Sehwag must replace Laxman
Erapalli Prasanna - 26 February 2002
The touring Zimbabwe team were no match for a strong home side in the
first Test at Nagpur. The pitch was tailor-made to suit the Indian
spinners and they bowled their team to an innings victory. It is a
pity that the tourists failed to put up a fight and their abject
surrender was sad to see.
The tactics the Zimbabwe think-tank employed were just beyond my
comprehension. Stuart Carlisle claimed the new ball on the two
available occasions and this helped India to accelerate their run-
rate. Given the fact that Raymond Price, the left-arm spinner, was the
only bowler who looked like getting wickets, Carlisle should have used
the old ball for as long as possible.
Price really impressed me. He gave the ball a lot of flight and the
rewards were there to be seen. The most important thing is that he
kept a positive outlook all through his long spell.
Moving on to the Indian batting, I must say that Shiv Sunder Das is
one of our most improved batsmen. The diminutive opening batsman from
Orissa should serve Indian cricket for many more years. Rahul Dravid
too played reasonably well and seems to have recovered fully from his
shoulder injury. Sachin Tendulkar, for his part, played an innings of
character and the classic century reinforces his position as the
world's best batsman. The little master made the most of the
opportunity of batting against a weak bowling attack.
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It is a pity that Laxman failed once again. He has great talent, but
harnessing it seems to be his biggest problem. On current form, the
immensely talented Virender Sehwag should get the nod ahead of the
stylish batsman from Hyderabad. It might sound a bit cruel, but in
these days of professionalism there is hardly any room for
complacency.
It was good to see Sanjay Bangar score a hundred. He will, though,
have to prove his credentials against more formidable opponents if he
is to seal the all-rounder's slot in the team.
Deep Dasgupta, meanwhile, is simply not up to the task of keeping to
the bowlers and the Delhi Test must probably be his last opportunity
to prove himself. I have always held that wicketkeeping is a
specialised job and that you need to have your best wicketkeeper
donning the gloves. The selectors would have to act fast and bring in
Ajay Ratra.
Among the Indian quicks, Zaheer Khan was impressive. The left-arm
pacer bowled with a lot of pace and determination in his comeback
Test.
I cannot help but wonder, at this stage, why another talented left-arm
pacer, Ashish Nehra, has not been picked for the Delhi Test. The
selectors should have experimented rather than stick with the tried
and tested players.
Among the spinners, Anil Kumble made full use of a crumbling track to
pick nine wickets. Harbhajan Singh, who should have been the main
strike bowler in Nagpur, was not as successful. If the young off-
spinner has to be the spearhead of the attack, he has to turn the ball
a lot more than he does now.
It wouldn't be fair if I don't say a few words about the pitch in
Nagpur. It is a sad story that we get to see tracks like this, which
cracks up so fast. It definitely helps Kumble and Harbhajan, and the
two spinners are capable of exploiting such conditions. With two long
tours of the West Indies and England coming up, we could, however,
have played on a more lively tracks. Playing on dead tracks, like the
one in Nagpur, only infuses a false sense of confidence and hence
complacency.
I don't see Zimbabwe putting up a fight in the next Test unless Andy
Flower scores heavily. India are the definite favourites to seal a
series whitewash in the Delhi. Perhaps the only change in the Indian
team would be Sehwag playing in his home ground at the expense of
Laxman.
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