With series locked 1-1, MS Dhoni needs to seize the moment on his home turf against England
This city could not have asked for a more ideal scenario as it makes its international debut on Saturday. The One-Day International series against England is locked 1-1, the Indian team registered its most convincing victory of the season in the previous game in Kochi, and hometown hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in the midst of yet another purple patch in his favourite format - which is why the inaugural match at the brand new Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Dhurwa was expected to be a high-octane entertainer.
It still could be. But on Friday, the entire city's thoughts and prayers will be focused on Dhoni, who got struck on the thumb in the nets and had to go for a scan, with results still awaited.
The stadium, built over the last three years, was inaugurated on Friday by state governor Syed Ahmed in the presence of political bigwigs.
While the India captain will be desperate to lead his team out to the middle on his home turf, he will also hope that the wellrolled centre wicket will finally provide his batsmen a platform to fire collectively.
Even in the last game, which India won by a whopping 127 runs, the top order had to be rescued by Dhoni and his two trusted lieutenants, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, who posted half-centuries to fire the team to 285.
Ajinkya Rahane has had three innings as opener without really making a big mark, while Gautam Gambhir's quick half-century in Rajkot proved another false dawn as he was out cheaply in Kochi.
Virat Kohli showed some semblance of returning to form after a poor run in the last couple of months, while Yuvraj Singh has looked patchy. The Indian bowling seems to be putting up its own production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
England, on the other hand, have punched above their weight on both legs of the tour, and barring the collapse in Kochi, have been impressive with the bat.
Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen provide contrasting styles at the top three positions, but are all capable of scoring big hundreds, while lower down, the innovation and unorthodoxy of Eoin Morgan and Samit Patel is a great fit.
It is their bowling that needs to pull up its socks after bleeding 108 runs in the last 10 overs in Kochi, and Steven Finn, who has been impressive with the new ball, has to lead the way.
Jade Dernbach, while continuing to pick wickets, has been all over the place and could come under pressure, especially with the steady Tim Bresnan having recovered from an injury.
It would be foolhardy to predict how the pitch will behave with regards to turn and bounce, but the quick outfield and the set formula for ODI pitches do make a run feast more likely than not.
There is a small concern about the dew factor, since there has been quite a bit of it over the last couple of days. With the sun setting earlier here than a large part of the country, the dew could make it difficult for bowlers to grip the ball in the second innings. Winning the toss and fielding, thus, seems to be the way to go.
Jadeja feels fielding first will suit India
Ravindra Jadeja found himself thrust into the press conference room when Mahendra Singh Dhoni got injured, and was a bit more forthcoming than the skipper usually is.
The Saurashtra all-rounder finally showcased his batting and bowling prowess in the same match in the second ODI in Kochi, and feels India will benefit if they bowl first at the JSCA International Stadium here on Saturday.
"It is the first game, so we don't know about the wicket's behaviour - how it will spin or bounce. If we field first, it will be nice because by seeing the other team's batting, we will get an idea of what is happening and what to expect," Jadeja said.
The Kochi win not only levelled the series for India but also gave a much needed boost to their confidence, according to Jadeja.
"We played well in the last game, our energy level was high right from the first ball. We will try to carry the momentum from the last game forward," he said.
Virat Kohli is under pressure after a prolonged form slump, but Jadeja backed the batsman. "Virat has done very well for the country in the last one year. Ups and downs are a part of any cricketer's life and now is the time for Virat to come out of the low," he said.
Eoin Morgan said England bowlers need to improve upon the performance in Kochi. "It was just a matter of not executing the plans. Our plans were good, and we just have to concentrate on executing them better."
This city could not have asked for a more ideal scenario as it makes its international debut on Saturday. The One-Day International series against England is locked 1-1, the Indian team registered its most convincing victory of the season in the previous game in Kochi, and hometown hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in the midst of yet another purple patch in his favourite format - which is why the inaugural match at the brand new Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Dhurwa was expected to be a high-octane entertainer.
MS Dhoni beats a dhol during inaugural ceremony of JSCA stadium in Ranchi.
It still could be. But on Friday, the entire city's thoughts and prayers will be focused on Dhoni, who got struck on the thumb in the nets and had to go for a scan, with results still awaited.
The stadium, built over the last three years, was inaugurated on Friday by state governor Syed Ahmed in the presence of political bigwigs.
While the India captain will be desperate to lead his team out to the middle on his home turf, he will also hope that the wellrolled centre wicket will finally provide his batsmen a platform to fire collectively.
Even in the last game, which India won by a whopping 127 runs, the top order had to be rescued by Dhoni and his two trusted lieutenants, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, who posted half-centuries to fire the team to 285.
Ajinkya Rahane has had three innings as opener without really making a big mark, while Gautam Gambhir's quick half-century in Rajkot proved another false dawn as he was out cheaply in Kochi.
Virat Kohli showed some semblance of returning to form after a poor run in the last couple of months, while Yuvraj Singh has looked patchy. The Indian bowling seems to be putting up its own production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
England, on the other hand, have punched above their weight on both legs of the tour, and barring the collapse in Kochi, have been impressive with the bat.
Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen provide contrasting styles at the top three positions, but are all capable of scoring big hundreds, while lower down, the innovation and unorthodoxy of Eoin Morgan and Samit Patel is a great fit.
It is their bowling that needs to pull up its socks after bleeding 108 runs in the last 10 overs in Kochi, and Steven Finn, who has been impressive with the new ball, has to lead the way.
Jade Dernbach, while continuing to pick wickets, has been all over the place and could come under pressure, especially with the steady Tim Bresnan having recovered from an injury.
It would be foolhardy to predict how the pitch will behave with regards to turn and bounce, but the quick outfield and the set formula for ODI pitches do make a run feast more likely than not.
There is a small concern about the dew factor, since there has been quite a bit of it over the last couple of days. With the sun setting earlier here than a large part of the country, the dew could make it difficult for bowlers to grip the ball in the second innings. Winning the toss and fielding, thus, seems to be the way to go.
Jadeja feels fielding first will suit India
Ravindra Jadeja found himself thrust into the press conference room when Mahendra Singh Dhoni got injured, and was a bit more forthcoming than the skipper usually is.
The Saurashtra all-rounder finally showcased his batting and bowling prowess in the same match in the second ODI in Kochi, and feels India will benefit if they bowl first at the JSCA International Stadium here on Saturday.
"It is the first game, so we don't know about the wicket's behaviour - how it will spin or bounce. If we field first, it will be nice because by seeing the other team's batting, we will get an idea of what is happening and what to expect," Jadeja said.
The Kochi win not only levelled the series for India but also gave a much needed boost to their confidence, according to Jadeja.
"We played well in the last game, our energy level was high right from the first ball. We will try to carry the momentum from the last game forward," he said.
Virat Kohli is under pressure after a prolonged form slump, but Jadeja backed the batsman. "Virat has done very well for the country in the last one year. Ups and downs are a part of any cricketer's life and now is the time for Virat to come out of the low," he said.
Eoin Morgan said England bowlers need to improve upon the performance in Kochi. "It was just a matter of not executing the plans. Our plans were good, and we just have to concentrate on executing them better."
No comments:
Post a Comment