From the sublime to the ridiculous
A Mahadevan -07 May 2002
There was much celebration when India won the previous Test match at
Port of Spain. People were quick to point out that this was the fourth
win by Sourav Ganguly's boys abroad (the others coming against
Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka). Even at the time, I felt that
while the achievement was a significant one, there were still too many
basic problems with the Indian team's composition and ability that
would make it difficult to sustain a winning streak. The events at
Barbados were, unfortunately, an all-too-soon reminder of that.
It would be appropriate, then, for us to focus more on the problems
and less on results, for if we do, the results should automatically
follow.
India, in spite of much media hype to the contrary, do not have a
strong batting lineup. Two batsmen, at best, go on to make 50s or 60s
in an innings. This was clear even in India against an average England
side, when we struggled in that department. This constant talk of
being one of the best batting sides in the world is an insult to the
intelligence of the Indian cricket enthusiasts, who are a lot more
knowledgeable than they are given credit for.
India do not yet have an opening pair who have played together for any
length of time. At least, in this match, we played Shiv Sunder Das and
Wasim Jaffer - two specialist opening batsmen. That they failed in the
first innings was unfortunate, but they were successul in the second
innings. Hopefully, then, we will continue with this combination. The
middle order is also problematic and inconsistent; they need to be
able to put together innings of some substance time and again
The lower order, which starts at number seven, are getting
progressively worse at batting. Most of the time they cannot be
counted on for a few runs, or even to lend support to a top-order
batsman. The bowlers definitely need to be given a few lessons in
batting, and it is sad that the days of the 1980s, when we had Kapil
Dev, Roger Binny and Madan Lal forming the lower order, are gone.
India also lack a strike bowler; instead, we have a bunch of game
triers who put in a lot of effort but cannot really run through any
side. We have seen enough indication of this flaw in the series thus
far; our supposedly potent fast-bowling strike force was ineffective
on even a conducive wicket. Bring back Anil Kumble - he can do no
worse, and he can certainly bat better than our current bowlers,
Harbhajan Singh included.
On the fielding front, we have a wicket-keeper who cannot bat and a
batsman who cannot keep. Unless something miraculous can be done in
the world of medicine, we are stuck either with an overexposed tail or
poor wicket-keeping. There is a solution, but he is not a popularly
accepted one. Nayan Mongia is sitting in Baroda, wondering why nobody
has had the guts to ask the right questions.
So India are not stalwarts at yet in any of the departments. Until the
above issues (which, mind you, are not those that have immediate
solutions) are resolved, India's hopes are only slim. The team can
only expect a few peaks in an otherwise uniformly low level of
performance.
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