Indians will take schoolboys seriously

Ashish Shukla

After a none-too-impressive performance in their tour-opener against Zimbabwe 'A', the Indians will again field a full strength side in the three-day match against CFX Academy, at Harare, on Saturday.

This being the final match ahead of the first Test, starting in Bulawayo on June 7, the Indians are keen to see their players touch top form. The batsmen, especially the openers, need to get their act together. In Mutare, Shiv Sunder Das had scores of 12 and 4 while Sadagoppan Ramesh made 13 and 6 in the two innings. Both generally struggled against the medium-pacers.

Of the other batsmen, only vice-captain Rahul Dravid, who notched a brilliant century, and wicket-keeper Samir Dighe were able to make big scores.

All the batsmen will get another chance to have a hit, though against a schoolboys side, and they will be hoping to make the best use of the opportunity.

The two seamers rested in Mutare -- Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar -- are expected to play while Zaheer Khan, who is almost certain for the Test, is likely to take a break. Delhi seamer Ashish Nehra, who came up with an impressive performance against Zimbabwe 'A' will be given another chance to compete with Agarkar for the third medium pacer's slot.

This full-force attack may seem to be cruel on the academy boys, with former Test star David Houghton saying not much should be expected from his wards.

"They are at the school of excellence to learn the sport and not to win matches."

However, they are not novices though. Houghton speaks highly of Terrence Duffin, a left-handed opening batsman who was captain of the Zimbabwe Under-19 team this year. He has lots of courage and gets into line well. His partner Ryan Butterworth is a right-hander and is rated as a good stroke players and a good fielder.

The hosts' bowlers, who would be up against one of the best batting line-ups in the world, are also in their early stages of learning. They would certainly like to exploit the Indians' seeming discomfort against the rising deliveries though the visitors' are expected to have learnt their lessons well from their experience at Mutare.

The attack of the academy may not have big names but there are a few who would be out to impress the selectors and stake a claim to future Test sides. Leon Soma, a right-arm medium- fast bowler can bowl genuinely quick and swings the ball away from the right-handers. He is extremely aggressive too and Houghton said he is one of the most impressive bowlers at the academy in terms of both pace and control.

Then there is Justin Lewis, a left-arm seam bowler, who is small in stature but hits the deck hard and has a good outswinger. Campbell McMillan can bowl quite fast and Nyasha Chari has been very effective with his medium-pacers at the club level.

The academy is based in Harare's highland suburbs and its 15 students trained with the senior national team on Monday and Tuesday. They played against Bangladesh in a one-day tour match on April 7.

The Indians returned from Mutare on Thursday and had an optional work-out at Harare Sports Club. In Mutare, they couldn't resist paying a brief visit to Leopard Rock, an outstandingly beautiful resort up in the mountains. The Queen Mother of England, during her visit a few years ago, had rated it as one of the most scenic spots in the world.

Teams (from):
Indians: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Shiv Sunder Das, Sadagoppan Ramesh, V V S Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Samir Dighe, Hemang Badani, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Debashis Mohanty.

CFX Academy: Ryan Butterworth, Nyasha Chari, Ian Coulson, Guy Croxford, Keith Dabengwa, Terrence Duffin, Justin Lewis, Campbell McMillan, Blessing Mahwire, Andre Neethling, Barners Rogers, Wisdom Siziba, Leon Sama and Matthew Townshed.

Mail Cricket Editor