From the hills of Guwahati where rains followed by the rage of disappointed fans put a dampener on this ODI series it is onto the industrial city of Jameshedpur in Jharkhand for the sixth ODI
The Preview by Anand Vasu in Jamshedpur11-Apr-2006
Andrew Flintoff could use a well deserved break © Getty Images
From the hills of Guwahati where rains followed by the rage ofdisappointed fans put a dampener on this ODI series it is onto theindustrial city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand for the sixth ODI. The majortalking point was the heat, which had already soared to a sizzling 44degrees centigrade with no let-up predicted for the next 48 hours. Withthe series settled a fair while back, it is time for the teams to give someplayers rest while letting others have a game.Respite for Flintoff?If anyone deserves rest it is Andrew Flintoff. He has done the hard yardsmore than any player this series, doing the job for England with bat andball. What’s more, being the captain he has not really had a chance toswitch off mentally at any point and that could take its toll. He was dueto be rested in Guwahati, and with that game not getting under way hewould have had a chance to put his feet up, and it has now been five dayssince he last played, at Kochi, so the team could well be tempted to playhim in this game. After all, they are yet to register a win in thisseries.Heat and dustThe most drastic contrast in conditions for the series has hit both teams.Where Guwahati was wet and cool Jamshedpur is hot and dusty. Thisindustrial town may be in the middle of summer but the interest isunderstandably high. Mahndra Singh Dhoni, a son of the soil if not thecity, has captured the imagination of the country and this is mostfocussed here in Jharkhand, a fledgling state desperate to get on the map.And at the moment there can be no better symbol than Dhoni. VirenderSehwag, the stand-in captain, has indicated that Dhoni will bat up theorder, and as this news spreads, interest will only be piqued further.
India wouldn’t want to rest Yuvraj Singh or Mahendra Singh Dhoni just yet © Getty Images
Indian remixThe washout in Guwahati has diminished India’s chances of giving every member a game. The composition of the squad – sixfast bowlers and only as many batsmen – means that people like RP Singhand Munaf Patel, who have not played much cricket in recent times will geta go. Between this game and the next, there are two men who will make Indiadebuts, in VRV Singh and Robin Uthappa. India won’t want to risk yetanother riot by resting Dhoni here, so it will probably be Irfan Pathanwho gets a break in the sixth game. Yuvraj Singh won’t want to be rested,given the kind of form he is in, but he too will need to take a break atsome point, and this could be it.Keeping conundrumWhile India’s choice of keeper is dead certain, England may have to choosebetween Matt Prior and Geraint Jones, who appears to have recoveredsufficiently from a left quadricep strain. Although he was sporting anice-pack on his left thigh in the practice session the day before thegame, it seemed he was available for selection. But given the presence of a secondspecialist keeper in Prior, England could play safe and bench him beacuse the extreme heathere could prompt a relapse.Protests in the EastTo some people in some parts of India, the scoreline seems to matter little. Although India have beaten England comprehensively in the series, thecries to include Sourav Ganguly have been constant, both in Guwahati andJamshedpur. Here fans went one step further, burning effigies of KiranMore, the chairman of selectors, and Greg Chappell, the coach, raisingangry slogans demanding the two be ousted and Ganguly reinstated. Onewould have thought India winning would be a cause for celebration roundthe country.TeamsIndia (likely) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Robin Uthappa, 3Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 4 Mohammad Kaif, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 YuvrajSingh/Venugopala Rao, 7 Ramesh Powar, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ajit Agarkar,10 RP Singh, 11 Munaf Patel.England (likely) 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Ian Bell, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4Paul Collingwood, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Vikram Solanki, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 IanBlackwell, 9 Gareth Batty, 10 James Anderson, 11 Matthew Hoggard.
