Can India turn around the series?
Nottingham: No controversies please! Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not utter these exact words on Thursday, but he meant as much when he said his boys would want to avoid run-ins with Andrew Strauss's side.
The last Test India played at Trent Bridge is remembered not only for their gallant win but also for exchanges between the sides. Matt Prior had the audacity of 'sledging' someone like Sachin Tendulkar. What exactly did Prior say? That is for later.
At this stage, India can ill-afford the controversies, jelly beans or whatever. With the team 0-1 down and some key personnel ruled out for the Test, starting on Friday, Dhoni's focus, expectedly, is elsewhere.
India may have to look for a new opening batting combination just as they would have to field a new bowling line-up for the Test, the result of which would have a bearing on the No 1 ranking of the team.
Zaheer Khan is, expectedly, ruled out of the Test but there are concerns over the availability of Gautam Gambhir. The opener had suffered an injury during the first Test at Lord's and he hasn't fully recovered.
A call on Gambhir will be taken on Friday morning. Although the batsman had a little stint at the nets, he was clearly struggling with his movements.
Gambhir's absence could lead to a shake-up in the batting order with Rahul Dravid expected to come up the order ' just like in the second innings of the first Test ' paving the way for the return of Yuvraj Singh into the middle order. Yuvraj has been in thick of things at the nets for the last two days. On Thursday, he had a long session with the ball too.
More than the batting, India's concerns have been in the bowling. In the absence of Zaheer, India will have to recalibrate their bowling combination.
The attack mostly looked incapable of taking the wicket of even Geoffrey Boycott's mom. Barring a couple of fiery bursts from Ishant Sharma and to, some extent, Praveen Kumar, the attack was pedestrian at Lord's. The biggest let-down was Harbhajan Singh, who ironically, is the most experienced bowler in the side.
The team management is understood to be contemplating bringing in Amit Mishra in place of the offie but a lot could depend on the conditions on Friday morning.
There is a touch of green on the pitch and that could encourage the pacers. One of S Sreesanth and Munaf Patel is likely to join Ishant and Praveen in the line-up. Dhoni would not want to disclose his preference but the Kerala pacer, a couple of yards faster than the more experienced Munaf, is likely to get the nod.
England, too, have their share of injury worries but the home team has enough back-up. Tim Bresnan is expected to take the place of an injured Chris Tremlett who, incidentally, was England's best bowler when the teams met here in 2007.
But the attention at Trent Bridge will be on Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann. The local boys know the ground like the back of their hands and Strauss counts on their experience at the historic venue.
The Indian batsmen will have a tough ask, although Dhoni would like to dwell on India's strengths and weaknesses than on the opposition's.
Now for Prior's comments from behind the stumps during that fateful match four years ago. The England wicketkeeper was heard asking Tendulkar, 'I drive a Porsche, what car do you drive?' That may not be the right question to the richest cricketer in the world but, Prior, it seems, had other ideas.
Later, the chirpy wicketkeeper is believed to have come up with a innovative justification. He claimed he was hoping the company would hear his comments on the stump microphone and send him a Porsche for the free publicity. So much for sledging!
News Posted: 29 July, 2011
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