Barabati offers a turner for 2nd ODI

First hand observation doesn8217;t deviate much from assumption. A tedious one-hour drive from the main city of Bhubaneshwar...

First hand observation doesn8217;t deviate much from assumption. A tedious one-hour drive from the main city of Bhubaneshwar, through narrow, busy roads, bowing heads at every intersection to the numerous temples built for the religious, you arrive to see that brown strip on offer is very much a part of conceived notion.

The Barabati Stadium is getting ready to host its 19th international fixture 8212; its first in four years 8212; and through its 40-year history, it has bought itself a tag of being a spinner-friendly zone.

There8217;s one man though 8212; Sharad Sahu, the curator 8212; who has been working from the day the second one-dayer was allotted to the stadium, trying to make this match a touch different from the way previous matches have gone here.

There8217;s still considerable time for the wicket to bear a final look and Sahu is sure that it will hold firm in both innings and not turn square.

The roller has been made to work overtime in the last few days; this season the scores in Ranji Trophy matches played here have crossed the 300-mark, and though it will be foolhardy to expect another fun-feast like the first one at Nagpur, batsmen will find the going easy. Scores should sit pretty in range of 270-plus.

Which suits India fine, with the successful latest experiment from the Chappell factory 8212; two left-handed opening batsmen. Getting Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir to open the innings can be logical. Understanding the need for Sachin Tendulkar to drop down in the fragile middle order, Gambhir getting the preference over Uthappa and the absence of Sehwag from the squad but this theory is a lot more tactical. And inspired too.

Skipper Rahul Dravid accepts that 8220;they have picked up a few things from the Pakistan team from the recent home series against West Indies8221;. The Indian team management had noticed how the Pakistan team had scored easy runs against the same West Indies pace attack that is predominantly one-dimensional in their approach. 8220;We have seen quite a few left-handers from the Pakistan team have had success and that8217;s the reason why we also decided to go in for two left-handers at the top,8221; says Dravid.

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It worked perfectly with a rollicking opening stand of 144 runs for India, and strangely it was a day when both the tried Ganguly and Gambhir and the tested Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul got runs.

For Gambhir, it was a dream come true to bat alongside his idol. 8220;Ganguly has been my idol and I have always admired his off-side play. It was great to bat along side him and thankfully the first time we both batted together we got runs,8221; he says. 8220;He was always encouraging and it felt nice to see him talk and encourage and tell me what the bowler is trying to do and help me relax during my innings.8221;

Recollecting moments from that stand Gambhir insists, 8220;Ganguly and me are two different batsmen and have different strengths. It8217;s not proper to compare the two of us,8221; he adds.

Gambhir feels that there8217;s nothing wrong if the team has two left-handers to open the innings. 8220;It8217;s got nothing to do with whether the ball swings in to us or moves out, obviously it helps when the bowlers struggle to get the maximum of their stock delivery but basically it8217;s about having two aggressive batsmen at the crease doing the job, whether it8217;s left-handers or right-handers.

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8220;The wicket was helpful and after the first over Ganguly told me the ball was coming on nicely and I could feel that too. And then we just went on,8221; he adds. 8220;That was the reason why we both were sent up the order.8221;

And in the process, the two threw out of the window the notion of having a right-left combination as the best for having a technically sound bat as cover for the unconventional. So what if Australia did it way before with Hayden and Gilchrist, India have finally managed a century opening partnership. And an experiment of Chappell has come good again. Is luck finally turning India8217;s way ?