Will India grasp the opportunity?
Satish Krishnan - 05 Sep 2002

More than a week after the unexpectedly comprehensive win at Headingley, the euphoria fails to die down. After all, it is not every day that this bunch of superstars plays together as a team. Everyone in the team - right from the most talented of them all, Sachin Tendulkar, to unassuming journeyman Sanjay Bangar - played his part, and the ultimate victor was Indian cricket.

In 15 years of avidly following Indian cricket, I have not seen a more intensely ruthless performance from an Indian team overseas, and "ruthless" is not even a word normally associated with Indian cricket. Once the noose was around the English neck, the grip was never loosened, except perhaps for a brief period towards the end of the fourth day when Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart waged a grim battle.

When I woke up bright and early on the first day of the Leeds Test and saw the Indian scorecard reading 30 for one, with the ball swinging, seaming and doing everything but talk, the first words out of my mouth were "Oh no, not again!" Bangar and Rahul Dravid were ducking, weaving and taking blows on their body, and the Indians had picked two spinners in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, both with abysmal overseas records. I thus started to brace myself for another overseas defeat.

This was until I heard the magic words "uneven bounce" uttered by a commentator. One hour into the Test and already one could see balls bouncing variably from the same length. That changed my outlook on the game because suddenly Kumble was very much in the picture. He is possibly the best "bad wicket" bowler in the game, and his performance in this Test was outstanding. In fact, Kumble's confidence was so high towards the end that he even started turning the ball! Stewart's dismissal on the fifth morning was a classic example - a perfect leg- spinner, on the spot, and a resultant edge to slip. It must be a wonderful feeling for him to finally be part of an Indian win overseas. His confidence must be sky-high now, and the Englishmen better watch out at The Oval.

One of the high points of the Leeds Test was the exhilarating strokeplay from Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly towards the end of the second day's play. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ganguly go on an all-out offensive just 20 runs short of a hundred - a milestone he had missed by a whisker in the previous game. One may well ask: what's the big deal? This is a team game, and the team comes first, right?

Wrong. I vividly recall India's first game in the last World Cup against South Africa. India batting first were in a great position, having made around 165-170 at the 32-over mark with Ganguly in his 80s. To my horror, Ganguly started playing slowly with an eye on his hundred, with total indifference to the team cause. The funny part was that Ganguly eventually did not make a hundred on that occasion; India made only 250-odd and, sure enough, South Africa won the game. After the match, Barry Richards remarked, "This is the reason India does not win too many games." Imran Khan called for Ganguly's head, saying that if he were captain, he would drop Ganguly for the next game.

But life seems to have come full circle for Ganguly. From a selfish, young cricketer to a selfless, aggressive captain, it has been one long arduous journey. Again, it is Indian cricket that has been the biggest benefactor of this change in attitude.

The Oval Test is less than a day away. Needless to say, this is as good an opportunity as the Indian team is ever going to get to win a series overseas. The Oval traditionally favours spinners, and the Indian team clearly has the upper hand now, but another proven fact is that the Indian team is consistently inconsistent. Who knows? Ajit Agarkar may yet again start bowling like a millionaire, Tendulkar may fail when needed most, and it may all be back to square one.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.

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