Dream run faces unending nightmare

It would take a divine effort for Kevin Pietersen and his men to ignore a 0-4 washout in this seven-match ODI series and concentrate on a comparatively intangible fighting motive like salvaging pride. But then, coming back from the dead is only a human invention, which finds its roots in impossibly difficult situations of the kind the Englishmen are facing in their Indian campaign this season.

Pietersen would be telling his men exactly that and also citing to them the English history of a 3-1 win in four matches against the hosts at this venue previously, to instill some raison d etre in them as he walks into this lush green Barabati Stadium on a dry and sunny afternoon on Tuesday.

Perhaps it was to ease this pressure that the England team management decided to forego practice and instead spend the day relaxing at the team hotel in Bhubaneswar where Pietersen talked to the media briefly, saying his team would work to win for pride. If this does work with his men, the Wednesday encounter may well become a re-run of the 1984 thrilling one-run win for the beleaguered Englishmen.

Of course, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will scoff at such ungrounded optimism with characteristic snobbery which has become a hallmark of his dealings with what he calls an intrusive media. Much as you may go after the new skipper for his unjustifiably put-down attitude, you cannot deny that the man may be right and there are too many concrete reasons for that.

Team India is botoxed after defeating Australia, the eternal champions; Dhoni’s luck has just knocked his door and seems to be in no mood to make a hurried exit from his haloed domain; Yuvraj’s bat, not to mention his arm, is still not over with telling the selectors that he can’t ever be ignored; and the bench strength of this “third world” cricketing nation looks, well, completely unaware of poverty.

That Team India has already swept the series without a single loss, did not keep Dhoni and his boys away from practice on Tuesday and, earlier in the day, man of the last match Virender Sehwag did say that coach Gary Kirsten has pitched for a 7-0 seal on his collar.

Dhoni’s suggestion at the post-match talk in Bangalore would see a change of faces in his squad at Cuttack, what with the likes of Virat Kohli greasing up their bat for a personal proof of strength. Then there is an in-and-out Irfan Pathan who would like to seal his place in the team despite his skipper’s alleged preference for a more Rudra attack of pace. Not to mention local boy Pragyan Ojha who would be itching to spin the tide his way for a home splash. Such is the strength of MSD’s youthful boys that the presence of a Sachin Tendulkar in the squad resembles an imposition.

In the face of such odds, England would be looking to exploit whatever it can from these changes in the opponent camp and praying to win the toss at a venue where curator Pankaj Patnaik has decided to be rather environmental friendly with his 22-yard effort sporting some green stubble which seems to be complementary offering from the lush field around it. Patnaik says a 250-plus score would be definitely competitive as there is a dew stopper awaiting under the floodlights but the bounce he has added to the pitch is designed to not just make up for slow and low reputation but also to give the tie some scintillating moments - i.e. only if England manages to somehow rise from the ruins. With Flintoff looking emaciated, Bell refusing to ring and Pietersen petering off more times than one, it looks difficult.

So, if Cuttack is being propelled as a brand new three-game series by Kirsten, looking for yet another clean sweep in favour of India, Pietersen is borrowing his fightback from the same thought process.

Welcome to a bout of dream run vs end of nightmare campaign between Dhoni and Pietersen, respectively.

Published on November 26, 2008; http://www.dailypioneer.com/137050/Dream-run-faces-unending-nightmare.html