Almost every Telugu cinestar seems to stare at you, each with different pose and emotion, through huge posters that also serve as colourful wallpaper for the roadside. The temperature hovers around 31 degrees, but the stiff cross breeze makes the burning sun a touch kinder, and the drive on the well-laid roads, more pleasurable.Welcome to the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, or Vizag to the heavily accented gentry. The ACA-VDCA cricket stadium is about 16 km away from the main city, on the national highway, beyond the fabulous Kailashgiri hills, weaving past the few lions and tigers at the Indira Zoological Park. The setting is perfect, but the locals will miss the biggest star this time. When the teams dispersed from Goa, Sachin had flown straight to Mumbai. Somewhere, his recurrent back problem returned, and the thinktank doesn’t want to take the risk of fielding the Master Blaster in this crucial ODI. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah confirmed to this correspondent over phone that Sachin will be “rested” for this ODI and that the team management has not asked for a replacement (hence the squad for the last ODI is of 14). Though there was talk of a “stiff back” it is learnt that it is his recurrent back problem. Sachin has stayed back in Mumbai.There is also this dilemma now, of the opening partnership. There is a possibility, it was learnt, that Robin Uthappa might open. The debate is on whether Sourav Ganguly would remain the other opener, or whether Virender Sehwag will be around.Skipper Rahul Dravid, too, could come at No 4, with Dhoni moving up. Meanwhile, Suresh Raina and RP Singh, who were in Goa along with the team, have been released to play the Ranji one-dayers.Team India strategy will depend on the pitch, though. The outfield is plush green, as good as any of the venues in the world. The wicket, according to PR Vishwanathan, the BCCI curator (south) who has been instrumental in preparing the outfield and wicket right through its inception, is “good.” Gradually, he comes out with his interpretation of a good wicket. “To me a good wicket is where a spinner gets the ball to bounce above the knee level,” he explains. “This wicket is hard and will have true bounce right through. unlike the Goa wicket,” he adds after a little pause. The wicket is turning white and is on the flatter side and provides reassurance that it has in it to be the series’ highest scoring game — a possibility of 280-plus. There’s not much turn for the spinners here, though the ball is expected to skid through. But the catch is in the conditions. It rained three days back and weathermen are forecasting light drizzle on match-day.A small congregation of black clouds confirms the belief but that is unlikely to hold up play, considering the excellent drainage facilities at the stadium. But the stiff sea breeze, the early morning conditions wrapped up with a good bounce may encourage the seamers to toil through. On second thoughts, it seems a good toss to lose, considering that the wicket will hold firm.Both teams preferred to rest in the hotel and settle for poolside stretching and light exercises. The strict security cover is suffocating but that’s not a deterrent for the locals who lined up outside the hotel, jamming traffic to catch one glimpse of the man they loved to watch last time around — it was two years back, in the only international match the stadium has hosted.Dhoni played like a ‘maniac’ to blast through the Pakistan bowling with his 148 and played around the waiting public flashing his trademark smile and waving his hand out to everyone rooting for him.Ironically, at a time when Dravid is speaking about his growing ‘maturity’ as a cricketer, his ability to understand and play to the situation, he lands at the same city where he earned accolades for playing out his trademark freestyle batting. There could be a promotion in the offing.
