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Indians raring to go

India seem to be determined to wipe out memories of recent losses as they prepare for the three-nation Coca Cola Trophy cricket tournament beginning in Sharjan on Friday.

Apart from the semi-final defeat to the West Indies in the Wills International Cup at Dhaka last week, the Indians have also not quite forgotten the losses in the last one-day match and a one-off Test in their recent series against Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabweans will be here, along with the Sri Lankans, for this tournament.

The Indians, led by Mohammed Azharuddin, who played his 300th one-day international at Dhaka, have had no chance to rest. They arrived in Dubai yesterday, straight from Dhaka, three full days ahead of the tournament, and were at the ground within hours for a strenuous practice session in the twilight and then under floodlights.

Coach Anshuman Gaekwad first focussed on fielding practice before the players batted and bowled at the nets. They will have another session at the nets this evening.

Both Gaekwad and Azharuddin felt that India had the batting potential to win crucial matches. But at Dhaka, with four top batsmen failing and only Saurabh Ganguly and Robin Singh putting up a fight, they fell short by about 70 runs in their effort to pose a challenging target for the West Indies.

However, though the team appeared subdued on arrival, their mood was soon upbeat with all the players looking forward to doing well. After the tournament here, they have a tough trip to New Zealand, followed by a home series against Pakistan.

It has been a difficult season for the Indians. They started off by sending two different teams in September to the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and to the five-match series against Pakistan in Toronto.

With two "half-strength" teams, nobody was really surprised when they bowed out of the Commonwealth Games in the preliminary stage and also suffered a disastrous 1-4 loss in the series against Pakistan.

Since then, the Indian team has been living out of suitcases, having also been to Harare and Dhaka before arriving here. Apart from the series against the Kiwis and Pakistan, they also have to prepare for the next World Cup in England. But no one is complaining.

The team misses upcoming off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is now in England to rectify his bowling action under the tutelage of former England off-spinner Fred Titmus.

There are many who feel that the BCCI, despite the fact that their own man, Jagmohan Dalmiya, is chief of the International Cricket Conference, is not strong enough to back Harbhajan, just as had happened in the case of Rajesh Chauhan.

Some players and officials, who do not want to be quoted, have made it known that they appreciate the sheer guts of the Sri Lankan Board, who have repeatedly defied the ICC by playing Muthiah Muralitharan and Kumara Dharmasena, both of whom are also under the needle of suspicion from the ICC for their bowling action.

Unfortunately for the Lankans, Muralitharan may not play here as he is nursing an injured shoulder.

The islanders, who play India in the opening match on Friday, are expected to arrive in Dubai later today. The Zimbabweans, who will meet Sri Lanka on Saturday, are expected here only tomorrow morning.

The three teams will play each other twice in the preliminary league before the top two sides clash in the November 13 final.

The expectation here, especially among the thousands of cricket-crazy expatriates, is of an India-Sri Lanka final. But Zimbabwe, with a string of fine performances in recent months, cannot be ruled out.

India last won a tournament here earlier this year defeating Australia in the final.

The stadium is a beehive of activity as officials and staff of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series, the organisers, prepare for the event. The two pitches on the ground and the lush green outfield are being looked after well.

UNI