No respite in Nagpur?

There might have been little joy for the capacity crowd that thronged the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium for the highly anticipated first T20 international last week. But as India succumbed to a convincing defeat against Sri Lanka — tarnishing their clean record at the venue — chief curator Praveen Hingnekar was a relieved man.

For Hingnekar and his staff, the conclusion of that contest had meant a much deserved break after a hectic season. Nagpur has seen a lot of activity this year, already having hosted an ODI against Australia in October and a couple of high-profile domestic tournaments — the Irani Cup and the Challenger Trophy. The former Vidarbha captain was busy making vacation plans when the match was moved here at the eleventh hour from Visakhapatnam.

“We were worried when we first learnt about it. But it didn’t take too long for us to be upbeat about hosting another international,” he says, adding that maintenance work had started at the stadium. The commotion outside the ‘old’ VCA stadium for tickets on Wednesday morning proved that the cricket fans in Nagpur weren’t averse to witnessing yet another big contest in their city.

A day after the batsmen on both sides had greedily devoured the sumptuous feast on offer at Rajkot, and the poor bowlers were made to suffer a grievous bout of runs, the two teams landed in Nagpur on Wednesday. Only one bowler — Harbhajan Singh — had gotten away from Rajkot with an economy rate less than a run-a-ball, while experienced customers Zaheer Khan and Sanath Jayasuriya went at 8.8 and 10.8 respectively as an astonishing 825 runs were scored in 100 overs.

Eighty fours and 24 sixes were hit in all, and there was a time during the Indian innings when even 500 seemed possible. If not for some over-ambitious shots, which they usually pull off nonchalantly, both Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratane Dilshan seemed headed towards double hundreds.

Run-fest again

Hingnekar believes that the pitch awaiting them here will only add to the appetite for runs, and it’s unlikely that there will be any respite for the bowlers after their nightmare on Tuesday. In the last ODI at the VCA stadium, India had gone onto post 354, by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s big-hitting century against the Australians, who fell 99 runs short of their target. The Lankans, meanwhile, had set India a target of 216 in 20 overs last Wednesday.

Though he insists that the wicket will remain true for the entire match, Hingnekar promises there won’t be a repeat of 400+ scores, but says he won’t be surprised if the teams come close to the mark. “I expect scores of over 300 for sure. But the fast bowlers will definitely get some help early on with the new ball, and fielding first may not be a bad option,” he says. After what transpired at Rajkot, however, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara will think more than twice before asking India to bat again in the series.

The VCA stadium may have some of the longest boundaries in the country, but unfortunately for the Indian and Sri Lankan bowlers, even this ray of hope is unlikely to come to their rescue. “We had actually shaved off the grass on the outfield after the last T20, so it will be a really quick now.”

After the adage of ODI cricket being a batsman’s game came frighteningly true for the bowlers in Rajkot, it is unlikely that they will receive any compassion in Nagpur.

Upton tests negative for H1N1, to rejoin team

Nagpur: The Indian team heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday after trainer and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton tested negative for swine flu. Even though the Indian team arrived here for the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Friday, Upton stayed back in Rajkot — venue of the first one dayer — to provide samples for H1N1 virus after he had showed symptoms of swine flu. “He was tested for swine flu symptoms but he tested negative,” Chief District Health Officer A S Sanghvi said from Rajkot, clearing the deck for Upton to join the team here.

Earlier, Sreesanth had tested positive for swine flu and missed India’s second Twenty20 in Mohali on December 12 before being discharged on Tuesday.