Date-stamped : 18 Jun96 - 02:16 17 June 1996 Azharuddin must help his players to find their feet By Imran Khan THERE was never going to be any doubt that since the Indian team were touring in the first half of the season, their batting was going to struggle in England. Until mid-July the ball seams off the wicket far more than in the latter half of the season. Any team coming out of the Indian subcontinent are handicapped either if they tour in the first half of the season or if it is a wet summer. Conditions in the subcontinent are such that ei- ther the pitches help spinners or they are perfect for bat- ting. Generally they are a medium-pacer`s worst nightmare, as we witnessed in the World Cup early this year. So it was not surprising to watch the Indian openers, Ajay Jadeja and Vikram Rathore, completely at sea against the moving ball. Both lacked the necessary footwork as they had been used to playing on pitches where the ball rarely deviates off the wicket. Although Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sanjay Manjrekar have experience of playing in English con- ditions, the rest of the line-up were always going to be vulnerable. Unless Tendulkar carries the team with his outstand- ing talent, I do not see India putting up much of a fight. I am afraid there will be a tremendous amount of pressure on Azhar from now on. After losing the first Test, criticism against him is mounting, not because of his factual understanding of the game, but because of his poor man-management. The general opinion is that he does not know how to command respect and in trying to demand it he is happy to drop key members of his team. Had Navjot Sidhu been handled properly, his experience could have come in handy at Edgbaston. The exciting Vinod Kam- bli should have been brought on this tour, as he is a potential matchwinner. But the player this team are missing the most is Manoj Prabhakar. The all-rounder would not only have done the job of a much-needed first-change seam bowler, but he is a ca- pable batsman with plenty of experience of English condi- tions. Prabhakar retired after the World Cup because he was dropped following the match against Sri Lanka. Prabhakar was not the only bowler who was slaughtered by Jayasuriya`s blade during the World Cup. Surely Azhar`s job was to make sure that even if he was going to drop a senior player, he should have done it in such a way as not to hurt his dignity. Clearly Prabhakar felt humiliated at the way he was treated and decided to retire. England needed the win desperately. After their demoralising defeat in the last Test in South Africa, they went from bad to worse. APART from his team`s batting problems, Azhar`s biggest worry must have been the poor form of Anil Kumble. Given the amount of grass on the Edgbaston wicket, the leg-spinner was never going to be a danger man, however he could have at least contained the English batsmen while Javagal Srinath and the admirable Venkatesh Prasad rested. Unless Kumble bowls better in the rest of the series the Indian bowling looks nothing more than a good county attack. England needed the win desperately. After their demoralising defeat in the last Test in South Africa, they went from bad to worse. Their performance in the World Cup was the poorest I have seen by any England team. At Edgbaston they looked a com- petitive and an extremely enthusiastic team. I have a feeling that David Lloyd had a hand in revitalising them. I have never felt that a manager in cricket has much of a role, compared to football or other sports. In cricket the captain is everything, as the nature of the game is such that a manager`s role is minimal. In discussing strategy, or helping junior players with their problems, a manager can certainly play his part, but matches are decided on the field where not only has the captain got to take decisions to cover all sorts of variable situations but also inspire his team through per- sonal example. In fact, I feel that an over-bearing manager can actually undermine the captain. However if a manager is to make a difference he has to be someone like Lloyd. He has a great sense of humour, a good cricketing brain and, despite years in county cricket, a tremendous enthusiasm for the game. He also has the common sense not to un- dermine the captain`s role. I have no doubt that England`s brilliant fielding performance had quite a lot to do with the new manager. The England team also looked enthusiastic because of fresh blood. Alan Mullally bowled well on a seaming wicket; it remains to be seen how he will fare on less helpful pitches later in the summer. Ronnie Irani looks as if he can bat, but his bowling is not good enough for him to be considered a Test all-rounder. Chris Lewis continues to impress so far this sum- mer. Whether he has developed the big-occasion temperament, I am afraid we will have to wait until the Tests against Pakistan commence. Cork bowls a good outswinger at a reasonable pace. He is also extremely competitive and every now and then gets carried away. THE bowler who is the key to England`s performance this summer is Dominic Cork. Like Ian Botham in his early career, Cork bowls a good outswinger at a reasonable pace. He is also ex- tremely competitive and every now and then gets carried away. He must realise that aggressive bowlers do not have to be rude to opposition batsmen or indulge in sledging. Three of the most aggressive bowlers that I faced were Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Andy Roberts, and they never said a word. As for Nasser Hussain, I always thought he had talent, though his technique had too much bottom hand in it and as a result had its limitations. It remains to be seen if he is a late developer, like Gooch and Gatting, or one of those players who keep making guest appearances in the England team during their county careers. It will be difficult for India to get back into the series having lost the first Test. However, if one player can make it possible it is Tendulkar. His hundred in the second innings was pure class. His compact defence and freedom of strokes on both sides of the wicket with a straight or a horizontal bat makes me feel that he might break all batting records - especially as he is even younger than Brian Lara. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)