India v Kenya
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

The impression one got was that the Kenyans were not serious in their runchase. They probably realised a while before the innings started that they had lost this game. If there was a semblance of hope in putting up a fight, Steve Tikolo had to come good, but once he departed early, it was all over for them.

I have to question the South African Cricket Board over the logic of having Kenya as the third team in this competition. Their inclusion meant India and South Africa were never going to be seriously and consistently tested. It has taken the edge out of the tournament and all boiled down to one match -- the final. Does it really make sense in organising this kind of a tournament?

The one serious lesson India would have learnt from this match is that they cannot think of Rahul Dravid as a serious long-term wicketkeeper. He may apply himself more and show more commitment, but such experiments have to be very restricted. He was struggling to keep to anything that was pitched on middle and leg, spinning down the leg side, not just to Anil Kumble but to Virender Sehwag as well. Also, he was afraid of being hit when Kumble was bowling, which was understandable as he was just a makeshift choice; even specialists find Kumble awkward to keep to. Coach John Wright would have noted that if India have to look for a batsman-keeper, Dravid is not the man.

Dravid's wicketkeeping brings the focus back on Nayan Mongia. There is no doubt that he is the No. 1 wicketkeeper in the country with a good technique and the safest pair of hands. Nobody disputes that, but ever since Wright has come in as coach and Sourav Ganguly and Dravid have become part of the team management, they are, quite rightly, placing the emphasis on team spirit. It's an indication that Mongia's inclusion could be detrimental to team spirit and his exclusion has nothing to do with his merits -- batting or wicketkeeping -- although no-one is coming out and saying as much. I agree with that.

The one big gain from an otherwise drab match has been the batting of Sehwag. It was truly mindboggling, and this innings marked his emergence as a dangerous and consistent player.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to Senior Editor H Natarajan

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