Tendulkar all set to open with skipper

Tendulkar all set to open with skipper
N Jagannath Das

Visakhapatnam, April 2: The last frontier. That doctrine of the Australian skipper Steve Waugh was dismantled when India rose like a phoenix to walk away with the honours in the Test series. The stars seem to change in India’s favour since the Kolkata Test.

Now, the ‘invincible’ Australians’ pride as world champions is at stake as they might even lose the One-day series also. A win for the resurgent Indians at the Indira Priyadarshini Municipal Stadium tomorrow would be final nail in Aussies’ coffin. It will be a ‘double’ for the Indians.

The home team are not complacent. They are determined to seal the issue by winning Tuesday’s match. ‘‘We played a very good cricket in the last game. The fielding was good. And inspite the two run-outs, the running between the wickets was better. If we play to our potential tomorrow, we can win the series,’’ said John Wright, the Indian coach.

The think-tank have made one thing clear. Skipper Ganguly, who has a wretched series as a batsman in the series, will open the innings. ‘‘I will open. I tried in the middle order for a game. It did not work,’’ said Ganguly.

The skipper, however, said the composition of the team will be decided on the morrow as they had not seen the wicket in the morning.

Ganguly, who is having a running feud with the Australians in the present series, was confident of getting back to form. This is a positive move. Now it means Rahul Dravid will come after the man-in-form VVS Laxman.

The Australians, who came in for a fair bit of criticism for their rotation policy, could run into their dangerman Sachin Tendulkar again. He is in ominous form. If in the first two one-dayers, he was slam-bang, the Little Master played a well-paced but an electrifying knock of 139 in the Indore tie to become the first batsmen to complete 10,000 runs. Laxman, unfortunate to miss his maiden century, proved to be an ideal foil to Tendulkar.

The Indians clinically outplayed Aussies in the last game with the bowlers also giving the right breaks. And it was Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan played the leading role. It looks like Robin Singh would once again cool his heels in the pavilion.The good news on the Australian front is that opener and in-form Mathew Hayden will play in this match. The big man was a victim of rotation policy in the last tie. The Aussies clearly missed him in the absence of the injured Mark Waugh, who has since flown back to Australia. Gilchrist is happy that he has got back his place as opener.

The batting is indeed a big worry for the Aussies. They have come a cropper in the series save for a few big knocks.

Shane Warne will go back home with bitter memories. However, Damien Fleming has been quite impressive. The medium-pacer has even tied down Tendulkar in the series even as the mean Glenn McGrath has gone for runs, particularly from the blade of Tendulkar. Shane Lee may also figure for the first time in the team as per the rotation policy.

The bumpy outfield could pose a problem or two to the fielders. But according to Steve Waugh, the wicket is full of runs and the outfield ‘excellent’. It will be a do-or-die battle for the battered Aussies. But the determined Indians are keen to wrap up the series here.