Keeping their fans on tenterhooks
Partab Ramchand - 22 October 2001
Trust the Indian team to take a leaf out of Alfred Hitchcock's book.
Like the unrivalled master of suspense, the national cricketers also
believe in maintaining the suspense till the very end. But beyond that,
the analogy breaks down. While Hitchcock used innovative and highly
appreciated cinematic techniques, and his films always had happy
endings, with the Indians, needless suspense is created through slipshod
work; what's more, there is no guarantee of the denouement ending on an
upbeat note.
But then again, that is the Indian team all over. One moment they are
looking good to win the title, the next they are playing the kind of
cricket that would make schoolboys blush. Consistency has just not been
their trademark...
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Here were the Indians, proceeding smoothly in the Standard Bank tri-
series. Two wins, over South Africa and Kenya, had virtually assured
them of a place in the final. Now, however, two defeats in a row one
shocking, the other a match that should have been won imply that the
India-Kenya match on Wednesday is virtually a semi-final. And the Kenyan
team, buoyed by good performances against South Africa and a morale-
boosting victory over India, is certainly not the same side that went
down by ten wickets to India last week. They are a rejuvenated,
transformed lot, and an Indian win cannot be taken for granted. If the
Indians do not make the final, they will have no one to blame but
themselves.
But then again, that is the Indian team all over. One moment they are
looking good to win the title, the next they are playing the kind of
cricket that would make schoolboys blush. Consistency has just not been
their trademark, and that is the chief reason why the Indian team,
despite having high-calibre players, big names, the best opening pair in
the world, the best batsman in the world, two of the leading wicket-
takers in the one day game, and so on, are not able to deliver. They
just do not play up to their potential. Form varies not only from match
to match, but also from session to session. The loss against South
Africa was yet another defeat that was difficult to digest.
The less said about the defeat against Kenya, the better. Sourav
Ganguly, never one to search for excuses, put it bluntly when he said,
"We played poor cricket for nearly 100 overs. It is very difficult to
give an explanation for this defeat, which was like a kick in the
backside for all the players." And against South Africa, even after
conceding 282 runs, India could have won the game, for it was still a
good batting track. After the first 15 overs, India had scored 100 for
no loss. In the next 24 overs, India added another 100 runs but lost six
wickets. That is what I mean by saying that form varies even from
session to session.
At 151 for two in 28 overs, the Indians had got the required run-rate
down to six an over, with two master craftsmen and experienced
campaigners at the crease. All that was required was a cool, methodical
approach. A run a ball is always on with eight wickets in hand. But the
Indians' subsequent tactics were rushed, feverish, and unnecessarily
panicky.
It is also obvious that the team is top-heavy. Too much depends on too
few players. Rest some experienced stars, and what you get is the type
of defeat the side suffered at the hands of Kenya. The lack of depth
also showed in the match against South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar got 37,
Ganguly 85, and Rahul Dravid an unbeaten 71. Shiv Sunder Das, Yuvraj
Singh, Virender Sehwag and Deep Dasgupta got nine runs between them.
And then there is the problem of run-outs. It is baffling how something
as basic as running between the wickets continues to be a major problem
for an international outfit. As many as three run-outs had a big role to
play in the Indian defeat on Friday.
Finally, a word or two about the bowling. Even in one-day cricket, spin
is our traditional strength. If any proof was needed, it was provided on
Friday, when the South Africans played Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and
Yuvraj Singh with a lot of circumspection. They just could not take
liberties with them, no matter how hard they tried to paddle the ball
away. In desperation, they even attempted the most horrendous of
reverse-sweep shots. The bowling was also too clever for even the fleet-
footed batsmen to attempt the lofted drive. The fact that the spinners
bowled 32 overs and conceded 159 runs, whereas Ajit Agarkar and Javagal
Srinath conceded 119 runs in 18 overs, tells the whole story. Indeed,
with the final margin being 46 runs, it can be said that India lost the
match in the beginning and end overs of the South African innings.
© CricInfo
Teams
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India,
South Africa.
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Players/Umpires
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Harbhajan Singh,
Anil Kumble,
Virender Sehwag,
Deep Dasgupta,
Yuvraj Singh,
Sourav Ganguly,
Sachin Tendulkar,
Rahul Dravid,
Ajit Agarkar,
Javagal Srinath.
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Tournaments
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Standard Bank Triangular Tournament |