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Journalism of Courage
To see an anonymous net bowler disturbing furniture is a sight most international batsmen would find embarrassing. Watching the stumps cartwheeling twice in the space of five deliveries,then,is a mini nightmare unfolding in broad daylight. Rooting his wickets back in place,Suresh Raina must have felt the urge to dig a hole and disappear,or to leave the trivia behind and look for a higher meaning in life. Raina wouldve wanted to do anything else at that moment,but look back at the sniggering bowler who indulged himself in prolonged celebration.
However,the left-hander calmly walked back,took his guard again,before whacking one straight into the Rajasthan Cricket Academy swimming pool (situated some distance away) and following it up emphatically by pulling a few short deliveries to massage his badly bruised ego. A minor crisis of confidence was solved. A major one that he is still going through,following a poor Test outing against New Zealand,looms large.
Considering that the second ODI at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium could be his last game before the South Africa series hes ben vocal about the need to rest Raina would want a few runs under his belt to help sedate the growling mental demons. The runs,or the lack of it,wont affect his place in the side in any form of the game but with only a total of 26 in three Tests against the Kiwis and an iffy 13 in the Guwahati one-dayer,Jaipur has become all-important for the left-hander. The same cant be said about India,as they managed to win the opening ODI quite comfortably,saving Rainas performance the required criticism.
That he may have to face Daniel Vettori,who got him out thrice in Tests,again is not a good omen. The New Zealand skipper who missed out on the first match due to an injury returns to the team,and on a slow wicket it could be the much needed impetus that the struggling visitors are desperately looking for.
Vettori padded up and knocked a few balls at the nets,but didnt roll his arm over suggesting he didnt want to put further stress on his back. With Brendon McCullum not yet declared fit and Daryl Tuffeys tour over because of a bicep strain,Vettoris return will surely lift spirits in the Black Caps dressing room. Apart from Vettori,another addition that bolsters the tourists is former England coach Duncan Fletcher joining as consultant for the remainder of the series.
The hosts,meanwhile,will look to consolidate their lead. While Virat Kohli is riding the form of his life,Gautam Gambhir,Murali Vijay and Yuvraj Singh will aim to capitalise on their starts and contribute with a defining knock.
In the bowling department,off-spinner R Ashwin,with those three wickets,threw his hat into the all-rounders ring. If Ashwin can prove that he is capable with the bat as well (which he is in First-Class cricket),he could be a genuine contender for the No.7 spot. Tactically,India will like to make better use of their batting powerplay. In Guwahati,they took opted for it after 40 overs and scored 38 runs while losing two wickets. In the remaining deliveries,the wheels came apart.
With the team selected for the first two ODIs,a few youngsters will be aiming to make the cut for the rest of the series. Raina,on the other hand,will be hoping he does enough to earn a deserved break after a sapping rollercoaster of a year one that witnessed equal peaks and troughs. Then again,Raina will probably know the vagaries of cricket better than most. Anyone who has made a duck and a century in his debut ODI and first Test respectively,surely would.
