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Test continues despite threat
10/04/2008 10:14 - (SA)
India - India and South Africa enter the third and final Test on Friday with the series on the line, and having to deal with the threat of a reported terrorist plot against the match.
Security was bolstered after police sources said that they had intelligence of a planned attack in the northern Indian city by Islamic terrorists.
Despite the threat, both teams must attempt to concentrate fully on a game that will decide the series. South Africa leads 1-0 after two Tests, having drawn the series opener and won the second by an innings and 90 runs - India's heaviest home defeat since 1959.
The dry surface of the Green Park Stadium's pitch was already displaying cracks on Thursday on the eve of the Test, bringing smiles to the Indian team which expects the drying track to aid its spinners while negating South Africa's in-form seamers.
South Africa, which is one of two teams to have defeated India in a home series in the past decade, will move to No. 2 behind Australia in the ICC's Test rankings if it can avoid defeat in Kanpur.
Groin injury
By dominating India in the second Test - including bowling them out for a dismal 76 in the first innings - Graeme Smith's side had eroded India's morale, but skipper Anil Kumble expected his home side to hit back.
"We have always come back strongly when pushed against the wall, we are hoping to do that again over the next five days," said Kumble, who remains a doubtful starter due to a lingering groin injury.
Kumble joined his teammates for training on Thursday, with a decision on his fitness to be made on Friday morning.
The fitness of pace spearhead Ishant Sharma was also a concern for India, but he was declared fit after an extensive workout in the nets on Thursday. Sharma has not played since the tour of Australia ended two months ago.
India was considering fielding three spinners, as Kumble said "the dry surface here may assist spinners, but the bowlers will have to perform well to exploit conditions."
As well as being India's biggest home defeat since 1959, the second test loss was its heaviest defeat in the past eight years.
Lineups:
India (from): Anil Kumble (captain), Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar.
South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (captain), Neil McKenzie, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson and Monde Zondeki.
- AP
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