And then there were 3(3)

And just like that, 33 were down. Vijay is gone. Ishant aka The New Dizzy is out there, and the stage is set for a great fifth day. Those three Indian wickets have swung the Sri Lankan's way and they will back themselves to win this, especially if the Indian batsmen play Randiv as tentatively as they have done in the final session. At least one of the Indian bats needs to play an attacking innings, otherwise, the spinning pair plus the inevitable cluster of fielders will do the trick.

For my money, the key man tomorrow is Laxman. His natural style is to continue go for his strokes and as he showed back in Chennai 2001, while everyone else is panicking around him, he makes runs.

A fine balance

Numerical symmetry demands that eight wickets fall per day in a test match in order to get a result (actual test matches have their own way of securing those forty dismissals of course). As an Indian fan, one hopes that the third India-SL test doesn't need all of them for a result, just, say, a few less. For as far as averages go, we are on track. 32 wickets are down.

As Sri Lanka staggered to 8-125 in their second innings, Sehwag's thoughts might have turned to his opening duties, and whatever Mendis' capabilities with the cherry, Viru wouldn't have thought that the young spinner would have been the one holding up the Indian charge on the fourth day. That ninth-wicket stand is looking better and better now as Sehwag went for a duck, and Dravid, continuing his miserable run of form, has played on. Randiv has done all the damage, and in the annals of inspired captaincy moves, his early introduction by Sangakkara must count as a particularly distinguished entry. It robbed Sehwag of the chance to go hard at eager quicks and instead put him into a fatally tentative frame of mind. Dravid's dismissal spoke, too, of a similar mental frame.

As far as classic test tussles go, this one has cooked up nicely; the game couldn't be better set-up for a tense final day. What a pleasant change from the second test - and what a pleasant contrast now, from the potential no-contest developing in Birmingham. How the pendulum has swung.

Oh, and a chance for glory for both Vijay and Raina: early days in test cricket, and they have the opportunity to show whether they are capable of holding their nerves in tight situations.

Sense and nonsense to kick things off

India versus South Africa gets underway in the World Cup T20:

Two little nuggets of wisdom from the captains in the usual pre-match cliche-fest. In response to Shastri's inane "what would you be comfortable chasing", Smith says "as little as possible." And MS Dhoni points out that one of the benefits of playing yesterday was that he got a chance to work on his field placings (in a larger field).

And Murali Vijay has just gone ahead and ruined the start by hanging his bat out to dry on the very first delivery that comes his way. I've now seen him get out a few times in ways that make him look absolutely clueless against the quicks. Too early to tell, but I hope he gets his head sorted out.

Karthik, meanwhile, looks sadly clueless. What has happened to this young man, who started off so promising but seems to have lost his way a bit.

Step forward lads

A silver lining in the black clouds that seem to be hovering over India today: both Murali Vijay and Subramaniam Badrinath will get the chance to show their skills in testing conditions. I'd say Badrinath has already gotten off to a good start by his gritty display in the first innings. Murali made himself look a little silly by shouldering arms in the first, but he has gone on to thirty in the second innings, and if he can stay positive, he can grow by leaps and bounds in the course of a single day. Badri must have dreamed of a debut ton once he crossed the fifty mark, and perhaps he can go on today to do just that.

One of the abiding cliches of test cricket is that the greats seize the moment. Murali and Badri both have the chance to try and make an impression on a stage that is set for them. As before, they have absolutely nothing to lose. And everything to gain. That in itself should be liberating. Lets hope they see it that way.

Tres Amigos

The recent announcement that Rohit Sharma has been drafted in as a possible replacement for VVS Laxman means that the Indian batting line-up for the first test at Nagpur could well read: Sehwag, Gambhir, Murali, Tendulkar, Badri, Sharma, Dhoni, Harbhajan, Mishra, Zaheer, Ishant. Some folks might think this is the future of the Indian team. Well, once one throws folks like Pujara, Pandey, Tiwari, and Nayar into the mix. Still, its a good chance to see what lies ahead. (I know, I haven't mentioned Kohli, and thats because I'm strangely unconvinced by him).

The top six is an oddly balanced lineup in terms of state representation: two Delhi boys, two Mumbaikars, two Tamil Nadu lads. But there is only one left-hander in there. It'd be nice to have another one in the mix, but it's not the most pressing need at hand. The real need is for the three newcomers to make their presence felt. And they are lucky in a way: they get to face a good bowling attack in home conditions. The familiarity of the pitches and the crowds should make their task a little easier, as will the relative lack of pressure once Steyn and Morkel go off. Indeed, while Murali might have to face the new ball in case of an early dismissal, Badri and Sharma might have a slightly easier time of it. In writing thus, I'm perhaps doing an injustice to Wayne Parnell, who promises to be a handful, and is to boot, the kind of bowler that historically has caused problems to Indian batting line-ups. So all will not be peachy for the three newcomers.

Of the three newbies, Vijay has had the most impact in terms of tests (scores of 33, 41, 87, 30 thus far in his three tests). Badri and Sharma have yet to make their test debuts. Sharma, to be honest, has only partially redeemed himself in this last first-class season. Still, he looks bloody good whenever he gets going, and I'd back him to do well if he can settle in a bit before he starts playing those lovely shots of his. The one I worry about the most surprisingly enough is Badri. He has waited on the sidelines for so long that there is likely to be a little gnawing feeling inside him that he might not make it back if things go bad again. Hopefully, he can find some reassurance, both externally and internally.

Frustratingly, there are only two tests scheduled, but hopefully, the three young 'uns will get a decent chance to show off their wares. Fingers crossed for decent pitches and good weather. The more religious amongst you might consider a Ganesh puja or two.