4th Test: Whitewash or face-saver?
London: Despite the adverse situation that the team is in, MS Dhoni tried to maintain remarkable equanimity. The prospect of a washout failed to test his sense of humour and humility.
'We don't need a wake-up call, because we're not sleeping,' the India skipper quipped when asked if the England series was a wake-up call for his side. The humility was seen in another remark. 'I'm not into blame game. The entire team has failed, not individuals.'
The individuals in the team seemed to respond to the captain's call to play for pride in what has been a hopelessly wretched series. On the eve of the fourth Test, collective seriousness was palpable among the players.
Rahul Dravid turned up at the nets almost one hour before the team practised on Wednesday morning. Sachin Tendulkar was having a hit even an hour after some of his teammates were done with their knocks.
In the hard-boiled world of cricket, a win is not an option but a necessity. No one knows this more than the two seniormost members of the side. The other members, of course, know that a 4-0 verdict is not the best result for the collective mindset of the team.
There was also this realisation in the team that the best way to win the Test is to put up runs on the board. Dhoni said that in as many words. 'If we were to put pressure back on England, the foremost thing is to put runs on the board. That's first and foremost thing that we want to do as a side.'
For a side that's known for its batting might, the absence of a single score of 300 in six innings is galling. 'The priority will be to score runs,' Dhoni declared.
In familiar surroundings, where the conditions are expected to help the batsmen, India can hope to retrieve some lost ground. In the face of sustained hostility from the England bowlers, India's batting got disintegrated. The famed line-up has one last chance.
It can still be good outing for Tendulkar to reach his much-awaited milestone of 100 international centuries. That can bring the dead rubber alive.
The bowling, of course, continues to be a worry. There were serious question marks over the availability of Praveen Kumar, 'Mr Make Things Happen' of the team. In the limited options available before the skipper, RP Singh could be a choice but Dhoni was not willing to give up hope on Praveen. 'We will take a call on the morrow,' he said.
There are doubts over the availability of James Anderson, but Andrew Strauss is optimistic that England's spearhead could be fit.
'We are very optimistic. He had a bowl today (Wednesday), but like all these things we have to check how he comes up tomorrow (Thursday). It just seems nothing more than a little niggle,' Strauss said, promising not to let go of the intensity they have shown in the series.
But having emerged as No 1, the pressure is now on the hosts to maintain a stranglehold on the visitors. India can see a hope there.
News Posted: 18 August, 2011
|
