The Wisden Verdict
by Sanjay Manjrekar
Tuesday, March 19, 2002

It was only yesterday that I met Dinesh Mongia at the airport, and he expressed concern about his inability to get a big score after getting into the thirties and forties. It was heartening to hear a youngster realise his failings and be so keen to set matters right. And even more heartening that he succeeded.

He was helped by the state of the match. Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid were out early on, and it was imperative for him to stay at the crease and play a big innings. It was a great opportunity, and he capitalised on it magnificently.

The amazing talent of Yuvraj Singh was once more on display. Yet again he showed that he is unperturbed by the state of the pitch, or the match, which says a lot for his self-confidence. The manner in which he walks in and starts whacking the ball around amazes me. And even though he has a great strike rate, runscoring seems almost effortless for him. He always looks as if he still has a lot left in him.

Mohammad Kaif should be wary. His stay at the crease was fleeting, and his approach was disappointing. He was trying far too many injudicious strokes, which is not what one expects from him. He has the potential to be a good No. 5, and it's important for India that he learns quickly from his mistakes.

The huge Indian target was beyond Zimbabwe. The visitors were thoroughly disappointing - and not just for the margin of their defeat. It befuddles me how Dion Ebrahim lasted that long with his kind of attitude. If I were in his place, I would have been extremely embarrassed and got out hit wicket. He did not do anything to change his dour approach as more valuable batsmen tried to kick-start the momentum at the other end. It hurt Zimbabwe.

Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar have been very consistent. Zaheer erased any doubts about his ability to bowl yorkers, and at the death, by getting two batsmen out with just that delivery at the finish.

Vijay Bharadwaj's inclusion at the cost of Murali Kartik was a bad decision. India is in the process of discovering and grooming their next generation of players, and I believe that Kartik is one of those. I don't think India should invest too much time on Bharadwaj.

A word about John Wright's emphasis on singles. While the virtue of swift running between the wickets cannot be dismissed, I also believe that batsmen should be allowed to play to their strengths. To expect each and every Indian to run quickly between wickets is unrealistic. What a guy like Laxman cannot do with quick running between wickets, he can do with his talent. The same can be said of Ganguly.

A few matchwinning performances by the youngsters have done enough to ensure that the seniors in the Indian team will not be able to take things easy. Players like Dravid and Laxman will certainly feel the heat. As indeed they should.

Sanjay Manjrekar, stalwart of the Indian batting in the early 1990s, was talking to H Natarajan.

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