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Do or die, for India

On Saturday, less than 72 hours after losing the second Test to New Zealand in Wellington, India play the third and final Test of the series at Westbank Park, where they played a one-off Test in 1993-'94.

Although first innings totals were small in that match, it was a dreary draw, the slowness of the pitch influencing the tempo of the game.

However, the square on this ground has been relaid and India could find the pitch harder and faster than the one on which they played almost five years ago.

Hamilton is a home ground for Simon Doull, who wrecked India's innings in the second Test and was voted man of the match. He confirmed that there is more pace in the pitch nowadays. Steve Rixon, New Zealand's coach, endorsed that view, when asked if a result was likely, he gave an emphatic reply: ''definitely''.

The question is whether India, who have not won a Test abroad since 1993-'94 -- and that was after a gap of seven years -- are capable of taking advantage of a positive pitch and securing a win that would enable them to draw the series.

If India's performance in the second Test is any guide, then their prospects are bleak. Two days between Test matches are hardly enough for a defeated side to regroup, work on its deficiencies and prepare to fight back.

Mohammed Azharuddin, India's captain, has not shrunk from commenting on his side's performances during the tour -- and none of his observations has been favourable.

At different times he has said ''We battled badly.. played bad shots'', ''We did not bowl well enough .... bowled on both sides of the wicket'', and very pointedly after the Wellington Test ''We dropped catches and gave away too many runs on the field.''

There are some very gifted batsmen in the side and tightening up the batting might be more easily done than rectifying other faults, which are deep seated. There is no depth to the bowling -- and as for fielding, India have been chronically weak in this department for many years. At least on this tour, they will have to live with these shortcomings and make the most of their assets.

The batting has to be more disciplined and fashioned in the context of Test cricket and not the one day variety. The batsmen must, at least until they are on terms with the bounce of the pitch and movement of the ball, play their shots within the 'V', and this exercise must be repeated when they resume their innings after a break or when they face a new ball.

India's only hope of holding their own is to put the opposition under pressure with a big total which, with the talent available to them, is possible because New Zealand's attack too is not all that formidable.

Azharuddin indicated after the end of the Wellington Test that there would be changes for the forthcoming Test -- but not what they are likely to be.

Neither of the two opening batsmen, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja -- were convincing, in their brief outings, at Wellington and it is apparent that one or the other of them will be dropped to include VVS Laxman, who batted well in difficult conditions and poor light in the four-day game prior to the first Test. He also looked in ripe form in the unofficial ODI at Dunedin, on day four of the washed out first Test.

The only other adjustment that can -- and should -- be made to the batting is to restore Sachin Tendulkar to the number four position. It does not make much sense for one of the world's best batsmen ever to go in any later.

There seem no obvious ways of making the bowling more effective. Neither of the two reserve seamers, Robin Singh Junior or Debashish Mohanty, look the answer to India's problem of finding support for Srinath and Kumble. Possibly sunil joshi, the left arm spinner, could come in and bowl some steady containing spells while Srinath, Prasad and Kumble are recharging their batteries.

It is interesting to note that New Zealand's selectors have picked a left-hander in Roger Twose to replace Nathan Astle in preference to other candidates such as Matthew Sinclair, Mark Bailey and Craig Spearman, all right-handers.

Twose's experience and his 99 against India at Wellington in the tour game must indeed have been factors, but the selectors perhaps observed while Stephen Fleming was at the wicket in Wellington, that India's bowlers dont adjust too well when a right-hander and a left-hander are batting together.