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India may never have lost a Test at Hamilton but with the damp conditions expected to assist the New Zealand quicks this time around, Sourav Ganguly's men sure have a task on their hands come Thursday. In the circumstances, the only heartening aspect for the Indian captain as he goes into the all-important final Test is the form of his bowlers. Zaheer Khan, in particular, has come on by leaps and bounds in the last few months and if the batsmen provide him the required platform, the fiery left-arm quick might finally be able to win a match by himself. But in expecting the batsmen to do the task lies the rub. After their abject surrender at Wellington, our willow-wielders might find it beyond them to bounce back and hold their own against the rampant New Zealand bowlers. Then again it is not as if it cannot be done. A healthy dose of resolve and determination is all that is required. What the batsmen need to keep in mind ahead of the Test is that it is not just the series that is on the line. Their pride too is. After a string of impressive performances in recent months, they just cannot afford to let themselves and their supporters down. Knowing this, they must try to play responsibly and hang around for as long as possible. Incidentally, the Indian batsman most capable of crafting a significant innings in these conditions, Rahul Dravid, has been at his prolific best at this venue. True, he has only played only two innings in his only Test here but both of them have yielded hundreds. His knocks of 190 and 103 not out were responsible in India saving the final Test of the 1999 series though that did not prevent them losing the series 1-0. Hopefully, Dravid would be able to carry on that form and ensure that his team posts a sizeable total when they come out to bat. All that he and his teammates need to do is post a 300-plus total for such a score could put enormous pressure on the fragile New Zealand middle-order and prove match-winning. What could also help is Ganguly winning the toss and bowling first. Any team that gets to make first use of the wicket would indeed be gaining a big advantage. At Wellington, Stephen Fleming proved lucky and from there on it all one way traffic. Ganguly and the Indian supporters, then, would be hoping that come Hamilton, the luck and subsequently the result would go their team's way. © CricInfo |
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