da winzada777： Going in to a venue at which their spinners have enjoyed success and withthe intention of playing five bowlers, India are struggling to determinewho those five will be
da 888： Jamie Alter in Ahmedabad02-Apr-2008
Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh shared 17 wickets in India’s previous Test in Ahmedabad © AFP
Going in to a venue at which their spinners have enjoyed success and withthe intention of playing five bowlers, India are struggling to determinewho those five will be. Ishant Sharma has finger and toe injuries, RPSingh remains a concern despite recovering from a hamstring injury andAnil Kumble is struggling with a groin niggle.It is likely that India will play Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan as the pacequotient, followed by Kumble, subject to a fitness test on the morning ofthe second Test, Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla. If Kumble does notmake the cut then it’s a toss-up between risking a clearly out-of-sorts RPSingh or using four bowlers with Yuvraj Singh slipping in at No. 6. Kumbleconfirmed that VVS Laxman would move to No. 4 in Sachin Tendulkar’sabsence but the batting is not a real worry.Kumble was distinctly grim as he addressed the press after a two-hoursession, perhaps a reflection of his predicament going into the secondTest. “We just have to wait and we’ll take a call tomorrow morning,” hesaid. “There are a couple injury concerns. Whatever combination we have,we have enough potential and quality to do the job. We have worked outsome plans to ensure that we put pressure on the South Africans and getthe right result. But the injuries are a concern.”Kumble bowled in the nets, from his proper run-up, but it was evident hewas not fully fit. If Kumble, who has 35 wickets in six Tests inAhmedabad, does not play India will lack a truly potent spinner. Harbhajantook eight wickets in Chennai but his bowling, once flighty and bouncy,has slipped into flat, fast offbreaks pitched on middle and leg. The way YounisKhan handled him, when Pakistan toured last year – repeatedlyreverse-sweeping, even when on 99 – was perhaps the best example of howHarbhajan has disintegrated.If Kumble plays it will be the 50th time that he and Harbhajan will playtogether in a Test. The last time they combined in Ahmedabad they shared17 wickets to help beat Sri Lanka by 259 runs. In Tests played togetherhere they’ve accounted for 51 wickets. Their success together goes backfarther than that, however, and India need the two to work in tandem.RP, whose fielding in Chennai was below par, bowled in a limited capacityand is a highly unlikely starter. India’s physio, Paul Close, had longchats with both Sreesanth – who took it lightly during a brief spell inhot conditions – and RP and it remains to be seen what hard work has beenput in the short gap between Tests.The venues for India’s last three Tests at home have produced utterly tracks and as the bandwagon moves west to Ahmedabad, head curatorDhiraj Parsana’s takeon the pitch take further importance against a most discouraging trendof high-scoring draws in India over the last five years.
Given the history of breaking pitches India will certainly play Piyush Chawla © AFP
Kumble chose not to comment on the Motera track, maintaining that therewere “too many questions and too few answers” but given the history ofbreaking pitches India will certainly play Chawla. Chawla was under-bowledin his only Test, against England in 2006, bowling only 14.1 overs but hassome one-day success against South Africa. Under the captaincy of AjitWadekar and Mohammad Azharuddin, India frequently played three spinners ontracks made at their behest but not since the mid-1990s have they enjoyedsuccess with three slow bowlers. Kumble, Venkatapathy Raju and RajeshChauhan formed a formidable trio on true dustbowls; Chauhan never featuredin a lost Test in 21 appearances.This, however, is a different situation and there’s no ignoring that Indiahave failed to bowl out sides on the fifth day frequently in the last twoyears. Minus Kumble and with Chawla just one Test old, they could struggleagainst a side that has improved against spin excellently.
