Dhoni to lead as India get back to business

The team left their base for the last nine days, but not without another little controversy —- their team bus brushed against a silver Mercedes outside the hotel and amusingly caught the attention of the entire Aussie media.

And they reached here this afternoon to be smitten by the capital. The astounding Burley Griffith Lake —- named after the man who designed this city —- and all other man-made lakes here are a sight to behold. Then there are the old and the new Parliament houses, the national museum, the art library, and the Manuka Oval.

That’s where the Indians play the Australian Capital Territory XI in a three-day match. A ground that is known to have earned the affection of Don Bradman to bring Cricket to this ground, its rich tradition of hosting the Prime Minister’s XI each year since 1952-53, it’s credibility of having hosted a World Cup match between South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1992 and being a permanent base for the Vikings in Australian rugby championships.

The curator, who lives in a two-storey 1930s style building located within the Oval, has been a bit confused with all this controversy of a possible boycott and the mystery of whether this tour game is a two-day or three-day match. And so he prepared a wicket that will remain good for four days.

The Indians warmed up with a little fielding session, and had a session at the nets. Yuvraj Singh batted long — monitored by a camera and the hawk eye of Sachin Tendulkar, who chipped in with his piece of advice to help the stylish left-hander. Yuvraj sounded cynical though. “I have not come here to score zeroes.”

With two no-scores in four innings, Yuvraj is suddenly finding himself without form and the pressure of hanging onto the number six slot has been too much for him to handle.

... contd.