New helmsman's leadership skills put to test

Rahul Dravid will be under the microscope on Thursday as he takes up the skipper's duties for the first time in international cricket, against Zimbabwe at Rajkot. While Dravid has been marked down as an eventual candidate for the top slot, it has come sooner than he would have bargained for, even if just for one match. In the vice-captain's shoes, he has been a bit too unobtrusive on the field and being forced willy-nilly to raise the level of his involvement in the game, Dravid's panache - or lack of it - for the job should quickly become apparent. He certainly has the right credentials, having led Karnataka to a title triumph in the Ranji Trophy two seasons ago and the fact that it is a low pressure situation, with the series already won, can do him no harm.

Sourav Ganguly meanwhile will be cooling his heels in the dressing room, having been slapped with a one-match suspension for the second time in his career, something he will not be overly pleased about. He certainly did betray a streak of immaturity in his actions in the fourth one-dayer at Kanpur. Oftentimes Ganguly has shown himself to be a poor loser, sulking like a spoilt child when something goes against him. It's one thing to play the game hard, and another to lose one's composure on the field and take out your frustration on the umpire. Nevertheless the episode underlines the ultra competitive streak Ganguly brings with him to the job which can only be dangerous for his opponents. The break will doubtless afford Ganguly a stroke of introspection which should bode well for his and the team's benefit in the long term.

"Anytime you get a chance to lead it's an honour", was Dravid's refrain. "I guess a lot more thinking", he replied when asked what the captaincy involved, as opposed to serving as a stand-in when the regular skipper is off the field. "When someone gets injured it's different. Here I've got a whole day to prepare, I've been talking to John and Sourav. The thinking process began as soon as I was told really". Dravid did not hazard a guess on who Ganguly's replacement would be in the eleven but he did suggest that Tendulkar and Sriram would be opening the batting. He made the usual noises about the pitch. "It looks a good batting track, a typical Rajkot wicket where traditionally a lot of runs are scored." Another piece of tradition, which may not be as much to Dravid's liking is that India have lost consistently at the Rajkot Municipal Corporation Cricket Ground here, four out of five games in fact.

John Wright was in a more loquacious mood than usual. The New Zealander who takes his time to collect his thoughts before speaking, told reporters with a wry smile that Zimbabwe was merely the stalking horse for the Australian visit. "With all due respect to Zimbabwe, our next opponents will be a bit stronger. This has been a good period for me to plan ahead. It's allowed for some breathing space in which the players can get to know me better." Wright soon reverted to his favourite theme of putting in unstinted effort in the field. "Our catching in the Tests left a lot to be desired but the victory in Kanpur was underpinned by a good performance in the field. The players were attacking the ball, there was a lot of aggression out there. That's the kind of tempo we need to set every time. It's really the intensity in the field that I'm looking for." Indeed it was revealing to witness the fielding drills instituted by Wright and the zealous response it commanded from the players. Divided into two groups, they competed amongst themselves, with one player racing forward to collect and throw the ball at the stumps while the other sprinted between the wickets on a parallel patch. There was a humorous touch with the fielders being punished with five mandatory push-ups if they fumbled with the ball. Here were the Indians treating fielding practice as pure unadulterated fun rather than hard work.

Wright stopped well short of saying he'd reached the goals set for himself before the series began. "In coaching terms, you never reach anywhere. Coaching is a process where you try to improve everyone's performance, individually and as a team. You never actually reach the end. It's important that the players do the job not only from the coach's point of view but also from the country's point of view".

Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak pronounced the match to be important for his team even though the series was already decided. "We're going to New Zealand from here, and then on to Australia. So it's important we make the best of this game, finish on a winning note, and move on to New Zealand with our confidence on a high." He admitted to being a touch relieved at his rival skipper's dismissal to the bench. "Sourav has been batting extremely well throughout the series and caused us a few problems. Sure it will lessen our burden."

As usual the Zimbabweans hedged their bets on the final composition of the team. "I'm not sure yet. We've got a couple of injury worries - I won't say who at the moment - and they will be going through fitness tests before we make the decision." With both teams playing for pride, which sometimes can be the biggest motivating factor, it should turn out to be an entertaining game.