Colombo: Just four days after ending a strenuous tour of England, India starts its campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament on Saturday with a match against Zimbabwe, hoping to rework the magic that saw it win the NatWest Trophy triangular series two months ago. The triumph at Lord's on July 13 in the NatWest Trophy final was one of India's biggest victories in recent times in One-day Internationals and capped the team's excellent run in the league matches of the series that involved England and Sri Lanka.
A similar performance would be needed here if India entertains hopes of winning the Champions Trophy, which is being played almost on a knock-out basis. With the controversy over sponsorship issue that put a question mark over the participation of top Indian cricketers finally having ended, all the players who made that victory in England possible are here, eager to prove their worth all over again. The joining of Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia has brought a fresh wave of energy to the team that must be a bit tired after a gruelling 83-day tour of England, the fourth and final Test of which ended only on Monday. Zimbabwe is by no means minnows like Kenya, Bangladesh or Holland - the weaker teams of the three other pools - and that virtually makes Group 'B', which has England too, a 'group of death'. Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly acknowledged this fact and said his team must win every match. "We are in a tough group. We cannot afford to take Zimbabwe lightly," Ganguly said on Friday, talking to reporters ahead of Saturday's match. Considering the form that they showed in England, both in the One-dayers and the Test matches that followed, India would be disappointed if it does not beat Zimbabwe on Saturday. The only thing that may be worrying them would be fatigue. There has not been enough rest for the players who featured in the Test series against England but the best thing to emerge from that tour has been that the victories have been achieved due to contributions from every member of the team. India no longer seems to be depending on one individual to bail it out and the entire team is clicking as a unit. With Rahul Dravid doing well behind the wickets in One-day matches, apart from his terrific form with the bat, the Indians have not even picked a specialist wicket-keeper thus allowing themselves room to accommodate an extra batsman the way they did in England.
All the main batsmen have had a satisfying run in England and that will keep their confidence level high. With action returning to the sub-continent, the Indians are almost sure to go in with both their spinners - Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Ajit Agarkar will most likely grab the all-rounder's slot, leaving Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra to compete for the new ball attack. Zimbabwe is also quite optimistic of its chances, as it has beaten both India and England in the recent past. Andy Flower, their most recognisable player for many years now, said his side was evenly matched. Though he admitted Zimbabwe carried the tag of underdogs in this tournament, Flower said conditions here would suit his team better than sides like England. Flower said left-arm spinner Raymond Price could prove to be Zimbabwe's trump card. Price had bowled very well during the team's tour of India last year, dismissing Sachin Tendulkar as many as three times. Heath Streak has taken over the team's captaincy once again and he, along with the Flower brother, Andy and Grant, as usual are the backbone of the Zimbabwe side. Teams (from): India: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Mohd Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, V V S Laxman, J P Yadav, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (captain), Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Dion Ebrahim, Sean Ervine, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Douglas Hondo, Douglas Marillier, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Raymond Price, Tatenda Taibu and Guy Whittall.
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Jayasuriya slams ton, SL posts emphatic win
Tags: icc 2002, icc champions trophy, india, new zealand, premadasa, sri lanka, pakistan, australia, england, bangladesh, , zimbabwe, kenya, netherlands, west indies, south africa, semi final, finals, scorecards, statistics, ground.
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