The Wisden Verdict
by Sanjay Manjrekar
Wednesday, March 13, 2002

When I went to inspect the pitch this morning, it was apparent that this was not the typical Kochi wicket. It didn't have the sheen it normally does; it looked a little rough and on the slow side, which must have unsettled the Indian batsmen. Sourav Ganguly won the toss and opted to bat, naturally hoping that he would be entering flat-track heaven. No such luck.

Zimbabwe would not have liked to bowl first, but Douglas Hondo soon made that a rather pleasant situation to be in. He is much slower than the other seamers Indians have faced recently and it had a disconcerting effect on them. He also got a slight drift in the air which upset the rhythm of the Indian batsmen. To add to this, Zimbabwe were helped by some soft dismissals. VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly played strokes which are likely to haunt them for quite a while now.

In the morning when the team reached the stadium, they looked a little flat to me. This is not said in hindsight; they just did not seem to be as charged up as they were at Mohali after losing to Zimbabwe at Faridabad. They looked somewhat lethargic, and the Kochi weather was such that it was not going to be easy for any team to buck themselves up and fight once the tide had turned against them.

Sanjay Bangar squandered a great opportunity to cement his place in the team. Relatively new to the international level, this was a great chance to play himself in and get a really big innings, ideally a three-figure knock, that would establish him in the side. This is the kind of opportunity to make a name for yourself that one has to capitalize on, but Bangar couldn't deliver. He is also doing himself no great service by not bowling his full quota of ten overs in any of these games.

Mohammad Kaif was very impressive. He has a reputation of being one of the fittest players in the side, and he justified that reputation by working very hard on running between the wickets today. He did not go for any big shots, as he had against England, and played very sensibly. But he did not get much support, and a score of 191 was never going to be enough.

Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar began well for India. They bowled with a lot of heart and aggression to try and claw back the psychological advantage, but there was nobody to carry on once their spells were over. Harbhajan Singh bowled steadily, but instead of trying to dry up runs at one end, he should have tried for wickets, which he is capable of getting, even against top-class batsmen.

Sarandeep Singh disappointed. He seems to be feeling the pressure more in one-dayers than in Tests. His previous match, against England in Delhi, was equally dismal, and all the good work Zaheer and Agarkar did was dissipated by the spinners.

Alistair Campbell played very sensibly in curbing his aggressive instincts and playing the sensible innings that his side needed from him. Grant Flower, meanwhile, is proving to be a key member of the team. He bowled well today, which makes it twice in three matches that he's played a crucial role with the ball. And when his side needed him to, he delivered with the bat as well.

It's incredible that a team considered one of the weakest in the world can give India such a hard fight in Indian conditions. India have a lot to ponder on now; the pressure will certainly be on them when Zimbabwe try to seal the issue in Hyderabad.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of Indian batting in the 90's, was talking to Amit Varma.

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