Daijiworld Media Network
Ranchi, Oct 26 : Just as Dhoni gains all the prominence in our build up and at the ground, Virat Kohli cannot be left far behind, here's a listen in: 'It has been pretty hectic journey on the road. Am trying to get the energy levels in check for the long season ahead. It is very important to understand the mindset of the players and one thing that doesn't change is working hard, having a good gym session and staying in touch in the nets. When I have a decent knock like I did in Mohali, I do not feel the need to have a knock in the nets. As far as the crowd support is concerned, I am privileged to be in a position that I am in. I used to take a lot more pressure earlier, but I am enjoying it now. The outfield is pretty quick as well and the vibe here in Ranchi is such that you feel like playing good cricket, something that I have felt out here. Dhoni gets a louder cheer in most places and I was very excited to see him come up the order, quite like most of the crowd.'
FROM GROUND ZERO: Now what do I say. Kaushik informs that he could spot more No.7 tees than No.18 tees. So Dhoni fans outnumbering Kohli's.. as if it's surprising. And I trust Kaushik's quantitative prowess.
Finally, finally, Williamson has called it right! 'We will have a bat. Looks like a tired surface. We have shown glimpses (of playing well) but haven't applied the pressure. We will play the three spinners: Sodhi and Devcich come back into the side. Watling is in the side too. Ronchi and Henry miss out. Very tough to say what's a competitive score here. Dew will play a part but it might be a bit slow. If we get a partnership, we will have a bit of momentum and get slightly above par,' says Kane Williamson
New Zealand have won the toss and have opted to bat
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni(w/c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Amit Mishra, Dhawal Kulkarni, Umesh Yadav
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, James Neesham, Anton Devcich, BJ Watling(w), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi
Dhoni: 'We were looking to bowl first because of the dew. Bowling has been fantastic, in partnerships, and we will like to continue the same. If I am batting at 4, I can pick when I want to hit. In the lower middle order, you have to hit every ball. So this gives me time. The reception is always good here, but once the game starts, it's difficult to remind yourself that you are playing in your own city. Bumrah is not 100 percent, so Dhawal comes in his place.'
Finally, finally, Williamson has called it right! 'We will have a bat. Looks like a tired surface. We have shown glimpses (of playing well) but haven't applied the pressure. We will play the three spinners: Sodhi and Devcich come back into the side. Watling is in the side too. Ronchi and Henry miss out. Very tough to say what's a competitive score here. Dew will play a part but it might be a bit slow. If we get a partnership, we will have a bit of momentum and get slightly above par,' says Kane Williamson
PITCH REPORT: 'This is a lot drier pitch; barely any grass. The spinners would love this pitch, or so the colour of the pitch suggests. India will look to chase. Nothing to worry for the batsmen here,' says Sunil Gavaskar. 'I do like that the ground is nice and big, so the boundaries may not be easy to come by,' adds Simon Doull
12:50pm local: India have retained the 14-member squad for the last two ODIs, thus approving of this youngish team's caliber and output. The hosts look set to go with the same eleven; New Zealand, not so much, with the series so far being an array of missed chances, metaphorically or otherwise. Middle order has been a fiasco of sorts, and we may see Watling in for Ronchi today. Beat-the-dew toss 10 minutes away!
12:40 local: New Zealand - also busy gawking at a Hummer-driving Dhoni from their team bus - have been competitive, if not all-conquering like how coloured-clothed South Africa were, but need a win today to keep the series alive. A Kohli ton has been a certainty of late, runs from Dhoni not so much. With the latter now on board, with Dhoni now liberal towards batting at No. 4, with Ranchi's pitch not averse to spin, with cricket-starved stands ready to chant their guts out, New Zealand have their toughest ODI challenge of the tour lined up. A pot-boiler here would be a welcome mid-week madness for us all. There, I said it! Someone had to.
UPDATE: Our man at the ground, Kaushik Rangarajan, who's always early, pings me this: 'Looks like Devcich will play today. He takes a nice long look at the landing areas of the pitch close to the stumps and then goes wide of the crease to see his angles..'
12:30pm local: 'Mahi maar raha hai' - - Translating in English to 'Mahi is hitting,' a famous line from MS Dhoni's biopic that neatly captures the emotions Dhoni evokes in Ranchi. That of admiration, delight and thrill. The line's a worded hope that precedes, like in the movie, the reality of life: that meritocracy is a function of circumstances. It may well be the least toxic slogan about love ever written. Has to be, if one can light up a town like Dhoni once did. Like how Dhoni will do today, irrespective of the score he registers, with the world now a witness to the struggles that made him the 'Mahi' he's become. On behalf of the team, it's a hello and welcome from Pratyush Sinha to the 4th ODI in Ranchi. This homecoming for Dhoni feels different, doesn't it?
Match preview :
MS Dhoni smiles at you from a billboard as you step out of the Birsa Munda Airport in the quaint industrial town of Ranchi. The Indian One-Day International captain has reasons to smile about, besides the obvious performance benefits his choice of engine oil seemingly gives him. After dilly-dallying for a year, he appears to have seen merits of an elevation to No. 4 in the batting order. Instant validation came in Mohali via a match-winning 91-ball 80, which, along with another Virat Kohli hundred, gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Now with his own batting concerns secured, at least for the immediate future, Dhoni will look to wrap the series up in well-known climes of his domicile.
Not much is likely to change for the hosts by the way of strategy or conditions. India's spinners have enjoyed a stranglehold of the New Zealand middle order, pulling things back even on a rare occasion like in Mohali when New Zealand got off to a good start. While Kedar Jadhav continues to enjoy a dream a series with the ball, senior leg spinner Amit Mishra has quietly thrown his hat in the ring for inclusion even in a full-strength side with a series of eye-catching bowling displays. An early series victory, should it come on Wednesday (October 26), will allow India to tweak combinations and audition different individuals in unfamiliar situations for the final game in Visakhapatnam as a part of their ongoing experimentation plans.
New Zealand, on the other hand, need a considerable reversal of fortunes and application for the series to not be decided after the fourth ODI. Winning the toss would be a start. Ross Taylor can't seem to catch a break on the series. After a string of low scores, he handed a reprieve to Kohli in Mohali who duly went on to score an unbeaten 154. To add to Taylor's grumblings, former captain Brendon McCullum has had a few words - no, a complete chapter? - dedicated to him in his book 'Declared'. Perhaps, now is as good a time as any for a Taylor century to shush a growing list of detractors. There was promise in that restrained 44 in the last game before he walked right past a Mishra leg spinner. Tom Latham too, would dearly love to kick on and convert his next start into a century for even purple patches don't last forever.
Interestingly, the last time India played an ODI at this venue in 2014, they did so without their beloved hometown boy but were able to effect a five-nil whitewash of Sri Lanka. They haven't won a series against a top-10 ODI nation since.
When: India vs New Zealand, 4th ODI, October 26, 13.30 IST or 08:00 GMT
Where: JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
What to expect: Sunny but pleasant day in the offing. A high of 27 degree Celsius that should settle in to the early twenties in the evening. 'Certainly looks a lot different to the Mohali wicket. It's very bare and not much grass,' Latham said about the pitch in Ranchi. The track has had some assistance for spin in the recent past.
Team News:
India:
Perhaps not so surprisingly, the hosts have retained the same 14-member squad for the final two games of the series which means a still-recovering Suresh Raina will have to wait longer for his ODI return. Time is running out for Ajinkya Rahane to make a mark as an opener and he wouldn't want to look back on this series as a lost opportunity, once Shikhar Dhawan or KL Rahul return to the top and when he's pushed back to a middle-order tussle for spots. With the series at stake, India are unlikely to tinker with their combination.
New Zealand:
Notwithstanding the abject batting forms of Taylor and Martin Guptill, New Zealand have trouble brewing with the middle order consistently caving at the first sight of the opposition. Nothing summed that up more than Corey Anderson slapping a Jadhav full toss straight to mid-off in Mohali, moments after a good stand between Latham and Taylor had ended.
Even before the series, Luke Ronchi had had a barren run of form - he now has just one score of 50 or more in his last 42 innings - and Mike Hesson will be tempted to throw in the honest trier - BJ Watling - who spent a considerable time batting in the nets on the eve of the game. The think-tank would have at least seen a few chinks of light in James Neesham and Matt Henry's batting resistance in Mohali. But having said that, they may want to draft Anton Devcich back into the side if the pitch at the venue lives up to its recent spin history. Anderson, playing as a pure batsman, could also be sacrificed for the spinning all-rounder