Jolted by successive losses in the first two outings and the resultant T20I series loss against the visiting South Africans, India will seek to dispel the despondence by securing a win in the concluding fixture at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
The match assumes greater importance for the beleaguered Indian captain M.S. Dhoni, who would look to realign his team’s confidence and composition ahead of the five-match ODI series beginning three days after this game.
In pursuit of that, the Indian squad sweated out in an afternoon practice session with the players looking to whet their skills that would re-establish the team’s formidability at home. The visitor meanwhile went in for a shortened optional practice session that was obviously intended at preservation rather than exertion.
At it stands, the host will have to do all the hard work to restore its winning rhythm. “We may have lost the series but we still have a lot to play for in the final game. The ODIs are coming up and then the Tests. Hopefully we will win tomorrow and from there onwards it could be a different story,” said Harbhajan Singh summing up the thinking of his team.
Harbhajan, who came to address the pre-match news conference for his captain, had a fair assessment of the situation being the senior statesman in the side with his rich international experience.
The series was over for India in the last match in Cuttack where it crumbled to a humiliating six-wicket defeat as South Africa’s bowlers, chiefly Chris Morris and Albie Morkel, demolished the host’s famed batting line-up.
Harbhajan, however, was quick to remind that the team was capable of making a comeback. “We were one down in the Test series in Sri Lanka but ended up winning the series. It was because of the belief that we had in ourselves,” said Bhajji insisting on the team’s resilience when under crisis.
Though Harbhajan excused himself from making any comments on any possible changes, including his retention in the side, Dhoni may be forced to think about making alterations to the team composition. The Indian captain may go for the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Amit Mishra in a bid to spruce up both the batting and bowling departments.
This may happen at the cost of Ambati Rayudu and Axar Patel, who have not been able to fully justify their selection in the previous two matches. Both Rahane and Mishra are backed by form and statistics but it remains to be seen how Dhoni prefers to set up the battle array.
The Eden pitch has often proved to assist “slow turn” and that would offer some comfort to the home side which has always prided itself on having quality spinners.
Going by the current form of South Africa, which has found a good balance across all departments under its captain Faf du Plesis, the visitor remains a strong favourite.
