India ready for mission possible

Ashish Shukla

Fresh from their spectacular series triumph over Australia, a confident India start on their great season of hope with the first Test against Zimbabwe beginning in Bulawayo on Thursday.

That elusive series win outside the subcontinent which hasn't happened in the last 15 years and not more than five times in the country's 70-year cricket history finally seems quite plausible.

However, history is not a help but a deterrent in this mission. In the last decade, India have visited Zimbabwe twice and failed to win on either occasion. In fact, they lost the one-off Test by 61 runs the last time they toured this country in 1998.

It only conforms to a pattern - India did not score their first win against England till the 22nd Test they played there. In Australia, it was the 12th match and so was the case in the West Indies. India are yet to break the hoodoo in in South Africa and Pakistan.

Their last series win was against England in 1986. However, the Indians' task is far from easy. The 1998 loss still haunts the team and they will do well not to repeat their mistakes. Zimbabwe no longer are the minnows they were in international cricket. They are playing more and winning more and they too are on a high right now following a comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

Still, the team is brimming with confidence, relying on a fabulous middle order and newest spin hope Harbhajan Singh. The potent mix of an aggressive captain in Sourav Ganguly and a hard taskmaster coach in John Wright bore fruits against the world conquering Australians two months ago and the Indians hope it will work again on this tour and those to follow immediately after.

The Indians did themselves a lot of good in the two tour matches. After struggling a bit with chilly and windy weather conditions and the extra bounce on the wicket in the first game against Zimbabwe 'A', they came into their own against the schoolboy side of CFX Academy.

As many as four batsmen hit centuries, with Hemang Badani giving a scare to the opening pair of Shiv Sunder Das and Sadagoppan Ramesh. Badani, who is yet to play in a Test, fared attractively when asked to open against the Academy boys and though he is not likely to make his debut in Bulawayo, he has certainly put Das and Ramesh on high alert.

Similar is the case with the bowlers, with Delhi seamer Ashish Nehra most likely to be preferred over Ajit Agarkar for the slot of the third medium-pacer after his impressive performance in Harare. Harbhajan Singh lived up to his 'turbonator' image with a ten-wicket haul against the Academy boys and is set to torment the Zimbabweans the way he did the Australians.

The Indians have shown utmost dedication and commitment in persuance of their objective which was evident in the way they took to the field within hours of arriving in this country to acclimatise themselves with the conditions.

That same commitment would be in evidence when Rahul Dravid plays on Thursday despite having dislocated his finger during the first tour match. Dravid has scored hundreds in all the three Tests he has played against Zimbabwe and he would certainly not like a blemish on that record.

Sachin Tendulkar is intent on sorting out his defence technique while Ganguly too is sure he will make up for the loss of runs against Australia over the next fortnight.

The visitors, however, definitely need to tighten up their fielding and fitness levels. The basics of running between the wickets and maintaining a disciplined line and length while bowling are the areas that need to be worked upon if they want to transform themselves from a side that beat the world- beaters to a team the world would want to beat.

Zimbabwe too are in the middle of an upswing in their fortunes. In the last season they played five Tests and won two, losing one and drawing the other two.

This was also the season when they unearthed some promising talent. Dion Ebrahim is an opener of promise and the middle order remains formidable with the Flower brothers and Alistair Campbell around.

The new talents in bowling are actually overflowing with Andy Blignaut, Brighton Watambwa and Travis Friend all capable of lending captain Heath Streak, man of the series against Bangladesh, a helping hand. Raymond Price is a promising spinner in addition to Brian Murphy.

Both Blignaut and Watambwa have bowled at good pace in recent times. Blignaut is also a powerful hitter of the ball while Watambwa is blessed with natural pace. According to Andy Flower, Watambwa is the quickest of the lot and has the ability to swing the ball away.

The wicket at the Queens' Sports Club has a fair bit of grass but it is not in a clump. It should afford pace and bounce but not excessively and those batsmen who are prepared to back themselves could have an enjoyable outing.

Bowlers too need to work hard to earn a response from the pitch. In initial moments of the match, there could be good lateral movement.

The hosts have gone in for a sporting wicket even though the outfield could be thick with grass. The idea is not to give a flat wicket and boundary-scoring opportunity to the Indians, who revel more in big hits than in stealing singles.

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

Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (captain), Guy Whittall, Andy Blignaut, Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Dion Ebrahim, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Brian Murphy, Brighton Watambwa. Gavin Rennie (12th man).

Umpires: Russel Tiffin (Zimbabwe) and Daryl Harper (Australia).

Match Referee: Denis Lindsay (South Africa).

Mail Cricket Editor