A defeat difficult to digest
Partab Ramchand - 23 July 2001
It's not that the Indian team has not suffered defeats and setbacks in
the past. In fact, the entries in the losses column far outstrip those
in the victories column. Some defeats have been along expected lines,
there are some in which the side has gone down with their guns
blazing. But in that list are also defeats that are difficult to
digest. The loss to Sri Lanka in the Coca-Cola Cup in Colombo on
Sunday will undoubtedly rank very high in that list.
For starters, one lost count of the opportunities the team had of
taking the upper hand. While bowling and fielding, they allowed Sri
Lanka to wriggle out. And while batting, they squandered away a golden
chance of winning.
The think tank seemed to be bereft of ideas. In the absence of Sachin
Tendulkar, the need of the hour is to stay calm, cool and collected.
One should not press the panic button. But that is precisely the team
management seems to be doing. Promoting Harbhajan Singh to No 4 best
illustrates this.
To be candid, they have not been given the strongest of sides. But
they have only made matters worse by juggling with the players at
their command and by indulging in indiscriminate chopping and
changing. Opening batsmen have been pushed in the middle order while
essentially middle order batsmen have, for some inexplicable reason,
been made to open the innings. Naturally, this would only upset the
balance of a side which is already inexperienced both at the top and
the middle.
Traditionally, the Indian batting has always been stronger than the
bowling. If anything, the fact that six of the ten partnership records
in ODIs are held by Indians is the ultimate proof of this. There is
little doubt that in the absence of Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and
Sachin Tendulkar, the present side is weak in bowling. Which makes it
all the more imperative for the batting to come off in spades.
"This is just the beginning of the tournament. We have five more games
to go and hopefully we can turn things around in the matches to come.
There is no need to panic. You have to give the side some time," was
how Sourav Ganguly reacted to the defeat in the tournament opener to
New Zealand. Well, the side is now in the enviable position of having
to win all the four remaining matches to make absolutely sure of a
place in the final. Winning three out of four would have to depend on
various other calculations.
As it is, Ganguly's insistence of playing Yuvraj as an opener - after
apparently backing the claim of Amay Khurasiya for the crucial slot -
is something that has baffled everyone. Yuvraj has never previously
opened for India, not even for the Indian Under-19 team. His failure in both the matches cannot then be a surprise.
And in the absence of Tendulkar, it is also imperative that Ganguly
should open. The captain has got an excellent record going in first
and there is no need for him to go down to bolster the middle order.
The experienced duo of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid are there for that
purpose. Utilising the first 15 overs is of utmost importance and here
Ganguly, with his mixture of expertise and power, is best suited for
the job. This is borne out by an opinion poll in a national daily in
which two thirds of the people polled are not in favour of Ganguly
batting lower down in the order in the absence of Tendulkar.
The bowling will always remain a problem. Even the return of Ajit
Agarkar can only strengthen this department to a point. Ganguly will
have to soldier along with three main bowlers and three bits and
pieces trundlers. The wicketkeeping is another problematic area but
little can be done about that at the moment. So any planning, any
strategy, any tactical moves, will have to revolve around the batting.
If there is stability here, if the players have fixed batting
positions and enjoy the confidence of the team management, this could
constitute a first step towards commencing a fightback in the Colombo
competition.
But here of course Laxman and Dravid, with all their experience, would
have to play a major role. Dravid certainly did not cover himself with
glory in India's run chase on Sunday. A score of 49 not out off 81
balls without a single boundary is just not on and there is little
doubt that had the Indian vice captain turned on the heat just a
little, the target could have been reached, given the fact that the
team was only six runs away from victory at the end. His inability to
go for the big shots put extra pressure on Sodhi, Shewag and Dighe who
maintained a run a ball rate before perishing in the run chase.
There are a few days left for the team management to think hard and
come up with a winning strategy. They should opt for the settled
batting order with Ganguly opening and Laxman and Dravid in the
middle. With the next match against New Zealand scheduled only for
July 26, it is likely that Agarkar will return and this will give the
bowling a slight edge while the batting will be strengthened by Hemang
Badani, who sat out Sunday's game. All is not over yet, as the skipper
has hinted. But there has to be a certain methodical approach, some
certain systematic planning. Making best use of the resources at your
command is the secret. Haphazard team selection has seldom won
matches.
© CricInfo