Team confident of squaring series: Rajput

NAGPUR: It would require a herculean effort, especially after the thrashing at Vadodara, but Indian team is confident of squaring the seven-match rubber against Australia which they are currently trailing 1-3, said cricket manager Lalchand Rajput on Friday.
    
"Why not? The boys are confident. They have come back from 0-2 down in England to level the series 3-3. We will go in with a positive intent and the boys are very confident," said Rajput two days before the sixth ODI at the VCA Stadium here which is a do-or-die contest for the hosts.
    
"The boys will have the urge to do well playing at home", added Rajput not unaware of the daunting task facing the team considering that India have not beaten Australia in successive ODIs since March, 2001.
    
The last time India had beaten Australia in successive ODIs was at Bangalore in a bilateral series in March, 2001, a win that followed five months after their sensational upset of the World Cup champions in the ICC Champions Trophy quarter final at Nairobi in October, 2000 which was their previous clash.
    
Rajput conceded that the team was outplayed totally at Vadodara but insisted it was just a one-off thing.
    
"It was one bad day for us (at Vadodara where India lost by nine wickets after being shot out for 148). It was a fantastic new ball spell from the Australians (man of the match Mitchell Johnson who took a maiden five-wicket haul and Brett Lee)," he said.

    
"We lost two wickets in the first over, our top two batsmen, and could not take the initiative. Everybody knows we played badly," said the former India opener referring to the dismissals of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
    
"Australia are the best team in the world and they have the best opening bowling combination. In India there's moisture in the first hour of the day. But they bowled very well and in the right areas", he said.
    
"Sachin (Tendulkar) batted very well but there was no one to support him after we had lost five wickets (for 43)," he pointed out.
    
Tendulkar made a classy 47 before edging Lee to wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist in the fast bowler's first over of his second spell.
    
Rajput felt that the key to the Indian batting clicking is a solid opening stand.
    
"Our main aim would be not to lose wickets in the first 10 overs. Whenver we have had a good opening partnership we have put up a good total," he said.
    
India's lone victory in the series, by eight runs at Chandigarh on October 8, their first victory over Australia in ODIs since January, 2004, came after openers Sachin Tendulkar (79) and Ganguly (41) had put on 91 for the first wicket.
    
Rajput vehemently said that the lack of runs from batting mainstay Dravid was causing worries to the team.
    
"I wouldn't say so. He's a great player, and needs just that one break (to go on to a big score). He got a good ball that day, first ball," the one-time Mumbai opening mainstay said.
    
The Bangalore stalwart, who stepped down from captaincy after leading India to a Test series triumph in England after 21 years, has scored only 50 runs in the four innings, with a best score of 33, in the current rubber and the scores include two ducks made at Hyderabad and Vadodara.
    
Incidentally Dravid, who has scored over 10,550 runs, has not slammed century in ODIs after his innings of 105 in the second ODI of the five-match series against the West Indies in the middle of last year.
    
He, however, has notched up 10 half tons, including a score of 92 not out in the NatWest series against England in August-September, during this period in which has has batted in 40 innings.
    
Though he did not have a close look at the wicket on Friday, Rajput expected it to be a good track, which is normal at this venue, and said the final team composition would be made after a closer look at it.
    
"I have seen it from a distance. But generally Nagpur pitch is good. We will have a look at it tomorrow before deciding the team composition."
    
Contrary to the practice some years ago of the selectors deciding on the playing eleven, it's the team management's prerogative to do the job, said Rajput, after the view of the selectors present at the venue is taken into consideration.
    
"The playing eleven will be decided by the team management, comprising the captain (Mahendra Singh Dhoni), vice captain (Yuvraj Singh) and (cricket) manager in consultation with the selectors who are present at the venue," he explained.