India gear up for turner in second Test "It looks a good wicket. It's hard but will turn as the match goes on," began Sourav Ganguly at a press conference on the eve of the second Test against England at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad. And the captain's assessment is as good as any when it comes to reading wickets. With the fears about the wicket being brushed aside, the next matter of concern was naturally team composition. "With Javagal Srinath fit again and Virender Sehwag available for selection, I don't think there should be much of a problem in selecting the side," said Ganguly. "With Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble bowling so well, I really don't feel the need for a third spinner," he explained. So it looks like India will make just two changes to the side that played the first Test. Srinath comes in for Sanjay Bangar, while Sehwag replaces Iqbal Siddiqui. The England team however have more to worry about than the composition of the Indian team on the eve of the second Test!

What next at Motera, the ground where records tumble? It may be dusty, hot, far away from the city and generally inconvenient, but the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, has been very kind to Indian cricketers over the years. The romance with records began back in November 1983. After conceding a 40-run first-innings lead, India managed to dismiss the West Indies in just 60.3 overs in their second essay. And no, it wasn't a case of visitors struggling against spin. Kapil Dev scalped 9-83 from his marathon 30.3 overs and showed the world that it was possible for mediumpacers to excel even in conditions of this kind. After Kapil, it was Sunil Gavaskar's turn. In March 1987 India took on archrivals Pakistan and, although the match was drawn, Gavaskar, in the course of his innings of 63, became the first ever batsman to score 10,000 Test runs. Return to the Haryana Hurricane in the Test against Sri Lanka in 1994. There was unbridled joy when Hashan Tillekaratne edged a Kapil Dev delivery to Sanjay Manjrekar. With that wicket, Kapil Dev surpassed Richard Hadlee's tally of 431 wickets and became the leading wicket-taker in Tests. Finally, India's latest hero, Sachin Tendulkar, took centre stage. It was a longstanding criticism of the batting maestro that he was unable to play the long innings. New Zealand suffered at hands of Tendulkar in October 1999. On the second day of the Test, Tendulkar notched up 217, his first double ton in Test cricket. Going by history, Nasser Hussain's England may have more reasons to dislike the venue than its sheer physical inconvenience by the end of this Test.

Jimmy to the rescue It was the worst-kept secret in world cricket. The Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, grew extremely uncomfortable when anyone ran in a few paces, dug the ball in short, and sent the ball rising towards his ribs. From Dilhara Fernando to Jason Gillespie and, most recently, Shaun Pollock, quicks have had the Indian captain jumping around. Hardly a surprise then that Ganguly has not scored a ton in as many as 19 Tests. In a bid to rid himself of the malaise, Ganguly has called on his friend, and arguably the best player of short-pitched bowling India has ever produced: Mohinder Amarnath. "I've come to Ahmedabad purely to watch Ganguly bat in the nets," said the former India great. "As a friend he called me over, and I'm always glad to help," said Amarnath. Ganguly spent a great deal of time making subtle adjustments to his batting under the guidance of Amarnath at the nets at Motera. Let's wait and see if this is the cure that Ganguly has been looking for!

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