Sporting stage set, fireworks in store

It was a short but well-prepared speech. Playing back-to-back matches isn8217;t easy, especially for a team that8217;s waiting for the season to get over, but Team India will draw every ounce of energy from their 8216;8216;winning momentum8217;8217;.

It was a short but well-prepared speech. Playing back-to-back matches isn8217;t easy, especially for a team that8217;s waiting for the season to get over, but Team India will draw every ounce of energy from their 8216;8216;winning momentum8217;8217;. That was skipper Rahul Dravid outlining his team8217;s approach to the two one-dayers against Pakistan for the DLF Cup here, starting tomorrow.

The other inspiration, he said, was the cause behind this tournament8212;helping last year8217;s earthquake victims. 8216;8216;It8217;s not possible to replace the lives or suitably compensate them but we would like to erase some of the pain by playing some entertaining cricket,8217;8217; said Dravid.

This India-Pakistan series goes beyond the cricket field for another reason: it pitchforks the Sheikh Zayed Stadium into the world map of cricket venues. And while India would like to cling on to their 4-1 series victory over Pakistan two months ago, Pakistan have gained considerable ground from the last series against Sri Lanka.

Indeed, a lot has changed since the two sides met in Pakistan in February. For one, Shahid Afridi has retired from Test cricket to concentrate on ODIs, sparking a buzz in cricket circles.

Then, there8217;s Waqar Younis as bowling coach to add that extra zip and penetration8212;Shoaib Akhtar is not here but new find Mohammad Asif will spearhead the Pakistan attack.

India, meanwhile, have its own set of problems to contend with. If time spent at the nets can translate into runs, Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif will count as in-form batsmen. But the duo have been struggling for quite some time now even if Dravid clearly indicated that the team isn8217;t running out of patience or faith.

The other problem, for India, is the fifth bowler8217;s slot8212;Yuvraj Singh, whose slow left-armers worked wonderfully against England, may not be so effective against Pakistan.

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There are some concerns about the pitch as well, which has been described by officials here as 8216;8216;sporting8217;8217;. With consultant Andy Atkinson expressing concern over the wicket having been overused8212;it has hosted over 200 local matches8212;both teams remain circumspect about the bounce and pace.

For a day-nighter, the dew factor is not expected to play a major role. But there8217;s still a catch: the team bowling first may gain considerable advantage from the evening sea-breeze, but may find shot-making tough on the wicket that may start wearing out.

For India anyway, the final XI may not matter, considering that almost all players have put their hands up when it mattered. Then again, even if the team loses, it wouldn8217;t be more than a blip in their gradual, but calculated, run-up to World Cup 2007.

ABU DHABI: The Indian cricket team went through a practice session at the Zayed cricket stadium here today without coach Greg Chappell, who is down with an upset stomach. Chappell skipped the training session because of an upset stomach, said manager and chairman of BCCI media committee Rajeev Shukla.

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Chappell was, however, present yesterday during the evening practice session with Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag and Venugopala Rao, Shukla said. The team had a good rest yesterday and is fresh after the breather, he added. 8216;8216;There is no fatigue factor and they had a good rest yesterday. They are fresh now,8217;8217; said Shukla. PTI