No. 2 is Dhoni’s No. 1 worry

CANBERRA: There is an air of reconciliation and expectancy in Australia. Even more seriously so, here in Canberra, the national capital. Prime Minister Kevin Ruud is expected to deliver his message of apology and the whole nation, is waiting to know how big his sorry will be to the stolen generation (the Aboriginals). Wednesday is a big day for Australia.

There is an air of expectancy surrounding the Indian team too. They play Sri Lanka in the fifth match of the VB tri-series and the question is will skipper Mahinder Singh Dhoni say sorry to his deputy?

The Indian vice-captain is here for more than 50 days and has not scored a fifty. Tuesday will be a big day for Yuvraj Singh.

The Indian skipper has been deftly avoiding the media. Even in the moment of rare glory — when his side humbled world champions Australia — Dhoni sent Ishant Sharma to the customary post-match press conference.

Again on Monday, he gave media the skip, deputing Harbhajan Singh to the match-eve media briefing. Yuvraj’s failure seems to be working on the skipper’s mind.

The Punjab batsman came here on a high after a swashbuckling century against Pakistan in Bangalore but turned out to be the biggest failure of the side. His series average (including the tour game) has been less than 5 and he has not totaled 50 in eight innings.

A lesser mortal would have been dropped from the side. There would have been a national debate if a player with higher credentials — like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid or Sourav Ganguly — had such numbers against their names.

The national selectors, in fact, gave Dravid the axe for failures which look smaller in comparison.

The problem with Yuvraj is not just form, but also fitness. Having injured his knee during a football game, he doesn’t look to have recovered fully despite claims to the contrary by the team management.

The fact that he was not fielding at his original point position against Australia on Sunday raises further doubts about his fitness. Dhoni was categorical that Yuvraj would not be “hundred percent fit” for the second game (against Sri Lanka in Brisbane). But the India vice-captain played, and failed. And failed again on Sunday.

The team physio rubbishes doubts about Yuvraj’s fitness. “He has recovered fully,” John Gloster told DNA. Questions, however, remain over his form. Here Harbhajan Singh comes to the defense of his beleagured teammate.

“He is a champion player. He is just one knock away from his real form. The knock could come tomorrow itself,” the offie said, hinting that Yuvraj is unlikely to be left out of Tuesday’s game at the Manuka Oval.

A member of the tour selection committee would only say, “Let’s see.” Two national selectors, Sanjay Jagdale and Bhupinder Singh, are here. Yuvraj, by virtue of being the vice-captain, is also a member of the tour selection committee.

Yuvraj’s form is not the only worry for Dhoni. The team is failing at the top too. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have not got the team the starts that were expected of them.

Sehwag, in particular, has been a let-down if not a failure of Yuvraj’s proportions. After a brilliant Test comeback, the Delhi opener has hit a low phase, having managed just 50 runs in the three matches so far. “I’ve not got big scores,” Sehwag told DNA. “Let’s see...”

The bowlers, of course, have been a revelation in the series, and it has become a cause of concern for the other teams too. “They have bowled very well upfront. They have done that in Tests too,” said Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, whose team is at the bottom of the table with just two points from two games.

While praising the Indians for their win over Australia, Jayawardene doubted if the young side can maintain the consistency.