Tendulkar takes on the rest

The 2003 Irani Trophy has been billed as a match worth going miles to watch. A full-strength Rest of India (RoI) team attempts to defend their trophy in Chennai against Mumbai, who have been rejuvenated by Sachin Tendulkar's return to the captaincy. A three-hour shower on Thursday night delayed the morning practice session of the Mumbai side, as the RoI players arrived in a trickle from various parts of the country, with Sourav Ganguly, the captain, bringing up the rear. It's to be hoped that this isn't a sign of things to come.

"Let me say on behalf of the Mumbai team that we're here to win," said Tendulkar in the sweltering Chennai heat. "We will fight all the way. It will be a tough match - Rest of India is almost the full Indian side. The youngsters in our side have a lot to learn, but the idea is to win." Mobbed by photographers, television cameras and journalists, he spent more than a few minutes overstating the obvious.

When it came to practice, though, Tendulkar was very much in his element. Playing a headmasterly role, he marshalled his team into small groups and took a hands-on approach to the drills. Sairaj Bahutule and Wasim Jaffer were stretched to the limit, spilling a few tough chances as Tendulkar sliced slip catches to them. The RoI will be hoping that the practice session has put Tendulkar in the edging frame of mind.

Apart from Tendulkar, the Mumbai team looks adequate rather than impressive. Vinod Kambli, a sleeker version these days with tramlines running wild across his bald pate, must prove once more that he is a class above the average domestic cricketer. The batting, traditionally a Mumbai strength, has an unusually shaky look. Jaffer, with a keener eye on an Indian opening slot than Mumbai glory, teams up with Vinayak Mane to see off the new ball.

Nishit Shetty, the left-hander who has played just one full first-class Ranji season, has impressed observers. Although a late bloomer - he's 30 now - he has made rapid strides of late. His two centuries came at a time when Mumbai really needed runs, especially in the second innings of the Ranji final against Tamil Nadu.

Over the last season, however, Mumbai have been bolstered by their late-middle order. The tenacious batting of Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, Ramesh Powar and Bahutule kept opposition attacks at bay, although the retirement of Paras Mhambrey, who chipped in with valuable runs himself, has opened up a pivotal slot in the team.

Tendulkar will have a tough choice ahead of him on the morning of the match. He might be tempted to play Nilesh Kulkarni as the third spinner, but would be hard pressed to leave out Bhavin Thakkar. An RoI attack including Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble is likely to force him to prop up the batting. After all, he has the pace of Ajit Agarkar and Aavishkar Salvi, the spin of Powar and Bahutule and, well, just about anything he wants from himself.

"We all know each others' strengths and weaknesses, but I don't want to discuss them," said Tendulkar. "We'll leave it to tomorrow. You only need one ball to get a batsman and whoever makes a mistake will pay the price. We all have to be on our toes." Tendulkar will be hoping, though, that reports about Zaheer's stiff back are true. If Zaheer does not play, it will be up to Amit Bhandari and L Balaji to take the new ball on a Chennai pitch that's difficult to read. It's like a Perth wicket for the first four overs, then gets flatter and slower and, according to a local scorer, by the third day is a typical Indian wicket.

Kumble and Harbhajan will be a major factor, especially against some of the inexperienced Mumbai batsmen, who would have played very little competitive cricket against spinners of this quality. The batting of the RoI team is a Who's Who of Indian cricket: Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar open, with Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh making up the middle order.

This is a big break for Yuvraj, who signalled his return to form with a dominating hundred in the Challenger series after a disappointing run with Yorkshire in county cricket. For the others, there's little more than pride at stake. The bowling looks well settled, with only a question-mark over Zaheer's fitness. Rohan Gavaskar, whose contentious selection must have brought personal joy, will probably have to be content carrying drinks for his more illustrious peers.

"The Irani Trophy is a very prestigious competition. It's not a practice match. We want to grab the title from Rest of India and I'm sure they too will want to win," said Tendulkar. With luck it will be hard-fought match, unlike the Challenger series, which some people reckon had more in it for selectors than spectators.

Teams
Mumbai (from): Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Sachin Tendulkar (capt), Nishit Shetty, Vinod Kambli, Bhavin Thakkar, Vinayak Samant (wk), Ajit Agarkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar, Aavishkar Salvi, Nilesh Kulkarni, Swapnil Hazare, Vinit Indulkar, Robin Morris.

Rest of India (from): Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel (wk), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, Murali Kartik, Amit Bhandari, Rohan Gavaskar.