Indian hopefuls brace for mettle test

PUNE, Sept 29: Great expectations loom large for the Indian hopefuls as the curtain goes up on the domestic cricket season at the Nehru S...

PUNE, Sept 29: Great expectations loom large for the Indian hopefuls as the curtain goes up on the domestic cricket season at the Nehru Stadium here on Thursday. An international flavour in the form of the visiting New Zealand side provides the fringe players knocking the doors of selection to the Indian team, an ideal opportunity to showcase their mettle.

While the Kiwis would be using the first of the two three-day games in their build-up to the Test series to get acclimatised, the onus to perform will be more on the India A team who would be playing together as a team for the first time.

The New Zealand coach David Trist stressed the importance of adaptability to the Indian conditions saying it would be a key factor for his team to base their successes upon.

Though the 51-year-old Trist refused to divulge the team that the Kiwis would be fielding, he said, 8220;the combination has been arrived at keeping in mind the forthcoming Test match and the need to give the basic Test squad an opportunity to be match fit again. A month off is quite a long time in showbiz. And I think most of the boys are feeling under-done. These two games are critical and as vital as the weather.8221;

Skipper of the India A team, Amol Muzumdar, while admitting it is difficult to find the right combination in such selection games, was confident of each member putting his best foot forward. 8220;Every individual in this team knows the responsibilities of being in such a team. They have faced such pressures in the past and I feel they are focussed on the task at hand.8221;

The 25-year-old Muzumdar would also be carrying an additional burden of captaincy besides trying to make an impact as a batsman. 8220;I8217;ll try my best and do my best,8221; assured the Mumbai batsman, who would also be trying to put into practice the lessons he learnt during his month-long stint with the Australian Cricket Academy two months ago.

The spotlight would also be on the likes of 21-year-old Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer, Bengal opener Devang Gandhi, left-arm spinner Murali Karthik of Railways and Tamil Nadu all-rounder Sridharan Sriram, who have performed creditably since the past three seasons to be among the reckoning for a berth in the national squad.

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Trying to make their mark would be localities middle-order batsman Abhijit Kale, medium-pacer Iqbal Siddiqui and young left-arm speedster Sachin Nair, who claimed 19 wickets on debut, last season.

A wet spell since the past two days, has thrown a dampener to the proceedings. A soggy outfield ruled out practice sessions for both teams at the venue paving way for a helipad-cum-cricket ground owned by construction magnate BG Shirke amp; Co as a base for the training session this afternoon.

Though the 22-yard surface at the venue has withstood the rain onslaught, it is the outfield that has been a cause of worry for national selection committee chairman Chandu Borde, who is also in-charge of the playing arena here. A delayed start is on the anvil though Borde sounded confident of play starting on time. Borde8217;s optimism stems from the sunny skies witnessed today but with more rains lashing the city late this evening, less encouraging weather reports are in the offing.