India seems to have ridden over the fitness crisis to two of their key batsmen ahead of the critical Videocon Cup tri-series clash against New Zealand in Harare, on Friday.
Captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, the two openers, might be feeling weak from the effects of cold and flu but there is good news for the two experienced players as they are expected to be declared fit for the crucial tie.
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Bond is lethal and even when he is mild does not go for many runs. India would be looking to emerge with least damage against the outstanding paceman at the peak of his powers.
The Indian camp is cautiously optimistic it would not have to miss out on either of the two stars. It leaves too much of work to do for Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in the company of youngsters such as M S Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Venugopal Rao.
The youngsters in the team are secure in the knowledge that coach Greg Chappell is willing to give them that extra leeway to allow them to gain roots in the team. Chappell has no doubt that the batsmen would recover their poise before long and he feels they are getting better attuned to the pace and bounce of these wickets.
"They are getting better after half a dozen practice sessions we have had till now. They are getting more and more used to the extra bounce. If hard work counts for anything, we should get better," he said.
Chappell is looking forward to his batsmen providing a much improved showing in the final three games of the tri-series.
"We are looking for three good games. I am not panicking as it is an experienced line-up, at least most of them are for sure. They all have had good starts at one time or other and hopefully we can go back to India with the batting order ticking along nicely."
Fortunately for India, their new ball attack is in the proven hands of Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra who are likely to revel in the conditions at the Harare Sports Club ground. Ajit Agarkar has provided a good back-up and J P Yadav is straining under the leash to showcase his bowling ability.
Yadav was not required to bowl when India was decimating Zimbabwe the other day but knowing his prowess the wicket here would be to his assistance.
India's fielding is not as proficient as that of the New Zealanders but a few young legs have given them that additional thrust in the field. Raina, Rao, Yuvraj and Kaif are a good foursome to have inside the ring.
New Zealand have fitness worry of their own even though Chris Cairns is said to be in running for a berth as his hamstring injury is under control. Another issue which could be their Achilles Heels is their batting.
Despite the mammoth near-400 they put on against Zimbabwe in the tri-series opener, New Zealand's top is anything but steady. Lou Vincent has lost his way after his sparkling innings of 172 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Nathan Astle and Scott Styris do not inspire the confidence to bat through the innings and Hamish Marshall has not provided any glimpse of the talent he is said to possess.
New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has famously dubbed the coming encounter as the 'Battle of the Bowlers' and it is difficult to disagree with him given the conditions at the Harare Sports Club.
The pitch, if anything, has more than a tinge of grass, for tomorrow's game. It is a strip which has not been used in the tri-series so far and bowlers must be licking their lips in anticipation.
Teams:
India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Venugopal Rao, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, M S Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, J P Yadav, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Suresh Raina and Ajit Agarkar.
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Lou Vincent, Craig McMillan, Scott Styris, Nathan Astle, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Hamish Marshall, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams, Chris Cairns and Shane Bond.