Opening matches of any tour generally do not generate much excitement
among cricket fans. Admittedly, for members of the home side there is
something to play for but for the visitors it serves as little more
than limbering up exercise for the sterner tests ahead, even as they
use the game to get acclimatized to the alien conditions. But cricket
fans all over the country will follow the proceedings of the three day
South Africans-Board President's encounter which commences at Mumbai
on Saturday with more than ordinary interest.
For one thing, it is the first big game involving leading Indian
cricketers following the Indian team's debacle in Australia. Secondly,
with so much interest centered around whether Md Azharuddin will come
back into the side, the performance of the former Indian captain will
come under the microscope. Of course there are others who are on the
comeback trail - the captain of the President's XI Ajay Jadeja and
stumper Nayan Mongia. Then there are a host of other players for whom
this match is very important. Players like Reetinder Sodhi and Md
Kaif, members of the triumphant World Cup under-19 side in Sri Lanka
and others like Arun Kumar, Wasim Jaffer, Murali Kartik and Amit
Bhandari who have earned a place in the President's XI because of
their excellent showing around the domestic circuit. And then of
course there are players like Harbhajan Singh, T Kumaran, S Ramesh,
Jacob Martin and D Mohanty who would like to put their experiences in
Australia behind them and hope to use the Mumbai game for a turn in
their fortunes for the better in the remaining part of the season.
For Azhar, this game could be among the most important games he has
played in his long career. Public opinion seems to be in favour of an
Azhar recall and he will be under some pressure when he goes out to
bat at the Brabourne stadium. But at 37, Azhar is no spring chicken
and has handled pressure situations many times in the last 15
years. The case of Jadeja and Mongia is no different in this regard.
Possibly next to the experienced trio, the other player who will
attract considerable attention is Md Kaif. The victorious Under-19
captain has already been spoken of as an India player of the near
future and he proved his skill and class by two splendid knocks during
the Challenger Trophy at Ahmedabad last week. A good show at Mumbai
could well see Kaif move that much closer to the India cap.
India opener Ramesh would like to use this game to work himself back
into form following the injury he sustained in the final Test against
Australia at Sydney. For the in form left arm spinner Murali Kartik,
the game could be a turning point in his career. But of course this is
an important match for all the young players - and those not so young.
The South Africans are aware that beating India on Indian tracks will
not be easy. Rather than go all out for victory, Hansie Cronje might
prefer to treat the game as an opportunity to get his players into the
groove. Half of the 14-member team have not played in a Test against
India and it is important that the newcomers get used to the
conditions fast for this is the only game the visitors have before
they play the first Test commencing at the nearby Wankhede stadium on
February 24.