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India need to put their act together
India will need a spark of inspiration to prevail over Kiwis in their opening match of Zimbabwe tri-series today.
A struggling India will need a spark of inspiration to prevail over New Zealand in their opening match of the Videocon Cup cricket tri-series on Friday as they seek to come out of a prolonged slump.
But Sourav Ganguly's team has sent wrong signals ahead of India's opener as they chose to arrive at the venue just 24 hours before the start of the game and this attitude to the opponents could come to haunt them in the rest of the tournament.
New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has little doubt that conditions in Bulawayo could take some time getting used to but Indians have preferred to practice in Harare.
"That we have been here for 10 days is an advantage. This is a place which takes getting used to. The day might start mildly but the afternoon could cause burn in the lungs," Fleming said.
When early momentum is what every team seeks ahead of a tournament, the Indians chose spent two days in Harare to make up for the training camp they missed in India.
The week has unfolded in utter confusion, if not disharmony, for the Indians who were first refused a two-day training camp by the Board which publicly accused them of indiscipline after a few players turned up late at a Mumbai hotel prior to the squad's departure.
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| Results in the last 10 matches: India was at disadvantage trailing 5-4, while one match produced no result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Results in the last 10 matches: India lead 9-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The tourists spent two days training extensively but how much the lack of acclimatisation could come to haunt them would be known on Friday.
The fading winter is still enough to keep the pitch dew-heavy with an early start at 9.30 am but then the blazing sun saps energy quickly. (ThePitch Condition...Continue next page)
