Aggression is the key
Amit Mookerjee - 6 April 2002
The hype generated by this Indian tour of the West Indies is
tremendous. Brian Lara versus Sachin Tendulkar. The West Indies
versus India. The Underdogs versus the Favorites. The Indian team
that will walk out on April 11th may still be shrouded in
mystery, but whatever the composition, they need to realise that
the most important factor in winning this tour is easily within
their control.
Aggression - that is the key to Australia's success, not their
amazing batting line-up or their thunderous bowling attack (of
course, those help too!). It is the supreme confidence, bordering
on arrogance, that separates the Aussies from the rest of the
world.
This deep belief that they are the best is what scares other
teams - the fact that Adam Gilchrist can come in at 99 for five
and destroy India's bowling attack shows it. Not only are
Australia the best, but they also rub the other teams' noses in
it.
This is exactly what can turn India into world-beaters. How else
could VVS Laxman and Harbajan Singh turn Steve Waugh's plans
upside-down? It is this very same self-belief. Laxman believed
that he could score 281, and he did.
When Australia played the West Indies last, the series was won
before it even started. Glenn McGrath riled up Lara with some
well-planned comments, and when the Caribbean maestro came to the
crease, the pressure was enormous. Not only was Lara being
targeted off the field, but on the field he was greeted with
searing bouncers. I remember one of these missiles rocketing off
the pitch and knocking Lara in the grill. He could only stand
there helplessly as the tall New South Welshman dished out one
after another.
Although the West Indies are still a reasonably talented outfit,
mentally they are nowhere near what they could be; just like
India, they do not believe that they can win. The fact that Sir
Vivian Richards does not give them much of a chance proves this.
India need to exploit this mental weakness to the fullest. If
Tendulkar were to walk in at 30 for two, with both Shiv Sunder
Das and Sourav Ganguly gone, he should at this point simply
attack. A 50 off 40 balls will do much more damage than a century
off 250.
Good, positive cricket will do India a world of good. It is
pointless to attempt to merely contain Lara; the man from
Trinidad is so abundantly talented that he will barely notice the
fielders. The only way to get Lara out is to constantly set
aggressive fields.
The problem that Tendulkar (although he has overcome this
marginally of late) and Lara face is that, at times, they get
over-aggressive and tend to make mistakes. When Lara does, we
should get him. Even during bowling, a few bouncers, even if not
exactly at Brett Lee speeds, to surprise the batsmen can show the
Windies that we are not taking this series lightly.
It baffles me that a quality so simple seems to not exist with
this team. Although we may not be able to control the result of
the match, a good display of positive, attacking cricket should
be enough to make any Indian fan smile.
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