Indians start as favourites against Kenya

Flipping through the TV channels the other day, my eye caught an advertisement which went like this. The husband says `India haar gaye' (India has lost the match). The wife while, serving him a cup of tea says `isme kaunsi nai baat hai' (what's new in this?). Then the husband asks her what is new in the tea and she mentions the brand and adds `isme tho fixing nahin hai' (there is no fixing with the taste).

As the Indians commence their campaign in the ICC KnockOut tourney against Kenya in Nairobi on Tuesday, the team would surely go all out to wipe out not only memories of the match-fixing scandal but also such digs at the game and the players - be it in television commercials or otherwise. To achieve this, they will just have to keep winning.

This is the first major tournament involving all the Test playing nations since the 'Hansiegate' scandal broke in April and India start as clear favourites in the opener against Kenya. The Indians have so far won five of their six matches against the Kenyans, having lost only in the Coca Cola Triangular series game at Gwalior in 1998. But giving Kenya their due, they are capable of surprising their opponents. Though they have lost their practice match against the minnows of the game Bangladesh, the Indian side has to be cautious and should not be over confident.

The Indian batting depends heavily once again on Sachin Tendulkar. The former Indian skipper has not played a game since the Asia Cup in June and missed the Asia XI versus World XI game in London due to chicken pox. The pressure is certainly on him for he is expected to stay at the wicket and play a big knock to regain his form.

The Indians, and especially the Mumbai batsman, could not have asked for a better draw for he has had a dream run against the Kenyans. Tendulkar has frequently single handedly demolished their attack. The master blaster's record against Kenya is 385 runs from four innings at an unbelievable average of 385.00. He has scored three hundreds against them, while his left-handed partner and Indian skipper Ganguly has scored a meagre 79 runs at an average of 19.75, in the four innings that he has played against them.

The other batting pillar Rahul Dravid is in fine form, having enjoyed an excellent season in England while representing Kent. In the middleorder, only Dravid, who is the vice captain, has had a reasonable run against his opponents scoring 216 runs, including an unbeaten century, at an average of 72.00. Much is expected of Vinod Kambli who is making a comeback. Kambli has made just two in his only innings against the Kenyans in the 1996 World Cup.

For the first time in many years, there is a new look in the Indian middle order with so many youngsters waiting in the wings. This match will give them the opportunity to showcase their talent. Almost certainly, two of the three southpaws - S Sriram, Hemang Badani and Yuvraj Singh will be fighting for two of the places in the side. This match will be a testing time for the youngsters as they will not have the time to settle down. The reliable Robin Singh should provide the much needed aggression in the middle order while Sunil Joshi and the Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman Vijay Dahiya are expected to wield the long handle.

In the bowling department, Venkatesh Prasad and Ajit Agarkar will shoulder the responsibility with the new ball in the absence of Javagal Srinath. The duo should try and give the initial breakthroughs to put the Kenyans on the backfoot. A lot will also depend on the spinners Joshi and Kumble. Young left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, of whom there are high expectations, might have to wait for his chance if the team management decides to play an extra batsman.

The Kenyans will be looking to their star players like Steve Tikolo, Maurice Odumbe and Hitesh Modi in the batting to come good and help the side post a fighting total. Among the bowlers, Thomas Odoya and Martin Suji have the skill and experience to restrict the Indians.

With the match-fixing scandal having taken its toll, both in terms of viewer ship and advertisement for the game in this country, the performance of the side will be followed keenly not only by the diehard fans, but also those involved closely with the game like administrators and sponsors. It is time for the Indians to pull up their socks and start the tournament on a winning note. This would go a long way in redeeming not only their confidence but also the image of cricket.