Pain-free Ricky Ponting set for Boxing Day
not take the field on the fourth and final day as Australia completed a 267-run victory to level the five-test series 1-1.
The 36-year-old captain appeared to have little difficulty during the fielding session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but elected not to take the crease in the nets.
Ponting has endured a poor series with the bat, with just 83 runs at an average of 16.60, 51 of those as Australia batted out the first test for a draw in Brisbane.
"The finger is good actually. I joined in and did a fair bit of fielding at training this morning, I didn't have a bat today but I'll jump into the nets tomorrow," Ponting said at a public appearance in Melbourne.
"So I think, as I said after the Perth game, I'm a really good chance of playing in this test match and hopefully I'll be able to play pain-free, which will be nice."
Most Wanted: Viru on everyone's radar.
relatively hard ball. He takes the attack to the opposition with his aggressive stroke-play and also takes pressure off other batsmen," said Graeme Smith.
The point the South Africa skipper made was well illustrated in Centurion. The other batsmen looked far more comfortable against the South African attack when Sehwag got some quick runs in the second innings.
Apart from boosting the side's morale, a quick start, even a crisp 30 or 40, blunts the opposition's attack. "It's a very nice feeling to get him out early. He is the danger man who comes hard at you," said Morne Morkel.
The South Africans, as they showed in the first innings at Centurion, where they had him caught at third man, will have their plans ready, though. With the wicket likely to have good pace, bounce and swing, the hosts will again play on his patience and try to force a false stroke early on.
"He's a naturally aggressive batsman and gives bowlers a chance. It's for him and the team to decide what kind of role he's to play, but sometimes you do need to knuckle down a bit," said Smith. Whether Sehwag takes Smith's advice is something time will tell, but his teammates want the opener to be himself. "He plays in his own way. That's how he gets triple and double hundreds. He shouldn't change his game," said Gautam Gambhir.
While Sehwag will do what he does, the other batsman will need to apply themselves better as the conditions will again favour the bowlers.
"We let ourselves down a bit in the first innings in Centurion, but we have six top quality batsmen who can deliver the goods," said India coach Gary Kirsten
South Africa prepared for Indian backlash: Graeme Smith
South Africa cruised to victory by an innings and 25 runs in the first Test of the three-match series after India crumbled to 136 all out on day one in the face of testing Proteas pace bowling.
"After what happened in the first Test I expect them to be better, especially from a batting perspective, as they will know what to expect," Smith told a news conference before the match starting on Sunday.
"India are an experienced team and I expect them to come out fighting in the next Test and I expect them to use their experience to bounce back. We can't afford to take anything for granted in terms of how we expect them to go," he added.
While Smith expects the number-one ranked Test team in the world to present a stiffer challenge at Kingsmead, he said his own charges would draw a lot of heart from how they had performed in the first Test.
"When you win by an innings and 25 runs you do take a lot of positives out of the game and a lot of confidence. From our perspective we have taken a few big steps forward in the series and India have probably got a few doubts," he said.
South Africa do not have an impressive recent record in Durban having lost their last two matches at Kingsmead by significant margins.
In last year's Boxing Day Test they were trounced by England by an innings and Australia won by a convincing margin of 175 runs.
Is Sachin Tendulkar the world's greatest sportsperson of all time?
The answer, at least according to netizens who participated in a recent Sydney Morning Herald poll, is a resounding yes - by a whopping margin of 67% to 33%.
Even as we were digesting this result, along came an interview by Usain Bolt. The world's fastest man admitted to being a huge Sachin fan. He also said that given a chance, he'd like to ask Sachin "how he has managed to work so hard to stay at the top for so long and what advice he'd give other sportsmen".
Clearly then, Sachin is idolized not just by millions of cricket lovers, but also champions of other sports. It's easy to understand why: After all, he has sustained excellence at the highest competitive level for a scarcely believable 21 years, while cheerfully bearing the crushing burden of knowing that a billion hopes rest on his shoulders every time he bats.
Not many sporting legends of any event or era can make such a claim. So, is Sachin not just the greatest cricketer but, in fact, the greatest sportsperson of all time? It's a question that's bound to stir a heated debate. So, we decided to throw it open to our readers as well. We prepared a shortlist of 12 of the greatest sportspersons ever. Sachin, naturally, figures in it. But choosing the other 11 proved immensely challenging.
We need 400-plus runs in the first innings: Gary Kirsten
While on Thursday was an optional practice day for the Indians, Zaheer Khan was still conspicuous by his absence. Is all well with Zaheer? "Yes. He is fully fit, no worries there," Kirsten stressed. The second battle, the Boxing Day Test, begins on December 26.
Reacting to criticism that India's lack of pace would not let them win in South Africa, the former opener said, "You need to take 20 wickets to win a Test. We've shown in the past that we've the ability to take 20 wickets in any condition. We've some quality in bowling."
Asked if he had a look at the Kingsmead pitch, Kirsten smiled before saying, "I saw it from the dressing room. It looks the same as the outfield." What if another Centurion-like track was offered? "Then we'll have to assess the situation and apply ourselves well."
Kirsten was happy with the way his players were responding to the challenges of the tour. "We've prepared as well as we could have. The players are committed to give their best and that is all I can ask for." Kirsten has fond memories of Kingsmead as a player with several innings of note. Will his knowledge help India? "I can only share information with the players who take it on board. It's up to the players."
Asked if the team management has taken any decision on playing Suresh Raina in the second Test," Kirsten replied, "We've taken no decision."
