African Safari: The tour diary
Ashish Shukla - 3 November 2001
Scattered India face tough task against South Africa
Connor Williams has now swung between two extremes in the little
matter of a week. He appeared a child of destiny when just one, or
let's say two knocks put him on the plane to South Africa. The script
seemed to be running the expected course when his seniors encouraged
him on the first two days of the nets and the word leaked he would be
playing the first Test, despite the Chatsworth wash-out. Standing in a
corner while Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid practiced in the middle
on Friday, he indeed cut a sorry figure. Openers are a dying breed in
India. There were never many in the first place. A senior member of
the side was spot on when he said the young openers must be given an
extended run. "From pop-gun attack of home, you are suddenly put in
the firing line of the genuine quick bowlers. And then they get only a
few Tests to play in a year."
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"The rest of the time, it is Sourav and Sachin opening the innings in
some 40-45 one-day internationals per season. How does a young guy
gain in experience and confidence?"
Indeed, the Test openers in India get international matches in fits
and starts only. Either you got to be patient with them or ask record-
breakers Ganguly and Tendulkar to make way for young openers in one-
dayers so they get more used to international fast bowlers. It is a
malaise which befalls a lot of young Indian openers including once
highly rated Wasim Jaffer of Mumbai. "He looked an extremely good
opener to me at one stage," said legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar "But
lately I am not too sure of that." Vinayak Mane is another youngster
who has been shortlisted by those who matter as an opener with a
future.
Wright has no doubt the success of openers will go a long way in
determining India's performance in this series. A case in point is the
Harare Test in Zimbabwe where Das had two partners in Hemang Badani
and Sameer Dighe in the two innings and both came a cropper. The
result - India couldn't chase even a score of 200-odd and lost the
match.
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It has fallen on Rahul Dravid's lot to shore up the sagging Indian
ship as its helmsman for the first Test. He is a team - man but not
too inclined on opening the innings. His dilemma is understandable -
he is well and truly established in the middle order and if he
succeeds, he might just be burdened with the job for many more Test
matches to come. He must be asked to produce the goods within his
capacity and every issue of the team must not be laid in front of his
door.
So we have a situation where a South African team is announced a week
in advance whereas the Indians are struggling to put their eleven
literally going into toss on the morning of the match. The wash-out at
the Chatsworth has been a body blow for the Indians. It was the only
game they could have tried out the five new members flown especially
for the Test series. The sad part is, everyone knew there was little
possibility of play at least a day before the match was set to roll.
But neither the Indians tried too hard nor the KwaZulu-Natal Union,
the cricket body under which falls the purview of Chatsworth body as
well, was keen to arrange a game for the visitors elsewhere in Durban.
Indians did not protest aloud then and are now sulking in silence at
the lost opportunity for some time in the middle.
Ganguly meanwhile has now received his new bats from a Meerut
manufacturer and it weighs more than 10 grams less than his 150-gram
plus stick of willow for the one-dayers. Quite possible the Indian
captain realises he would be peppered with short stuff and he must
have a light stick to move into position quickly in the Test series.
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