Sehwag, Harbhajan seeking redemption

The last time India played here, against the West Indies five months ago, he was sitting at home and watching Robin Uthappa hit a hurricane 51-ball 70, an innings that sealed his place in the World Cup squad.

Sehwag has been putting in all the hard work and got a certain amount of success in the first ODI, yet only a three-figure score will silence the critics. There is no reason why he can’t attain that here, or play a similar slaughtering innings; the wicket is as flat as it can be and there’s always that traditional Chepauk bounce to suit his style of play.

A few metres away, there’s another man from his team, facing a similar predicament. Harbhajan Singh too didn’t figure in the last game here and looked a lot rusty against Africa XI a couple of days back. He can look for some assistance from the surface as the wear and tear will be more pronounced here as the game goes on, but tomorrow can be just as important for the duo sweating out in this humid Chidambaram Stadium, as it will be for two men sitting in an air-conditioned conference hall interviewed by a seven-member panel.

Asia XI have been by far the superior side and Justin Kemp, the Africa skipper, has already accepted the underdogs tag and no surprise should be expected in the outcome of the second match here.

Africa XI feature a lot of inexperienced guys who were tentative in the first game. Bowling has been their concern as much as staying longer at the crease, but it’s the discipline with the new ball that can really help them stay in contention.

King gives Munaf all-clear, but Gloster to give final nod

Mysore: Right-arm pacer Munaf Patel was all set to return to the Indian team after getting a clean chit from trainer Gregory King on his performance at the five-day fitness specific camp for the bowlers that concluded here today.

King said that Patel did not show any ill-effects of the back injury that forced him out of the Bangladesh tour last month during the camp but left it to physio John Gloster to give the bowler the final verdict. (PTI)