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| October 23, 2003 | Thursday | Sha’aban 26, 1424 |
Hosts quest for winning start in ODIs
CHENNAI (India), Oct 22: Hosts India hope to make amends for a disappointing Test series against New Zealand by beating the tourists in the opening match of the limited-overs triangular on Thursday.
Stephen Fleming’s Black Caps scored a moral victory by drawing both Tests in what was billed as a grudge series for the Indians after their humiliating 2-0 defeat in New Zealand last year.
The Kiwis, who have never won a Test rubber in India, almost achieved the unthinkable when they forced India to follow-on in the second Test at Mohali and reduced the hosts to 18-3 in the second innings.
The Indians warded off defeat, but demanding fans are unlikely to take kindly to the failure of the home team to win the one-day series that also features world champions Australia.
Each team will play the other three times in the preliminary league to be staged across the vast country with the top two advancing to the final at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Nov 18.
India’s first clash against Australia since their World Cup final in Johannesburg in March takes place in Gwalior on Sunday, but coach John Wright’s immediate priority was to confront the Kiwis here on Thursday.
“We need to make a winning start,” Wright said ahead of the day-night match at Chepauk that appears in danger of being curtailed by bad weather.
The southern coastal metropolis has been hit by rain for the last three days due to a depression forming in the Bay of Bengal and more wet weather has been forecast for Thursday.
India will also be without skipper Saurav Ganguly, who is nursing boils on his left leg, and the injured pace duo of veteran Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra.
Worse still, batting mainstay Sachin Tendulkar appears in poor form after making just 71 runs in four Test innings at an average of 17.75.
Tendulkar, the most successful batsman in limited-overs history with 12,219 runs and 34 centuries, returns to the one-day fold for the first time since his record-smashing tally of 673 at the World Cup.
India need Tendulkar to fire alongside Virender Sehwag, Vangipurappu Laxman and Rahul Dravid to lay the platform for a late charge by young guns Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif.
India will wait till Thursday to decide if Dravid, who took the field as wicket-keeper during the World Cup, will continue in that role as captain. The hosts have included specialist ‘keeper Parthiv Patel in the squad of 14.
New Zealand, buoyant by their impressive display in the Test series, have been bolstered by the return of influential all-rounders Chris Cairns and Chris Harris for the one-dayers.
But seasoned batsman Nathan Astle returned home after the Mohali Test to recover from a knee injury and was replaced by Chris Nevin.
“India and Australia are two excellent teams but we are confident of doing well in what will be a very tough series,” New Zealand skipper Fleming said.
Teams (from):
India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Hemang Badani, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Lakshmipathy Balaji.
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Chris Nevin, Ian Butler, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Paul Hitchcock, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.—AFP
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