Pak men add spice to tour tie

HOVE (BRIGHTON), July 6: The diverse mix of culture, seaside charm, sparkling nightlife and an exuberant art scene makes Brighton a special place. However, Rahul Dravid and his colleagues would do well to stay focused on their cricket and keep the spirit of their Future Cup triumph going as they take on English county cricket's defending champions Sussex in a four-day warm-up game that commences here on Saturday.
Of course, his team shouldn't be short of inspiration at this beautiful ground where a certain Duleepsinhji scored a memorable 333 in a day against Northamptonshire precisely 77 summers back.A good performance would be a fitting tribute to the great soul in whose memory they play the Duleep Trophy. And yet, for that to happen, the heavens will have to be kind.
Rain has been a constant companion for the Indians in the last two weeks and things don't look like changing in a hurry. "April was pretty hot, but I've rarely seen the sun in the last two months," remarked Sam Daniel, a local cricket enthusiast even as the sun made a guest appearance on Friday afternoon.
With hardly any cricket played for almost a week, since their triumph in Ireland, the Indians would be wise enough in picking their best combination in the two warm-up games ahead of the first Test at Lord's.
Led by Sachin Tendulkar's batting, India's top order was in awesome form in Belfast. A good workout from the little champion, Dravid himself and Sourav Ganguly will only add to their mood as the 'Big Three' of Indian cricket commence what probably would be their final cricketing journey in an English summer.
The presence of former Pakistan players Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the opposition ranks should be enough to get their competitive juices flowing and will add more spice to the contest.
Led by the 37-year old Chris Adams, who has played five Tests for England, Sussex has surfed on the brilliance of leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed to break their title jinx in 2003 before winning it again last year. On each occasion Mushtaq, who is now a bowling coach for Pakistan, finished with 103 and 102 wickets respectively.
Saqlain has not only been the best in business but he was the one who discovered the 'doosra' to give bowlers of his ilk their most potent weapon. Rana Naved still wears his country's colours proudly and is a dangerous bowler under these conditions.
These master craftsmen from Pakistan might well turn out to be a boon to the Indian batsmen simply because they can give them a good workout before they take guard against England's latest pin up boy, Monty Panesar, who has caught the imagination of fans here with his brilliant left-arm spin bowling.
In the bowling department, S Sreesanth has fully recovered from the flu that ruled him out of the Future Cup series, and he would be keen to have a good bowl along with Zaheer Khan. And Anil Kumble will be hoping to get rid of the rust at the earliest.
The sun shone brightly on Friday afternoon, and the forecast too is not that bad. Just that the weather in this part of the world is much like a charming seductress, leading you on one moment only to dump you in the next!
And if the heavens do open up, then one can't blame the Indians if they try and soak in the atmosphere in this vibrant city.
India's dilemma: Yuvi or Laxman?
Hove: Even before the first ball is bowled in what would be a testing series against England, the Indian think-tank has a big problem to deal with. They've got to get the team combination right.
And just in case one thought that India's starting line-up in the tour opener might provide a clue, there was disappointment in store. Skipper Rahul Dravid stayed away from the customary media conference while fielding coach Robin Singh couldn't give the twelve simply because the team's think-tank hadn't made up its mind.
To be sure, at the moment, the Indian team is grappling with the idea of playing either VVS Laxman or Yuvraj Singh in the Lord's Test. The selection committee chairman Dilip Vengsarkar, who is scheduled to arrive here just before the first Test, might be helpful in making the choice easier for the team. However, it's almost certain that India will be going in with four bowlers for the first Test.