvraj in Perth, it will be in the team's best interests that both Sehwag and Kaarthick get some match-time.
Decent hits
The desire to give the batsmen two decent hits was what prompted the Indians to ask for this first three-day, then two-day game to be finally made a three-day affair. Pacers Irfan Pathan, Vikram Rajvir Singh and Pankaj Singh will get their first bowl in a competitive situation against a talented batting line-up, with Test aspirant opener Chris Rogers the most accomplished player in a squad where less than half the players have first-class experience.
Teams (from):
ACT Invitational XI: Mark Higgs (capt), Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Jonathon Dean, John Rogers, Randall Starr, James Crosthwaite, Adam Ritchard, Richard Sherlock, Luke Swards, Ryan Bulger, Ash Perera.
Indians: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Kaarthick, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Rajvir Singh, Pankaj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly.
Umpires: Darren Goodgear and Rod Tucker. Match referee: Brian Lawrence.
Hours of play (IST): 0500-0700 hours, 0740-0940 hours and 1000-close of play.