Indian preparations overshadowed by talk of rift

India begin their quest for their first series win outside the subcontinent since 1986 at the Harare Sports Club but the off-field drama surrounding their captain and coach, filled with intrigue and speculation, might occupy more of the media space. Barring a rusty batting performance, like in 1992, or a spectacular collapse, like in 1998 and 2001, India should be able to lay to rest the ghosts of Harare and notch up their first Test victory at this ground. Even then, this tour is more likely to be remembered for the sparks flying in the Indian dressing-room rather than performances with bat and ball.

Despite the thumping margin of defeat, Zimbabwe didn't simply roll over in the first Test at Bulawayo. Their batsmen, led by Terry Duffin and Tatenda Taibu, showed tremendous gumption in the first innings; their medium-pacers managed to frustrate the Indian batting line-up in a couple of sessions; and their fielding was sharp throughout. Unlike their previous four Tests, they extended the game to the fourth day and Kevin Curran, their coach, insisted that there were a number of positives to build on.

"The players just need to know what roles they have to play and work hard at them," said Curran. "After all, Rome wasn't built in day. They have five or six top batsmen with averages over 40. We don't have any. Taibu has just moved his to over 30. What we need more than anything is some batsmen to stay with Taibu and form partnerships with him or together, get through the new ball period, and then take a more aggressive approach."

But Curran will know that even Zimbabwe's best may not be enough. Their batsmen were like bowling pins waiting to be knocked off when Irfan Pathan got his swing right and their bowlers - restrictive at best - were never going to make any serious dents. They were fortunate that Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir gave away their wickets after a rollicking opening partnership; got away unscathed when both VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid missed chances to amass mammoth scores; and rarely felt the power of Sourav Ganguly's blade during his dour hundred. Despite everything, India racked up 554 and a more sustained batting onslaught at Harare would put an emphatic seal on the one-sided series.

The nature of the surface may prompt India to give Lakshmipathy Balaji a chance while Zimbabwe are likely to pick Anthony Ireland, the medium-pacer, ahead of Gavin Ewing. Only rain and minor miracles, though, should prevent India from wrapping up a convincing 2-0 victory, but the triumph may just be a minor consolation on a tour where several cracks in the team have been blatantly exposed.

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 VVS Laxman, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Dinesh Karthik, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Zaheer Khan.

Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Brendon Taylor, 2 Terrence Duffin, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Dion Ebrahim, 5 Charles Coventry, 6 Tatenda Taibu (capt), 7 Heath Streak, 8 Andy Blignaut, 9 Keith Dabengwa, 10 Blessing Mahwire, 11 Anthony Ireland.