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Ahmedabad: Fresh from their 2-0 triumph over Australia, a full-strength India go into a three-Test rubber against New Zealand on Thursday with the focus on Sachin Tendulkar who just needs one more century to record an amazing feat of 50 Test tons.
The hosts, the world's number one ranked team, are on a phenomenal run in Test cricket, especially at home, and have lost only to South Africa (twice) since the beginning of 2008 on home soil.
India have, significantly, won five of their last six Test matches at home while the Daniel Vettori-led Kiwis have arrived from a humiliating 4-0 ODI series loss to Bangladesh in the latter's territory.
It would, therefore, need a superhuman effort from New Zealand to halt the rampaging Indian batting line up, in which Sachin Tendulkar is also in prime form, from batting them out of the contest.
Tendulkar has been in red-hot form from the beginning of this year when India toured Bangladesh. His appetite for runs and centuries has only increased with advancing years.
The 37-year-old champion cricketer has accumulated a staggering 1270 runs from his last nine Tests (15 innings), embellished by six three-figure knocks that includes two double hundreds, for a Bradmanesque average of 97.69, a feat that fetched him this year's ICC Cricketer of the Year honour.
He also scored his maiden double ton at the Motera ground, in 1999 and against the same opposition. The Indians fans will be hoping that his 50th Test century comes at Sardar Patel stadium.
The return of VVS Laxman, who missed the previous match that India played at Bangalore against Australia because of a back problem, has bolstered the already strong batting which has even made light of the indifferent form of another mainstay Rahul Dravid since the tour to Sri Lanka.
Also returning to the Indian ranks to add meat to the side are opener Gautam Gambhir and lanky pace bowler Ishant Sharma who also missed the match at Bangalore.
The return of Gambhir and Dravid would mean the confinement to the bench of reserve opener Murali Vijay and rookie middle order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara who made significant contributions in the team's seven-wicket victory against Australia at Bangalore.
Vijay scored his maiden century (139) and also got involved in a crucial 308-run stand with Tendulkar to help India overhaul Australia's huge first innings score and pave the way for the victory.
In the previous Test at this venue, he rescued India from a precarious 38/4 against Sri Lanka last November with his back-to-the-wall 177. He also scored a double hundred and a half century when last playing against New Zealand at the Motera ground seven years ago.
The Indian bowling, spearheaded by Zaheer Khan in pace and spinner Harbhajan Singh, also sports a wholesome look.
The hosts are again expected to prefer a four-man frontline attack with Khan and Sharma manning the new ball and Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha handling the slow stuff. There are part-timers like Sehwag to fill in the fifth bowler slot.
The tourists, on the contrary, are in disarray with even their opening combination not yet settled.
Vettori, in his 100th Test for his country, and the other tour selectors have to decide whether to play the hard-hitting Brendon McCullum as an opener or at no. 3.
McCullum, who has left the wicket keeping duties to colleague Gareth Hopkins in the series, has the ability to take away the game like Sehwag does for India, but has not shown the consistency of the Indian blaster.
History is also against the Kiwis who have not won a Test match in India since November, 1988.
Since then New Zealand have lost three games on Indian soil and drawn six, including both times they played here previously - in 1999 and 2003.
Only Vettori has survived from the 2003 squad that drew here which puts an enormous task on the Kiwis to adapt themselves to the pitch and weather conditions here even without the benefit of a warm-up game.
Tall right-hander Chris Martin, who has had a poor year so far, would be spearheading the pace attack with the benefit of having played 56 Tests and taken 187 wickets, but the others in the fast bowling battery are very inexperienced.
In spin, New Zealand will be well-served by captain Vettori and Jeetan Patel, the off-spinner, who would find the Indian wickets very conducive to bowl on.
The batting also wears a thin look and has also an unsettled appearance at the top which is the reason the visitors are to play McCullum, with 52 Tests under his belt at an average of just under 35, in either the opening slot or at number 3.
Ross Taylor and the beefy Jesse Ryder have the ability to play attractively, but how good they are when putting their heads down and grafting for runs in Indian conditions would be only known as the series progresses.
Team from
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and S Sreesanth.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Kane Williamson, Chris Martin, Tim Southee, Tim McIntosh, Jeetan Patel, Brent Arnel, Bradley John Watling, Hamish Bennett, Andy McCay.
Pitch and conditions
No one can predict this Motera track. The last two Tests have been chalk and cheese: South Africa crushed India for 76 in April 2008 while Sri Lanka amassed 760 in the next Test in 2009. The curator reckoned that there would be help for seamers on the first day.
Stats and trivia
Match facts
November 04-08, 2010
Start time 09:30 local (04:00 GMT)
