Decision to play at CCI shocking

The wait for our first game has been pretty long, particularly since we landed in India more than 10 days ago. With three games involving the top sides already over, we too are raring to get into the thick of things.

We have had a couple of pretty good practice games and all the guys are raring to go against the West Indians today.

That said, the totals and scores have not been too encouraging. The wicket on which the New Zealand-South Africa game was played was pretty difficult to bat on. In many ways, it reminded me of the wicket we played on at the Wankhede on our 2004 tour to India.

Tomorrow certainly will be a challenging day's work for both teams, and we will have to adapt, adjust and think on our feet about realistic targets and the rest. Seeing South Africa bat on Monday, I feel 220-230 would be a very safe total.

That said, things might be different today, particularly if we play on a different pitch. This is why I feel the team that adjusts better will win on the day.

The Champions Trophy has come to be one of the showpiece events of the sport and going by the results so far, it's pretty evident that the wickets have not been up to scratch.

The problem with not playing at the best venues available is that it does not allow the teams to present the high-quality cricket they are capable of. Inconsistent conditions bring the teams too close to each other, and the element of luck creeps in, and very often, the toss of a coin decides the result of the match.

When I saw the list of venues, I was surprised to see that the likes of Eden Gardens and Chepauk were left out. The choice of Mumbai was not a surprise, but the decision to play at CCI, a ground that has not hosted international cricket for over a decade, is a bit of a shocker.

Coming to tomorrow's game, we are up against the talented, but unpredictable West Indians. Much of their inconsistency springs from the fact that they rely too much on Chris Gayle and Brian Lara. They always prefer to chase because these two guys can chase down any total on their day. Most of our bowling plans revolve around these two guys, and we know that if we get them out cheap, we are in with a good chance.

Seeing this wicket, I am pretty glad that I have so many spinning options. Besides Brad Hogg, we also have Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke who can turn their arm over if need be. We plan to take a call on Daryl Cullen after looking at the wicket tomorrow.

- Gameplan