Australia looks to bounce back in Smith’s 100th ODI
The covers came off at Eden Gardens for the first time in two days on Wednesday (September 20) morning with the incessant rain that's been lashing the city finally relenting, and the sun peeking out of the clouds.
Training for both sides however, was limited to the indoor facility at the venue, with the groundsmen and supersoppers working overtime to get the outfield ready for the second One-Day International between India and Australia here on Thursday.
The state-of-the-art cover arrangement ensured there was no seepage, and if the weather gods continue being generous, an enthralling contest is in the offing.
Steven Smith and Mark Waugh were quick to reach the centre to have a look at the pitch after the Australian team bus, carrying nine players and the support staff, arrived for the optional practice session in the morning.
Smith and Waugh had a long chat with Sujan Mukherjee, Eden's curator, and Ashish Bhowmick, the East Zone curator, before a light drizzle returned, prompting the workers to bring the covers back on.
For India, it was Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun who carried out a similar inspection later on, before indulging the players in a short football session on an open patch on the ground.
The 1-0 lead will hold the host in good stead coming into this game, with the unpredictable black clouds still hovering over the city, and the weather forecast predicting scattered thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon.
It will be the 100th ODI for Smith, and his teammates would be rearing to give him a fitting tribute. They will have to work hard for it though, with India's wrist spinners - Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal - posing a threat to the Australians, vulnerable to spin attack in the sub-continent.
"Two wrist spinners give you more chances for taking wickets, because they're more attacking," Kuldeep pointed out on the eve of the match. "Left-arm spinners are limited in terms of variations, as they only have a couple. That's why batsmen don't take chances against them. Wrist spinners have the quality to deceive batsmen, and that gives them more options in terms of delivering wickets."
To top it up, India boasts a solid batting line-up, bolstered by Hardik Pandya's recent success as an allrounder.
"The presence of allrounders is essential for a team," Kuldeep added. "Apart from completing one bowling quota, guys like Pandya -- like you saw in the previous match, or even in Pallekele -- play freely and can completely change the momentum of a game with the bat."
With Aaron Finch out with injury, Australia needs the experience of Smith and David Warner to rack up the runs, but Kuldeep revealed that India had its plans in place.
"If you dismiss the No. 1 and No. 3 of any team, they're bound to come under pressure," he said. "Our plan is to always to get Warner out as soon as possible, since he's one player who can change the game, irrespective of the situation. Steve Smith is also like that. If he hangs in there for 30 to 40 overs, the opposition comes under pressure, since he can strike any time and stretch the score into a big one."
The fast bowling responsibilities is expected to be shared by Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Marcus Stoinis once again, with an Adam Zampa-Ashton Agar switch being the only possible tweak Australia could opt for. That would be only if the visiting side looks to further bolster its batting though, and with enough potential in the top 10, Zampa is more likely to get another shot at redemption.
The pitch, according to the curators, has been prepared to play fair to both batsmen and bowlers, but the overcast conditions could offer a fair bit of help to the slower bowlers. There were a few cracks on either side of the strip, which had been used - as Smith noticed and pointed out in his pre-match press conference - in a practice game for Bengal last week.
As far as the famed Eden gathering is concerned, it could be a bit of a dampener. Most people are distracted by the durga pujo preparations in Kolkata, and the rain has added to the misery for organisers in charge of ticket sales. Touts were letting go of their stocks at par price with the official costs and by late afternoon, the queues at the box office counters were reduced to a trickle.
That, however, should have no bearing on the competition on the field, with both sides vying to get the better of each other in the contest as always.
Teams (from):
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade(wk), Peter Handscomb, James Faulkner, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson.
