Ganguly raises stakes ahead of Kiwi contest

They were doing more than armchair watching, of course; they would be studying keenly how New Zealand had Australia on the hook, then allowed the advantage to fritter away.

So Centurion, which also hosted the India-Pakistan game, is all set to for another hotly contested match, with New Zealand fighting for a place in the semis and India fighting to erase memories of a winter of discontent.

So great was the trauma of that Kiwi trip that suddenly the achievements of a very good cricketing year were quickly forgotten. And India came to this world cup as rank outsiders.

Early setbacks here — a none-too-convincing win against Holland and then that disaster against Australia — just added to the cynicism and experts, commentators, writers and fans took the Indian cricketers to the cleaners.

The wheel has turned full circle, as India are now second favourites to return with silverware; a brave man may actually bet on them ahead of Australia. One thing is clear: memories of New Zealand will come rushing back if they don’t win at Centurion.

And India will go into the semis at a psychological disadvantage.

The chief grudge for the Indians after the 5-2 loss to New Zealand was the type of pitches used — drop-in pitches, which caused problems for both teams.

There is talk in the Indian camp that the team’s seniors have pledged to offer spin-friendly designer tracks at every venue. That, apart from being unkind and ungrateful to India’s fast bowling attack, and implying a lack of faith, is also in the distant future. The next contest will be on a neutral platform, with skill and temperament the main players.

Past records show that Centurion helps bowlers who can bend their backs and batsmen who can put their heads. India have played here twice. First was the forgetable 125 they scored against Australia but in the next game they chased Pakistan’s challenging total of 273.

What makes the even contest more even is the form the form the two teams are showing. Like against Pakistan, Sehwag and Tendulkar will once again cross swords with a pace bowler with a huge reputation. Shane Bond’s great performance against Aussies and form of Tendulkar and Sehwag makes it an eagerly anticipated contest.

The Indians meanwhile are at ease that maybe for the first time since the World Cup started they will be based at one place for a week. For the next game at Centurion too, the Indians will not change base. So does it help? The skipper has said, ‘‘It is much more comfortable this way as there are no flights to catch. But when you are playing a World Cup semi-final all fatigue disappears.’’

However, the semis are uncharted waters for most if the Indian team. Just three — Sachin, Srinath and Kumble — have played in a World Cup semi-final. The skipper was in the Eden Gardens clubhouse when the fans threatened to torch the stands after that loss against Sri Lanka.

So does can he guide the ship through these unknown waters? The answer to that could well lie in the big-match experience these players have picked up and their ability to rise to it.

Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif are playing their first World Cup. The way they swagger behind their skipper, would you believe it?