BOMBAY, 3 November 2004 — India will consider playing three spinners and ask star batsman Sachin Tendulkar to open the bowling as they attempt a face-saving victory over Australia in the fourth and final Test here from today.
With the series already lost, the Indians are determined to avoid a 0-3 drubbing by playing bold cricket on a Wankhede Stadium wicket expected to provide turn and bounce to the bowlers. Coach John Wright said playing three spinners — Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik — was an option, but stressed the final composition will not be decided till just before the toss. Asked who will share the new ball with Zaheer Khan in case three spinners were included, Wright deadpanned: “Sachin. He is bowling quick at the nets.”
Tendulkar, struggling to regain top batting form following a tennis elbow injury, has claimed 35 Test wickets in 115 matches, most of them bowling leg-spin.
India have not lost three Tests in a home series since 1983 when Clive Lloyd’s world-beating West Indies avenged the stunning defeat in the World Cup final in England a few months earlier.
Australia, who clinched their first series win on Indian soil since 1969 after winning the third Test at Nagpur for a decisive 2-0 lead, were boosted by the return of captain Ricky Ponting for the final match.
Ponting missed the first three Tests due to a broken thumb suffered during the Champions Trophy in England in September, and now takes over the captaincy from Adam Gilchrist and the number three slot from Simon Katich. Katich, one of Australia’s batting successes on the tour, will slide down to number five or six in place of Darren Lehmann, who was ruled out of the match with a hamstring injury.
India, meanwhile, are certain to blood rookie opener Gautam Gambhir and 19-year-old wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as they look ahead to the two-Test home series against South Africa later this month.
Rahul Dravid will lead the home team for the fourth time in seven Tests this year after captain Saurav Ganguly was ruled out for a second match in a row with a groin injury.
Likely teams:
India: Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Muhammad Kaif, Dinesh Karthik, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath.
Warne to Miss Final Test Against India
Australia leg spinner Shane Warne will miss the fourth and final Test against India starting today because of a broken right thumb. Warne was struck while batting in the nets yesterday and X-rays disclosed the fracture. He is expected to return home later this week.
“Shane experienced increased levels of pain throughout the afternoon, so we had the thumb X-rayed,” Australian team physiotherapist Errol Alcott told reporters.
“We can’t predict a return date for Shane, but we will review him in the lead-up to the first Test in Brisbane.” Australia start a two-Test series against New Zealand in Brisbane on Nov. 18.
Warne, the world record holder with 541 Test wickets in 115 matches, had been expected to play an important role in the fourth Test with the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium expected to offer significant turn.
Off spinner Nathan Hauritz or leg break bowler Cameron White could make their debut in Warne’s absence on a brown pitch where both captains, India’s Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting of Australia, are considering playing an extra spinner.
Australia have clinched the series 2-0 after winning the first Test in Bangalore and the third in Nagpur last week for their first series victory in India in 35 years.
Akram Says India Failed to Take Home Advantage Against Aussies
In New Delhi, Pakistan’s former captain Wasim Akram said yesterday the Indian cricket team blundered by failing to secure a tailor-made pitch at Nagpur, where they lost the third Test to Australia last Friday.
“The team management should have told the ground staff in advance what kind of pitch they wanted,” Akram said of India’s humiliating 342-run loss on a pitch suiting seam bowling.
Australia took a winning 2-0 lead in the four-match series, their first series victory in India in 35 years.
“You don’t speak to the groundsmen just two days prior to the match but at least 10-15 days before it,” said the legendary paceman at a press conference to announce his association with an Indian sports management firm.
