It was a long way from Chandigarh to Chennai, so the rest that was forced upon us by the rain yesterday was a blessing in disguise. But we are keeping our fingers crossed so that we have a clear day to start off the TVS Tri-series.
The period between a Test and a limited overs series is always marked by changing gears, seeing off a few players and welcoming a few new faces. It's great to have Chris Cairns and Chris Harris back with us. They had joined us in Chandigarh itself, along with the one-day specialists.
The tri-series looks pretty evenly matched right now, but I'm glad that we have got into fine momentum with the last Test. We are very excited with the calibre of competition in this tournament and are aware that we will have to put up a quality show because we will be playing against the world champions and the losing finalists.
All three sides have had their share of injuries and will be missing a few top players. We don't have Shane [Bond] and Nath [Nathan Astle], two of our key players. India will be without Sourav Ganguly for at least the first two one-dayers, which is going to hit them harder than it did in the Mohali Test, and the Australians have been hit by a spate of injuries and their bowling line-up looks relatively new as a result.
This is no longer an uncommon phenomenon in world cricket. Therefore, it is the teams with the greatest depth in their side that achieve greater consistency. Australia, for instance, have great depth, which helped them win a tournament like the World Cup even after a couple of major players were ruled out. India too have depth, but I think they will miss Sourav the captain because marshalling a side is a lot tougher in a one-dayer, especially if it's a run feast.
We also have worked at creating some depth in the side, and our one-day outfit is certainly one of the most balanced in world cricket right now. Cairns is raring to go, what with missing out on most of the action over the last year. It's great to have him back as an all-rounder, because he gives our team the balance I mentioned earlier.
We have worked up a good rhythm in the Tests, and the new players have been with us for more than a week, so we are more than ready for the limited overs series. When I saw the pitch today, I felt a little sorry for the bowlers. It looks like there's going to be a leather hunt tomorrow, and you can't really blame the bowlers from both sides if they are praying for a downpour!
But it will make for great viewing as the wicket is tailormade for strokeplay. We are looking forward to a seaside break after this match, after which we will head north to take on our trans-Tasman neighbours in Faridabad. Both sides enjoy playing each other, so even though the setting will be slightly different from what it is Down Under, we will be ready for battle.
There will be plenty of zig-zagging across the subcontinent over the next three weeks, so a break at the beach will be the right recipe to recharge our batteries.
(Gameplan)
