India v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Rajkot
Tuesday, November 12, 2002

The toss is turning out to be a crucial factor in this series. Both India and West Indies have strong batting line-ups and weak bowling attacks, which loads the dice in favour of the team that chases. This also poses a stern challenge to the team managements: of maximising the effectiveness of their bowlers in conditions which are perfect for batting. The placid pitches, small grounds and quick outfields are a nightmare for the bowlers, and it is in these conditions that world-class bowlers tilt the balance.

West Indies have been looking to Merv Dillon to do the job, while India's hopes have rested on Javagal Srinath. The younger bowling talent hasn't delivered. Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar were both disappointing today, partly because of the natural tendency on the part of bowlers to go on the defensive when the odds are against them. To be effective on pitches like this one, bowlers like Nehra and Agarkar need to bowl at their quickest. The line-and-length medium pace that Nehra bowled will never earn him any respect in these conditions. Harbhajan Singh bowled with purpose initially, flighting the ball well, but he reverted to his quick, flat bowling once the initial overs were gone.

Virender Sehwag was the key batsman for India with the target above 300. Had he fallen early, the pressure on the batsmen who followed would have been severe. VVS Laxman is often a bit tense at the start of his innings, and Yuvraj Singh hasn't had much match-practice of late, so it was imperative that Sehwag gave India a good start. Had he made even 60 or 70, it would have seized the momentum for India, purely because of the rate at which he scores his runs.

It was good to see that Sehwag played with an awareness of what West Indies perceived to be his weak point – the short ball pitched around his legs. He gave it the respect it deserved but at the same time was looking to hit shots in the areas where his strengths lie. In doing so, he answered an important question about how he would adapt to opposition plans centred around his perceived weaknesses.

One feels sorry for Rajkot that one small incident led to the match being abandoned. But the provocation has to be seen as something cumulative. It began in the first match at Jamshedpur where the situation was worse, but the patience displayed by Mike Procter, the match referee, and West Indies saved the day. Sooner or later though, it was bound to run out.

Sanjay Manjrekar, the mainstay of India's batting in the late 1980s and early '90s, will be providing the Expert View on every match of this ODI series. He was speaking to Nagraj Gollapudi.

More Expert View
Match 1
Match 2

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