Pushpakumara must be persisted with

E Rodrigopolle

Tuesday 02, December 1997


It would have been frustrating to the Sri Lanka and Indian cricketers to watch the Second Test being consigned to a watery grave in Nagpur after only about two days of play in a five day match. The First Test in Mohali ended in a draw.

We are not blaming the Indian Cricket Board. Had they made a close study of the weather patterns, they would have been told that there is rain during this time of the year in Nagpur and nobody would have faulted them had they switched venues.

When rain confines the players to the pavilion it is most sickening. Being men of action, they surely must have been kicking their heels not knowing what to do, but praying that the weather gods will relent and allow play to continue.

When the weather turns cruel and does not allow play the Cricket Board of the host country loses heavily financially. Today Test cricket hardly attracts a crowd. Cricket Board's tend to arrange matches in venues where they feel will attract crowds. But their efforts are blown like a candle in the wind and the loss financially cannot be cushioned.

Anyway that is the problem of the Indian Cricket Board.

In the time play was possible in the Second Test the most striking feature and what was encouraging was the startling pace blast by the often neglected fastman Ravindra Pushpakumara.

This superbly built paceman has what it takes to go places and hold his own against the best of fast men in world cricket. What he needs is to be persisted with and encouraged and then he will come good.

I was with him when the Lankans toured Zimbabwe and what an impression he created with his pace partner Chaminda Vass. He was outstanding on that tour and looked as though he had emerged and would serve the game for a long time to come.

But unfortunately after that tour he rarely made the team which no doubt would have dampened his zest and enthusiasm. But Pushpakumara, like all fast bowlers will not easily give up. When given the new ball he has made the best use of it and made life at the wicket for opposing batsmen a nightmare as he showed in the Test in Nagpur where he captured five wickets.

The wicket in Nagpur it was predicted would help spin bowling and the Indians knowing their home turf plonked for three spinners. But Pushpakumara with a lion hearted performance proved those who predicted that the wicket would help spin wrong with a clever and intelligent spell of seam bowling that gave him a rich reward of five wickets.

One hopes that those who matter will persist with Pushpakumara and push him to achieve greater success.

The cricket selectors on tour were faulted for dropping Kumara Dharmasena after his match saving effort in the earlier Test. While applauding and appreciating Dharmasena's effort, it must be emphasised that selectors' task would have been a most unenviable one when team picking time for the Second Test came around.

The selectors it was apparent were positive in their thinking. In the past on tour it had been the rule rather than the exception to pick match saving teams and not teams that will probe for victory.

In this instance the selectors went positive and having probably studied the wicket and the conditions tossed in spinner Jayantha Silva and left out Dharmasena who is known to bowl off cutters. Dharmasena is firstly a bowler. He did not meet with success in this aspect and the locals seemed justified in their selection considering the fact that the Indians too left out a paceman and brought in an extra spinner. Everything is done with the best intentions. Let that be understood.


Source: The Daily News

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Date-stamped : 25 Feb1998 - 19:12