He must have hardly taken a few steps onto the ground when Ishant Sharmas attention was suddenly drawn towards the giant video-screen near the pavilion at the VCA Stadium. The lanky pacer stood still,unwaveringly watching the highlights of Ashish Nehras dream six-wicket burst in bowler-friendly conditions at Durban,against England in the 2003 World Cup. Ishant then headed towards the pitch-square for a quick look at the wicket. Though the replay of his senior Delhi team mates remarkable spell seven years ago must have been inspirational,the youngster certainly didnt seemed too enthused by the dry and brownish 22-yard strip at Jamtha,on which he will have to bend his back during the next five days. While he walked backed towards the pack sporting a wry smile,Ishant couldnt help but point towards the wicket behind him and share a joke with new ball partner S Sreesanth. Suddenly the ground echoed with Sachin chants,as the spectators who had turned up caught a glimpse of a fully geared-up Tendulkar,before a batting session on the practice pitch at the centre of the ground. The main focus during the third Test at Nagpur will inevitably be on Tendulkar and whether he will eventually score his much-awaited 50th Test ton,on a ground where he has crossed three-figures in each of the two games played here previously. But this will more importantly be a perfect opportunity for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the national selectors to see how the Indian bowling attack braces up in the absence of spearhead Zaheer Khan,especially keeping the upcoming tour of South Africa in mind. With both spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha having struggled to create much of an impact at both Ahmedabad and Hyderabad,the onus will squarely be on Ishant and Sreesanth,both of whom have struggled with their consistency and fitness of late,to come to the fore in the series decider. The duo prepared to hit their stride along with the teenaged Jaydev Unadkat against Tendulkar who too hasnt fired in the series so far. Bowling concerns While Sreesanth bowled from a short run,Ishant steamed in with his usual run-up to shake off the bench rust acquired during the first two Tests. And Dhoni can only hope that the Delhi lad manages to reproduce the same venom with which he bowled during practice against the in-form Kiwi batsmen. Meanwhile,both skippers acknowledged the impact that Zaheers absence will have on the match. While Dhoni spoke about how his left-arm strike bowler had the ability to come up with a plan even on the flattest of wickets; a rather relieved Daniel Vettori revealed that Zaheer had been the key for the hosts in the series. Unfortunately though,Indias practice session was cut short once again due to a heavy downpour. With India desperate to finish what has been a disappointing series for the No. 1 Test team on a high note,Ishant can only hope that he ends up creating a highlight of his own in the next few days.
