Saving the best for the last

Faced with a must-win situation against Australia today,skipper Dhoni to revert to full-strength side

When the bell rings to commence the final round,George Foreman once said,the punches withstood,to remain standing until then,matter a whole lot more than the ones thrown thus far at the opponent. The Indian cricket team will sure hope that the former heavyweight champ is right,for MS Dhoni amp; Co have received plenty of body-crushing blows during the course of this tri-series,and returned few. Yet,as the bell now tinkles in the background to kickstart the last round of group fixtures,Team India are still standing. Even if just barely.

With 10 points from six games,India are at the bottom of the three-team table by a fair distance. Well above,Sri Lanka have 15 and Australia 14. Now,with each team taking on the remaining two one last time over the next six days,India8217;s chances of returning home from this horrendous summer in Australia with a title look bleak. And if they don8217;t cash in their best punches against a side that has dominated them in every round,format and uniform colour ever since they landed on these shores in December,it could prove to be all but fatal.

The big talking point ahead of India8217;s match against Michael Clarke8217;s Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground wasn8217;t centred around controversies one that was the hot topic over the previous week. The topic U-turned back to that of India8217;s best eleven,a policy that has set plenty of tongues wagging over the entirety of this tri-series. The captain,perhaps succumbing to the need of the hour,promised that India will return to a full strength side. Whatever that may be.

The rotation policy,the critics have constantly pointed out,has much to do with India8217;s current position in the tri-series. One amongst Sachin Tendulkar,Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag sat out each of the first five games to make room for the youngsters in the middle order. And when all three did play together 8211; stand-in skipper Sehwag8217;s move in Dhoni8217;s absence in their last match in Brisbane,the balance of the combination flew right out of the window in the 110-run loss.

So,when Dhoni was asked at the press conference if he had made a mistake by being stubborn about the policy and with the inclusion of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina all ears flapped open. No, he replied. Not disappointed because every time any individual goes on to the field,he wants to perform. And at times you can8217;t perform. It8217;s just that most of our batsmen haven8217;t done consistently well in the series,so we are feeling the pressure.

That pressure has been felt as heavily even by the bowling department. With Zaheer Khan off the boil,Umesh Yadav expensive,Praveen Kumar and Rahul Sharma missing in action,Ravichandran Ashwin blowing hot and cold,the attack has been hanging by a shoelace named Vinay Kumar. And he too will probably miss Sunday8217;s game due to the hamstring injury that saw him limp off the Brisbane field.

Zaheer out,Vinay doubtful

Vinay is doubtful and Zaheer is not fit, said Dhoni,leaving Praveen with no choice but to shake off the rust and shoulder the burden. But the captain didn8217;t seem very convinced. Praveen is talented,but we want him to work a bit more. He bowled a bit short in the first game,and once he was dropped,everyone who replaced him has done well. But still,if Vinay doesn8217;t play,Praveen could be on for tomorrow, he said with a shrug.

Story continues below this ad

With the team firing on limited cylinders and doubt over the potential to deliver at this crucial juncture,a dark cloud hangs over India8217;s chances on pulling off a coup. There still exists a route to the finals with a solitary one,although arithmetically tedious and involving fate.

The easiest scenario into the finals,however,is of course winning both matches. Or at least believing that it could still be possible. Foreman8217;s great rival Mohammad Ali once famously said: Long before I dance under those lights,the fight is won or lost far away from witnesses. Behind the lines,in the gym,out there on the road. At the practice arena of the SCG ,the Indians did their best to put on a brave face. But all that counts,in terms of this series,is how they dance under those powerful floodlit beams on Sunday.