Zimbabwe take on mighty-at-home India at Nagpur Both on past record and present form, Zimbabwe cannot claim to be favourites in the Test series against India. This is the strongest squad that Zimbabwe could whip up, yet rookie Gautam Gambhir took a double century off them in the tour opener. The visitors will look yet again, as they did on their last tour, to Andy Flower, currently one of the best batsmen in the world but coming off a poor tour of Sri Lanka. Even if he scores another 540 runs, however, his side’s bowling has to be equal to the task of performing against Sachin Tendulkar and Co. if Zimbabwe are to actually win a Test, let alone the series. But they will take heart from England’s performance here, and if they can leave these shores with similar honour, they will be happy. For India, Sourav Ganguly will welcome this series the most, hoping to get back into prime form against a stingless attack. The stage is set. On to Nagpur.

The writing on the Wall India's recent showing in the limited-overs clashes against England demonstrated the need to have Rahul Dravid shoring up the middle order. His return to cricket after an injury lay-off is to be welcomed. "I am feeling much stronger now. There is nothing wrong really. I have been hitting a few balls in the nets and feel good," Dravid told CricInfo from Bangalore. A factor not particularly new to Dravid is the incessant griping about his approach to Test and one-day cricket. "It is an old story that goes on and on," said the man who averages close to 52 in the longer version of the game and scores almost 38 runs per knock in one-dayers at a strike rate of 68.13. "People have different expectations of their cricketers. Some people have very high expectations of me as a batsman, and there are others who rate me lower and do not expect much of me. You have to be satisfied that you are giving the best you can, doing what is best for the team, and move on," said Dravid. Dravid is rated as a cricketer who thinks intensely about his game. Whether it is cricket in general, or specifically his technique as a batsman, Dravid has always appeared to have a plan. "Frankly, I have played for about six years at this level and am constantly looking to set standards for myself and meet them," he said. " I am always looking to improve as a player, whether it is in one-day cricket or Test cricket. All the time, you are playing against people who are professional and getting better. If you don't keep improving, you will be left behind." Click here for the entire interview

The attraction of academia Hitting 119 against the West Indies in his first Test and becoming, for a short time before Mohammad Ashraful usurped the record, the youngest Test centurion, Hamilton Masakdaza looked like the young and rising star that Zimbabwe so badly needs at the moment. But his cricket has been put on hold as he begins a university course in South Africa, receiving a cricket bursary from the University of Free State for a Bachelor of Commerce degree. The organiser of the bursary and the sports director of the university is, in another cricket-related twist, Ewie Cronje, father of former South African skipper Hansie Cronje. Zimbabwe need not worry too much, however; the university, according to one report, has agreed that his first priority will be to play for his country. With many of the senior players, the latest being Paul Strang, fading quietly away, Zimbabwe can do with such youngsters in their ranks.

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