India aim to widen lead
2 March 2013 12:01 AM GMT
A morale-boosting win clinched in the opening Test, a confident India will look to consolidate their position by putting up another dominant performance in the second Test against Australia starting on Saturday.
After putting the visitors on the mat, riding on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s individual brilliance and an equally impressive show from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the home team would aim to guard against complacency having learnt their lesson the hard way from the England series.
Dhoni and his men would be determined to ensure that Australians aren’t let off the hook like Alastair Cook’s England, who rallied to win the previous Test series 2-1.
The Indian captain’s superlative effort in Chennai could well turn into a series defining knock and his leading from the front is the shot in the arm that the team required as it was not performing as per expectations in the longer format.
The last time India played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal, they inflicted a humiliating innings and 115-run defeat on New Zealand with Ashwin grabbing 12 for 85.
That particular match which ended on the fourth day could well have ended inside three days had weather not played spoilsport on the curtailed second and third day.
Therefore Team India will certainly not deviate from their ‘turning track template’ and Ashwin and co will certainly have a huge role to play again as the hosts look to go for the kill.
A 2-0 lead will not only push the Aussies back to the wall but it will also ensure that making a comeback in the four-Test series will be practically impossible for the visitors.
The hosts also have lesser worries regarding the team composition save whether they would be playing local boy Pragyan Ojha on his home ground.
Even though both Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag flopped in Chennai, Dhoni and the team management are unlikely to tinker with the opening combination as he had indicated.
After putting the visitors on the mat, riding on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s individual brilliance and an equally impressive show from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the home team would aim to guard against complacency having learnt their lesson the hard way from the England series.
Dhoni and his men would be determined to ensure that Australians aren’t let off the hook like Alastair Cook’s England, who rallied to win the previous Test series 2-1.
The Indian captain’s superlative effort in Chennai could well turn into a series defining knock and his leading from the front is the shot in the arm that the team required as it was not performing as per expectations in the longer format.
The last time India played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal, they inflicted a humiliating innings and 115-run defeat on New Zealand with Ashwin grabbing 12 for 85.
That particular match which ended on the fourth day could well have ended inside three days had weather not played spoilsport on the curtailed second and third day.
Therefore Team India will certainly not deviate from their ‘turning track template’ and Ashwin and co will certainly have a huge role to play again as the hosts look to go for the kill.
A 2-0 lead will not only push the Aussies back to the wall but it will also ensure that making a comeback in the four-Test series will be practically impossible for the visitors.
The hosts also have lesser worries regarding the team composition save whether they would be playing local boy Pragyan Ojha on his home ground.
Even though both Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag flopped in Chennai, Dhoni and the team management are unlikely to tinker with the opening combination as he had indicated.
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