Friday, July 19, 2002 This is a festival fortnight for Indian cricket. Her newest heroes have set the stage perfectly for next week's Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century Awards. I would give the award to Sachin Tendulkar, for rising head and shoulders above his peers like no other Indian cricketer before him.

Silver and bronze would go to Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar. But that is probably my age talking. There are many exquisitely-talented Indian players that have graced international cricket, before this triumvirate, whose flair was never captured by Kodak or monochrome and whose deeds live only on the pages of the Almanack and in the memories of grey-haired cricketers and commentators attending next week's function.

Yet we only need to think back a week to remind ourselves of one of the joys of watching Indian cricket. Stylish, assured batsmanship — and cultured, classical stuff at that — has been a hallmark of India's century. At Lord's Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif reinforced how the abundance of such batting talent has always made India a delight to watch. It is another issue that this talent has not always ripened to India's advantage or produced victories. But perhaps this year's NatWest Series will stamp out those bad habits; perhaps, though, they are an indelible part of Indian cricket culture.

Last week's success was a significant moment for India's players. You knew that by their reaction — a victory lap was a refreshing response to the win; the sight of Sourav Ganguly's chest was less refreshing but equally understandable. Significant because India have struggled when it matters; when the pressure is on they have run out of steam, especially in finals. Significant, too, because the struggle to find a lower middle-order that complements the top five looks to be over. Significant, as well, because all hope need no longer be abandoned with Sachin's trudge back to the pavilion.

Still, there is danger in this moment of triumph. Success is wonderful for papering over cracks and putting aside weaknesses, and India need vigilance in this snap of euphoria. Rahul Dravid was competent enough during this tournament, and his dual role has certainly improved the balance of India's line-up without compromising his batting. But a question mark remains over his ability when the going gets tough. This is a high-risk strategy for India's World Cup campaign, although Dravid might just make it work.

A bigger dilemma is the bowling attack, particularly the fast bowlers. India's bowlers were never really tested in this series, they did the job but without distinction. More worryingly still, the fifth bowler is a hand-to-mouth job. Better teams will exploit this weakness mercilessly, and India must respond by grooming a genuine allrounder for the No. 7 position at the expense of Dinesh Mongia.

The end of a century of Indian cricket delivers a familiar problem: batsmen that set the standard but bowlers that fail to live up to it. And as a celebration of a century of heavenly batsmanship, Sachin should take the prize home next Tuesday.

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Kamran Abbasi, born in Lahore, brought up in Rotherham, is deputy editor of the British Medical Journal.

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