India start ODI series on a high
Durban : With an eye on the World Cup, India will be looking to find the perfect combination for the mega event when they face South Africa in th first of the five-match one-day series starting here Wednesday.
India have happy memories at the Kingsmead Stadium here as they won the second Test match by 87 runs and after earning their maiden Test series draw will be looking to start the ODI series on a winning note.
But injuries to key players have put India on the backfoot. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and now Parveen Kumar have been ruled out of the series. Ishant Sharma is also in doubt for Wednesday due to hand and elbow problems respectively.
It will be a golden opportunity for the likes of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina to make a case for World Cup selection.
The series will see the return of the iconic Sachin Tendulkar to the Indian one-day fold after close to a year. The last time he played an ODI, also against South Africa, Tendulkar became the first batsman in the history of the game’s format to strike a double hundred.
For an out of form Yuvraj Singh, it is the final chance to convince the selectors that he is the same destructive force which won India many a matches before the stunning slump of form.
Zaheer Khan will spearhead the attack after being rested for Sunday’s Twenty20 international but his back-up seems a little weak given the uncertainty over the availability of Sreesanth. Ashish Nehra and the rather inconsistent Munaf Patel would be the options for India. Harbhajan Singh will as usual shoulder the spin responsibilities.
All eyes will also be on the 31-year-old Pakistan-born spinner Imran Tahir, who is expected to make his debut after getting South African citizenship a few weeks ago.
Teams
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/keeper), Sachin Tendulkar, Murali Vijay, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, S Sreesanth.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wicketkeeper), Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
