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14 Saturday 12th March, 2011 anything to go by, the Tamil Nadu offie may just get a chance along- side Harbhajan Singh. While Zaheer Khan will be the premier pacer, Ashish Nehra who came India face sternest back against Holland is the favourite to share the new ball with him. But Munaf Patel who has a good record against South Africa, will definitely keep Dhoni interested. test against SA For the South African side, the bad news is leggie Imran Tahir’s Nagpur: A jittery India series against the Proteas 2-3 broken left-thumb for which he has will have to find the right prior to the World Cup. been advised 10 days of complete combination and plug their Interestingly, when rest. However, the team manage- loopholes as they go into the Tendulkar last played in an ment may just take a chance since tough ICC World Cup 2011 ODI against South Africa in the injury is not in the right Group-B encounter against Gwalior last year, he scored thumb. In case Tahir doesn’t play, South Africa on Saturday with the historic double hundred. Johan Botha is likely to replace the dodgy form of some of If the maestro can achieve the Pakistan-born spinner. their key players being a con- half of what he did that day, Smith and his boys will be des- cern. the South African bowlers perate to shed the chokers tag off After a couple of not-so-con- would have a hard day on the their backs. Also the Jamtha vincing performances against shirtfront Jamtha strip where ground will bring back happy Ireland and the Netherlands batting first is the order of the memories for the Proteas when respectively, Mahendra Singh day. they walloped India by an innings Dhoni’s much vaunted batting Sehwag began with a bang and six runs in a Test match last line-up is expected to regroup as against Bangladesh, but hasn’t year. they face the mighty South exactly been spectacular Although it’s a different format, Africans, who on the other hand against other sides. The same is seven among those who played in would be itching to get back to the case with Gautam Gambhir, that particular Test match (Smith, winning ways after losing to who has been frittering it away Amla, De Villiers, Kallis, Duminy, England by six runs. after getting starts. Steyn, Morkel) are likely to feature Although India have been It will be a stern test for in the first XI. unbeaten in the four matches so the middle order also where Steyn, who rocked the Indian far, the only time they have been Yuvraj Singh with back-to- batting with a 10-wicket match really put to test was against back 50s has shown some haul, will be hoping to repeat that England in Bangalore last touch. But skipper Dhoni has powerhouse performance. If Steyn month when they could only been scratchy and Yusuf hits the rhythm, he will be more Pathan has blown hot and than a handful for the Indian bats- cold. men, not to forget Morkel. The Irish and the Dutch Even Hashim Amla, who has didn’t exactly have the score been India’s nemesis will like to to test the strength of the make matters worse for the Men in middle-order, which Blue, as an intriguing contest is on Graeme Smith’s men the cards. might just do. Teams (Probable elevens): Morne The concern with the India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Morkel. bowling department still Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat The explosive remains with skipper’s fas- Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni opening pair of Sachin cination for leg-spinner Piyush (capt, wk), Yusuf Pathan, India’s Zaheer Khan, front, is Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag Chawla. Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, helped with stretching during a has got the starts in most of the However with three left-han- Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra training session in Nagpur. (AP) matches, but has failed to capi- ders in South African ranks South Africa: Graeme Smith talise on those. Both have a centu- (Smith, Jean Paul Duminy and (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de manage to tie the game after scor- ry each under their belt, but Robin Peterson), there is a possi- Villiers (wk), Jacques Kallis, JP ing an imposing 338. would like to get another big one bility that off-spinner Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Saturday’s match will be an before the knock-out stage gets Ravichandran Ashwin may get the South Africa’s Dale Steyn prepares for a television interview during a Tahir, Robin Peterson, Lonwabo important one for India as their underway. nod ahead of Chawla. practice session in Nagpur, India, Thursday, March 10, 2011. South Tsotsobe, Dale Steyn, Morne batsmen will face the current best Tendulkar was not a part of the If Dhoni’s statement about Africa will play against India in a Cricket World Cup league match on Morkel new ball pair of Dale Steyn and Indian side that lost the One-day Ashwin being “mentally strong” is March 12. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) PTI Dhoni demands more runs from Tendulkar, Sehwag Put the house in order or face the consequences! NAGPUR, India (AP) - It momentum of big opening takes a brave captain to demand stands could be crucial. more runs from Sachin “If we get a good start, Tendulkar and Virender either from momentum point of Point of view Sehwag, but that’s just what view or period point of view, India skipper Mahendra Singh our lower order can really cash BY RAVI NAGAHAWATTE Football Union in 1973. tion and the country’s sports law. Dhoni is doing. in on the platform,” he said. A peep into the history of Sri It’s the great values of rugby, Dhoni wants the World Cup Dhoni said he was keeping ri Lanka’s rugby has lost a Lanka’s rugby shows that most of the camaraderie on and off the openers, two of the world’s best his options open for the match chunk of its prestige, but it’s its past presidents and their execu- field which the IRB harps on and batsmen, to produce bigger against South Africa after play- Snot as serious as a teenager tive committee members had the the spirit of sportsmanship that partnerships at the World Cup. ing two pace bowlers and two losing her virginity. habit of saving money, as once have fed rugby at international Dhoni told reporters Friday spinners in the last three Sri Lanka has been stripped of pointed out to this writer by for- level and made it a vibrant and that he wants India to get “big- games. its full membership with the mer SLRFU President, Dr. Maiya professional sport. ger opening partnerships so “Playing an extra seamer International Rugby Board (IRB). Gunasekere, who also goes down in Sri Lanka must also realise that that the middle order and the will be a thought. From what This certainly is a blow to the the history book of rugby for being it has achieved very little in this lower middle-order can use its we have seen, this is one of the rugby governing body, which is the first chairman of a rugby inter- robust sport and can’t have sports explosive power well” in com- better tracks of the country. By rated as one of the world’s oldest im committee in Sri Lanka. politics ruin the chances of its ing games. better, I mean there is a little rugby unions. We haven’t done During the ‘good times in rugby’ future generations. Scribes have India is virtually through to more bounce, though there is anything significant to take advan- there was camaraderie among all written on reams of paper that the quarterfinals and next takes no extraordinary speed or seam tage of this early start in rugby. provincial unions and the main sports administrators must do a on South Africa on Saturday. movement,” he said. This was because the administra- union. There was hardly any talk lot more than merely conduct Tendulkar and Sehwag have But Dhoni said much tors from the old school pinned about contests for the top posts due annual domestic tournaments, slammed a century each in the depended on how the pitch rugby with a title named ‘amateur to the presence of a ‘healthy hold on to existing sponsors and tournament, but are yet to fig- looked on the morning of the sport’. administrative system’ which field teams for international tour- ure in a century stand with match. Our old timers who ran the groomed the next president or the naments. Today, the greatest chal- partnerships of 69, 46, 9 and 69 “There is a fair amount of administrative arm of the rugby next administrator. lenge is to keep the players in the so far. help for the spinners also on union and statisticians would This tradition was broken in game and bring in more money “If our openers can bat as this wicket. We will have a look value the long journey Sri Lanka 2007 when Senior DIG Nimal than in previous years. And for long as possible, it will be good and see whether it (the wicket) has made in rugby. Former Lewke decided to contest the that to happen, the game needs for us,” Dhoni said. “Because, is dry or not and then decide on recorder of the Sri Lanka Rugby SLRFU Presidency, which was Former Air Force Commander administrators who can make from what we have seen, if the team combination,” he said.

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