Class in the middle

As skipper Rahul Dravid puts it: 8216;8216;As captain, I can say that every time you throw some challenge to them, you can see the glint in their eyes. That to me is a great positive sign.8217;8217;

It was a turnaround that started a year ago, when Australian legend Greg Chappell landed in Bangalore to this scenario:

8226; Dhoni had set the Challenger Trophy ablaze and blasted Pakistan for 148 at Vishakhapatnam.

8226; Raina had arrived with an unbeaten 97 for Central Zone against South in the Deodhar Trophy that had left Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman bewildered.

8226; Yuvraj, the prodigal hero, was nursing injuries and trying to shrug off the 8216;guy with an attitude8217; label. His best innings was still the 84 he scored five years ago on debut against Australia in Kenya.

What remained for Chappell was put them in the right place, at the right time. The change was evident as soon as Team India got together for its first camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore last year. Yuvraj became Chappell8217;s favourite student in yoga class, Dhoni was made to work so hard that the keeper-batsman often didn8217;t have the energy to sit straight. And Raina, while allowed to use his iPod in the gym, was told: lose weight.

Today, Yuvraj is most dependable batsman in the team, helping India win 10 of those 16 chases. Raina8217;s 81 against England in Faridabad last month has tagged him as a finisher8212;a Michael Bevan in the making. And Dhoni, of course, is No.1 in the ICC one-day batting charts.

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer says he now knows what it takes to beat India. 8216;8216;It is certain that if India8217;s streak has to be stopped, their middle order needs to be kept in check. I am thoroughly impressed8230; They have set a standard in the run-up to the World Cup,8217;8217; he says. 8216;8216;They have been able to come up with a back-up plan for every situation. I believe they now have the ability to get over any total with talented youngsters like Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni. It has certainly amazed me,8217;8217; adds Woolmer.

On another front, these players have made the selectors8217; job easy, says Chandu Borde, former selection committee chief. 8216;8216;When you are faced with questions on the combination, players of these kind provide the right answers. When players perform like these boys have, it definitely provides a sense of comfort in selecting a team,8217;8217; adds Borde.

So what8217;s it with Yuvraj, Dhoni and Raina? In three words, they finish matches see box. Says Dravid: 8216;8216;The middle order has been the key to our success. The very fact that we now have players who can move up and down the order and still play well, reflects on our success this season. It has helped us play the concept of total cricket.8217;8217; With G S Vivek

Dhoni, the finish

HE may have topped the ICC ODI batting list with a string of great knocks, but coach Chappell still treasures that unbeaten 45 against Sri Lanka in Pune last year that saw the side through8212;and established Dhoni as a finisher.

Definitely, it8217;s just not about the average of 52 in 42 matches and that phenomenal strike rate of 103. According to Chappell, what8217;s more important is it has come while he stayed on to finish seven of the world record 16 matches with 8216;8216;responsible8217;8217; batting. 8216;8216;That is the achievement one needs to highlight. The fact that he cannot bat with a cool head is something he has worked on. He has tried to be patient according to the team8217;s requirement,8217;8217; says Sandeep Patil, the original middle order dasher.

For Dhoni, the focus is clear: 8216;8216;Finish matches.8217;8217;

Yuvraj, the change

FOR Dhoni and Raina, it has been a dream run. But the transformation of the year award goes to Yuvraj Singh. Once a flamboyant star with more Page 3 appearances than match-winning knocks, the change was been breathtaking. And it has left legends like former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas bewildered. 8216;8216;On a personal level, I really don8217;t know what he8217;s done to himself. But when I watch him bat these days, it is amazing to see the comfort level, especially when the team is under pressure,8217;8217; says Abbas.

Yuvraj8217;s 107 in the last ODI against Pakistan in Karachi this year, says Abbas, is one of the finest centuries he has seen during a chase. 8216;8216;He is somebody who can smash bowlers to all ends, he can be calm in situations where he needs to just stick around,8217;8217; adds Abbas.

Yuvraj8217;s numbers tell the story: the left-hander has averaged 74 this year and has accumulated almost 600 runs in 12 matches. More importantly, he remained unbeaten six times in those 16 chases with five 50s and two hundreds.

Raina, the find
FROM a Lucknow sports hostel to that brilliant 81 in Faridabad. No wonder, even England captain Andrew Flintoff was left gasping: 8216;8216;For his age, he batted tremendously well.8217;8217; The turning point, says Raina, was his tour to Australia under the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship, when he spent quality time at the Commonwealth Bank Academy8212;interestingly, Bevan, the original finisher, was a former student.

Averaging 37 in 21 innings, with a strike rate of 77, Raina says the credit goes to Team India8217;s support staff. 8216;8216;The key is really keeping your confidence up and thinking positive. The support staff really helps, no matter how big or small a total we have, we have always remained positive and that8217;s why we have been able to chase so well.8217;8217;

THEIR SWEET 16
India8217;s world record run of successful one-day chases:

Ball rolls in Africa

1. Sept 2, 2005, Harare: Bt New Zealand by 6 wkts. Chasing 278, Kaif hits 102 at No.3, his last ODI ton. Finishers: Kaif 102 n.o, Yuvraj 22, Dhoni 37 n.o.

2. Sept 4, Harare: Bt Zimbabwe by 4 wkts. Chasing 250, India down at 91/5, but Yuvraj 038; Dhoni save the day. Finishers: Yuvraj 120, Dhoni 67 n.o.

Lankans in the way

3. Oct 28, Mohali: Win by 8 wkts.
Chasing 122, Tendulkar 038; Sehwag have an easy run.
Finisher: Tendulkar 67 n.o.

4. Oct 31, Jaipur: Win by 6 wkts. Chasing 298, Dhoni takes just 145 balls to arrive on world stage in style. Finisher: Dhoni 183 n.o.

5. Nov 3, Pune: Win by 4 wkts. Chasing 261, Dhoni 038; Raina show India8217;s middle order has stopped buckling. Finishers: Dhoni 45 n.o., Raina 39 n.o.

6. Nov 9, Rajkot: Win by 7 wkts. Chasing 196, Yuvraj joins the party, Kaif hangs on. Finishers: Yuvraj 79 n.o., Kaif 38 n.o.

7. Nov 12, Vadodara: Win by 5 wkts. Chasing 244, Dhoni in amazing form, now Pathan chips in.
Finishers: Dhoni 80, Pathan 35, Dravid 31 n.o.

Safs at wrong end

8. Nov 19, Bangalore: Win by 6 wkts. Chasing 169, Sehwag bats down the order, comes up with match-winner. Finisher: Sehwag 77 n.o.

9. Nov 28, Mumbai: Win by 5 wkts. Chasing 221, Dravid takes over the chase, Yuvraj has a go.
Finishers: Dravid 78 n.o, Yuvraj 49.

Now Pakistan8217;s turn

10. Feb 11, 2006, Rawalpindi: Win by 7 wkts. Chasing 265, Yuvraj kicks off his incredible run. Finisher: Yuvraj 82 n.o.

11. Feb 13, Lahore: Win by 5 wkts. Chasing 288, Yuvraj 038; Dhoni wrap up after Tendulkar8217;s 95.

Finishers: Yuvraj 79 n.o, Dhoni 72 n.o.

12. Feb 16, Multan: Win by 5 wkts. Chasing 161, Dravid, Yuvraj 038; Raina take India home.

Finishers: Yuvraj 37, Raina 35 n.o.

13. Feb 19, Karachi: Win by 8 wkts. Chasing 286, Yuvraj and Dhoni do the double act again.

Finishers: Yuvraj 107 n.o., Dhoni 77 n.o.

And England roll over

14. March 31, Faridabad: Win by 4 wkts. Chasing 226, Raina comes of age, Dhoni plays support role. Finishers: Raina 81 n.o., Dhoni 38.

15. April 6, Kochi: Win by 4 wkts. Chasing 237, Dravid 65 and Pathan 46 set it up. Finishers: Yuvraj 48, Raina 21, Dhoni 10 n.o.

16. April 15, Indore: Win by 7 wkts. Chasing 288, Dravid 69 and Uthappa 86 provide start, hand over baton.

Finishers: Yuvraj 63 n.o., Raina 53

CHOKERS, ONCE

Some shocking flops before the new middle order:

Aug 2005: Indian Oil Cup final vs Lanka, Colombo: Chasing 281, India 205-4, lose last 6 wkts for 58 runs, fall short by 18 runs

Aug 2004: Asia Cup final vs Lanka, Colombo: Chasing 228, India fall from 100-4, lose last 6 wkts for next 100

Feb 2004: VB Series final vs

Australia, Sydney: Chasing 359, tumble from the start, lose by 208 runs

Nov 2003: TVS Cup final vs Australia, Kolkata: Chasing 235, only Dravid stays afloat with 49, lose by 37 runs

March 2003: World Cup final, Johannesburg: Chasing 359, Tendulkar8217;s awry pull in 7th over starts slide, despite Sehwag8217;s 82 038; Dravid8217;s 47, India lose by 125 runs