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At the outset, I must stress the fact that the one-day international is a completely different cup of tea from the Test match. Even though India were comprehensively beaten in the Tests, this does not mean that they will do badly in the one- dayers. The key factors for this are the wickets that one-dayers are played on, as well as the various over and field restrictions. Given that one-day internationals are really geared more towards the batsman, the Indians are in a good position to exploit the restrictions in place in the shorter format. The news of injuries to Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Sanjay Bangar is a setback, since the three would have played important parts in the contest. But even without them, I feel that India should put up a strong performance. One must remember that even New Zealand are not at full strength. Their best cricketer, Chris Cairns, and one of their most effective one-day cricketers, Chris Harris, are both out, and this augurs well for the Indians. Keeping this in mind, I would say that the injuries to three members of the Indian team should not really be a cause for too much concern for coach John Wright and captain Sourav Ganguly. Perhaps this is the right chance to give young Parthiv Patel a game or two. Rahul Dravid certainly needs a break before the World Cup, and Patel will gain some valuable experience in the process. The team is sure to be pumped and raring to go after what happened in the Tests. No one expected such a drastic 2-0 loss, and the Indians will be keen to put that behind them when they take the field in Auckland on the 26th for the first one- dayer. In that sense, the team will be looking at this seven- match series as an ideal way to restore some lost pride after the Test debacle. After all, we know how Indian fans tend to take results. What happens most recently is given so much prominence that the past fades away. If the Indians can win in the one-dayers, then the fans will quickly overlook the loss in the Test series. However, the Indians must also take this opportunity to seriously get their act together for the World Cup. With these being the last one-dayers before the biggest challenge of them all in South Africa, the Indians must build their confidence. A victory here is crucial because it will pep them up psychologically at exactly the right time. A win will do a great deal for the morale of the team, especially in the light of the ongoing tussle between the players and the authorities regarding contracts in the build-up to the World Cup. © CricInfo |
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