MOHALI: India is considering pushing out-of-form batsman Rahul Dravid down its batting order for the second Test against an England said eager to strike back in the match starting today after losing the series opener.
India staged the biggest successful fourth innings run chase ever in India — and the fourth biggest anywhere — to beat England by six wickets in the first Test in Chennai, but was under pressure from an out-of-form touring team for much of the contest and is looking to further strengthen its batting order.
Going through the leanest form of his career, Dravid has scored just 320 runs in the past 10 Tests, including a sum of just seven runs from two innings in Chennai.
“We’re not really worried about Dravid’s form,” captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said yesterday. “No one can question his talent or determination, it’s just a matter of getting some initial runs and he’ll get his confidence back.” Dravid is India’s second-highest run scorer and features in the select group of batsmen in Test cricket’s 10,000-run club.
Dravid’s 10,373 runs from 130 Tests is second among Indian batsmen behind Sachin Tendulkar, whose 12,413 runs are the most by anyone inTest history.
“We’ve been thinking about a change in the batting order,” Dhoni said. “We have pondered over moving Laxman to the No. 3 spot and get Dravid to bat at No. 5, but it is a tough decision.” “What if we lose Laxman to a good delivery early and if Dravid has to come in with India three wickets down? That’ll put extra pressure on Dravid, who is not in good form.”
India’s confidence has been buoyed both by the first Test run chase and the return to the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in the northern city of Mohali where it outplayed Australia by 320 runs last month on way to inflicting a 2-0 defeat on world’s No. 1 team. It also beat England at the ground in their 2006 series.
The most England can hope for is squaring the two-Test series by winning in Mohali, and must pick itself up after losing a Chennai match it dominated for most of the first four days. “Our main aim is try and win this game,” captain Kevin Pietersen said.
“The boys played a brilliant Test match, but unfortunately we got pipped on the last day. We’ve got to take into consideration the fact that we won 70 percent of that fixture.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we did push the strong Indian side to the Test match’s last session.” The captain himself played the Chennai Test with a fractured rib that he suffered when he fell while playing squash during the team’s training camp in Abu Dhabi. He said the sore rib restricted his movement in the field, but would not stop him from playing the second Test.
“Anybody who has a fractured rib knows about it, and I’m dealing with it,” said Pietersen, adding that England’s lineup for the match would only be finalized just before the start.
“The team selection’s not easy, keeping in view India’s past record at this venue and the nature of this track,” he said.
Dhoni said the Mohali pitch seems firmer than the one on which India outplayed Australia last month. “The pitch here can the deceptive,” he said.
