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Curtain up on Dhaka tourney

Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, in the second innings of his captaincy, looks confident to bring his team back on the winning track as the three-nation Independence Cup ODI tournament begins at the National Stadium, Dhaka, on Saturday.

The tournament is being organised as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh's Independence. Beside India and the hosts, Pakistan will participate. The inaugural game however pits India against the host nation. The next day, India takes on Pakistan, while on Monday, it is Bangladesh versus Pakistan, followed by a best of three final.

Commenting on the series, Azharuddin said he was looking very positively at it. Though he said he was not not feeling any pressure at having to lead a side that was on a losing streak, this series would definitely be an acid test for him.

Without underestimating the hosts as ''it is very difficult to predict the outcome of a limited over match, Bangladesh have made it to the World Cup so they are not a bad side'' Azharuddin said Pakistan will be India's main opposition. ''Pakistan is very capable side, both bowling and batting and they have done well earlier too when Akram and Younis were not part of the squad," pointed out the India skipper.

Azhar admitted that India always faces psychological pressure when playing Pakistan, ''but we also play to win. We won the series squarely in Toronto, and even beat Pakistan once in Pakistan after that, I am optimistic that we would be able to do well here as well."

Former skipper Sachin Tendulkar meanwhile had a focussed look as he practised both bowling and batting in the nets. "Sachin is a wonderful batsman. I hope he would be able to delight the spectators with his fine batting here,'' Azhar commented as he watched his predecessor belting the ball around.

The Indian think tank has not yet made up its mind whether to go in for a third seamer -- "That will depend on the condition of the pitch and the weather tomorrow morning," said Azhar.

The weather could be a key factor. Dhaka has been experiencing a cold wave these last couple of days, and the outlook is generally cloudy, with heavy fog in the morning and a high wind.

'If it remains like this throughout the day, it won't make much difference,'' said Gaikwad. Implicit in that statement is the fact that the toss could be crucial, with the winning team in all probability opting to bowl first in ideal conditions.

The curator at the ground believes the pitch -- in fact, two pitches, which will be used alternately for the matches -- are full of runs. However, if weather conditions remain heavy, seamers like Mohanty will become very difficult to bat against. And this factor brings to mind a certain Venkatesh Prasad, who revels in conditions such as these -- the last evidence being his part in the blitz that reduced Pakistan to 35/5 before rain stopped play in the Asia Cup encounter last year.

The Bangladesh selection committee meanwhile faces criticism for excluding players such as Athar Ali Khan, a stylish opener who has got the highest number of runs for the side thus far. Bangla supporters are also worried about the indifferent form displayed by Aminul Islam, the other batting mainstay. The side will also depend on openers Javed Omar and Shariyar Hussain , Habibul Basheer, Sharyar Hussain and Hasanuzzamn.

Hasibul Hussain and Saifuddin Ahmed begin the bowling for Bangladesh, while Shaiful Huq Plaban will be their main spinner.

The authorities have spruced up the stadium, and the interest is picking up with tickets in increasing demand. The organisers in fact predict a sell out crowd.

Asked to comment on the game, Bangla skipper Akram said ''The Indian team is much stronger than ours in all departments, but I am sure our boys will give a good account of themselves."

Editor's note: Prem Panicker will be out of office till January 23. There will therefore be no live coverage of the matches in this tournament.

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