Will Kotla witness Aussie fightback?
For Team India, reading too much into the Nagpur victory or the spate of injuries in the Aussies camp will be an authentic recipe for disaster. The World Champions are hurt and wounded, quite literally, and that’s when they are the most dangerous. Expect the Aussies to regroup and come hard at Dhoni and his boys. And expect the newly-laid Kotla pitch to add to the intriguing contest. ‘Adapting will be crucial’, as Ricky Ponting hit the bull’s eye during the pre-match presser.
India
The winning team does carry the confidence to the venue of the next encounter. So will India. Hopefully, the Men in Blue remember to go back to the drawing board and do their homework well, as they had before the Nagpur match.
 Sachin Tendulkar during a practice session on the eve of Delhi encounter against Australia. © AFP |
The rub of the green seems to be with India. Opener Virender Sehwag may not have scored big in the last two matches but he has been middling it well and threatening to explode any time. Sachin Tendulkar is too classy a batsman to fail too long. He’s a sucker for challenges, especially against formidable teams like Australia.
Gautam Gambhir has been in a good nick and he’d like to exorcise the Kotla ghost, which had troubled him during the Champions League. Yuvraj Singh, after returning from an injury lay-off, showed a glimpse of his brilliance in that breezy cameo of 23.
On the slow and low Kotla track, batsmen will do well to remember the timeless virtue of spending time at the middle. It should bear fruit.
As for the bowlers, Ashish Nehra has been hitting the deck with concerting regularity and with the pitch expecting to keep low, he must have started grinning already. Ishant Sharma has been among the wickets and bowled at Nagpur with a rhythm that was pleasing to the eyes. Well, so has the wily Praveen Kumar; the prodigious wrist work continues to baffle the best of the batsmen.
In the spinning department, we’ve had a surprise. While all eyes were focused on Harbhajan Singh, young Ravindra Jadeja has managed to sneak in unnoticed and dismiss the best Aussie batsmen — first Ricky Ponting at Vadodara and then Mike Hussey at Nagpur. So the visitors will be wary of the young left-arm spinner.
Though fielding department continues to disappoint; catching, preventing sharp singles and affecting run outs leave a lot to be desired.
Australia
With each passing day on the tour, the Aussies seem to be looking deeper down the barrel on the injury front. The picture continues to remain gloomy for the visitors, as Brett Lee, James Hopes and Tim Paine have been ruled out of the Delhi encounter.
Mitchell Johnson, who is struggling with a sprained ankle, will play the match despite the pain. Hence, in Lee’s absence, Peter Siddle will have to shoulder the burden of leading the pace attack.
On the Kotla pitch, the Aussie innings will have to revolve around Ponting and Hussey. Performing under these tough circumstances will be a challenge as well as an opportunity for young South Australian wicketkeeper Graham Manou, who will replace injured stumper Tim Paine. Manou, who played in the third Test of the 2009 Ashes series, will make his ODI debut at Kotla.
The Pitch
Well, the pitch will be a far cry from the one the two teams left behind in Nagpur. The track was in for some sharp criticism during the Champions League. It is not expected to behave any differently, if at all. However, the two captains will have to consider the ‘dew factor’ after whoever wins the toss.
Probable Eleven
While India is expected to retain the winning combination of the second ODI, injury-hit Australia are forced to changes.
India: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra
Australia: Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting (c), Cameron White, Michael Hussey, Adam Voges, Graham Manou (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus
