1st Test: Anticipation builds up for Sachin's half-century of tons
AHMEDABAD: Sachin Tendulkar is on everyone's lips and the odds are stacked highly in favour of India, but only a diehard fan will rule New Zealand out completely from the first Test at the Motera beginning on Thursday. The Kiwis are underdogs but as Daniel Vettori said, "The underdog tag lifts the pressure off our back."
MS Dhoni too knows the consequence of overconfidence, and said, "It is always a mistake to underestimate your opponent, especially a side like New Zealand. They have some good international players. We also know they are a competitive side."
Modesty and humility apart, even Dhoni knows this series will be good practice for the more testing one coming up against South Africa in December. What primarily makes this match keenly-awaited is the lipsmacking prospect of Sachin Tendulkar carrying on his fine form and notching up a 50th Test ton. Tendulkar warmed up with a keen nets session on Wednesday, middling the ball with consistency and perfection to give the photographers a harrowing time trying to save their lenses. Even in a warm-up game of soccer, the Little Master was the first one to score for his team.
The first Test will also see Murali Vijay and Pujara making way for the fit-again Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman. Dhoni said the team had no injury worries, but Laxman didn't take part in the soccer session in the morning and spent the time doing some Prana Yoga, a heavy-duty posture designed to strengthen the lower back muscles.
Ishant Sharma too is back in the squad but Sreesanth may retain his place as the lanky Delhi seamer bowled very little at the nets on match eve, and bowling coach Eric Simons was seen working on Ishant's follow-through and point of delivery.
For the New Zealanders, Brendon McCullum will bat at the top and Gareth Hopkins will keep wickets. Vettori has to decide whether to pick all his three seamers or opt for Jeetan Patel as second spinner, with curator Dhiraj Parsana predicting that the pitch will start turning early. Parsana is hoping the pitch, which had a thick grass cover till match eve, will play true, unlike in the match against the South Africans when Dale Steyn single-handedly demolished India within three days, or in the one against Sri Lanka in which 1400 runs were scored and only 19 wickets fell.
Cricket history could be rewritten in Ahmedabad
The first match of the India vs New Zealand series, which gets underway in Ahmedabad on Thursday, can be dubbed a 'landmark Test'. Simply because of the number of records that are on the verge of being equalled or eclipsed. TOI marks the important ones:
GOLDEN TOUCH
Sachin Tendulkar is one century away from logging his 50th Test hundred. Even a fifty (his 58th ) would swell his kitty of world records as he would become the only Test batsman to have scored 11 fifties on the trot - a record he currently shares with Viv Richards, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.
WALL CAUGHT!
Rahul Dravid is two catches away from becoming the only fielder in Test history to have pouched 200 batsmen.
DOUBLE DEAL
Zaheer Khan needs 14 runs to complete 1,000 runs. He will become the fifth Indian allrounder after Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to record the double of 1,000 runs and 200 wickets.
LOSS OF TOSS
MS Dhoni too is in line for a record, but of the dubious kind. If he loses the toss on Thursday, he will match England ex-captain Nasser Hussain, who lost 10 consecutive tosses in 2000-01. Dhoni has lost nine tosses in succession between December 2009 and October 2010
KIWIPEDIA FACT
NZ skipper Daniel Vettori will become second Kiwi, after Stephen Fleming, to make 100 Test appearances.
MS Dhoni too knows the consequence of overconfidence, and said, "It is always a mistake to underestimate your opponent, especially a side like New Zealand. They have some good international players. We also know they are a competitive side."
Modesty and humility apart, even Dhoni knows this series will be good practice for the more testing one coming up against South Africa in December. What primarily makes this match keenly-awaited is the lipsmacking prospect of Sachin Tendulkar carrying on his fine form and notching up a 50th Test ton. Tendulkar warmed up with a keen nets session on Wednesday, middling the ball with consistency and perfection to give the photographers a harrowing time trying to save their lenses. Even in a warm-up game of soccer, the Little Master was the first one to score for his team.
The first Test will also see Murali Vijay and Pujara making way for the fit-again Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman. Dhoni said the team had no injury worries, but Laxman didn't take part in the soccer session in the morning and spent the time doing some Prana Yoga, a heavy-duty posture designed to strengthen the lower back muscles.
Ishant Sharma too is back in the squad but Sreesanth may retain his place as the lanky Delhi seamer bowled very little at the nets on match eve, and bowling coach Eric Simons was seen working on Ishant's follow-through and point of delivery.
For the New Zealanders, Brendon McCullum will bat at the top and Gareth Hopkins will keep wickets. Vettori has to decide whether to pick all his three seamers or opt for Jeetan Patel as second spinner, with curator Dhiraj Parsana predicting that the pitch will start turning early. Parsana is hoping the pitch, which had a thick grass cover till match eve, will play true, unlike in the match against the South Africans when Dale Steyn single-handedly demolished India within three days, or in the one against Sri Lanka in which 1400 runs were scored and only 19 wickets fell.
Cricket history could be rewritten in Ahmedabad
The first match of the India vs New Zealand series, which gets underway in Ahmedabad on Thursday, can be dubbed a 'landmark Test'. Simply because of the number of records that are on the verge of being equalled or eclipsed. TOI marks the important ones:
GOLDEN TOUCH
Sachin Tendulkar is one century away from logging his 50th Test hundred. Even a fifty (his 58th ) would swell his kitty of world records as he would become the only Test batsman to have scored 11 fifties on the trot - a record he currently shares with Viv Richards, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.
WALL CAUGHT!
Rahul Dravid is two catches away from becoming the only fielder in Test history to have pouched 200 batsmen.
DOUBLE DEAL
Zaheer Khan needs 14 runs to complete 1,000 runs. He will become the fifth Indian allrounder after Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to record the double of 1,000 runs and 200 wickets.
LOSS OF TOSS
MS Dhoni too is in line for a record, but of the dubious kind. If he loses the toss on Thursday, he will match England ex-captain Nasser Hussain, who lost 10 consecutive tosses in 2000-01. Dhoni has lost nine tosses in succession between December 2009 and October 2010
KIWIPEDIA FACT
NZ skipper Daniel Vettori will become second Kiwi, after Stephen Fleming, to make 100 Test appearances.
