da casino： India let slip a golden opportunity to write a new chapter in theircricketing history at Bloemfontein
Krishnamachari Srikkanth08-Nov-2001
© AFPIndia let slip a golden opportunity to write a new chapter in theircricketing history at Bloemfontein. Sachin Tendulkar and VirenderSehwag’s glorious fight back on the first day saw India recovering topost 379 on the board in the first innings. But from there we failedto fire ourselves onwards to the victory podium. What we ended up withwas a sorry capitulation before the end of even the fourth day. Truly,a ridiculous defeat.This Test has proved yet again that India cannot to deliver in alienconditions even against an attack made up of only one excellentbowler. Shaun Pollock, the South African captain, almost singlehandedly fashioned his side’s victory with his first ten-wicket haulin Tests. All the Indian batsmen cut a sorry figure against him in theIndian second innings. It was another gutless, spineless show by amajority of the Indian willow-wielders and once Sachin Tendulkar gotout we knew which flag would be flying at the end of the day.Sourav Ganguly now will have to do a lot of thinking both as abatsman and a captain. It is common knowledge in international cricketthat Sourav is a sitting duck to the rising delivery. The SouthAfrican bowlers exploited his failing to the hilt and he was out in analmost identical fashion in both innings. It was Clive Lloyd whofashioned the use of the short ball as a demon delivery with which tocow the opposing captain. Sourav’s weakness has meant that the shortdelivery has once again become a popular option with almost everycaptain facing him, even those with attacks which could never beclassed with the fabulous West Indies pace battery of the lateseventies and early eighties. Unless Sourav, the batsman, irons outthis glaring technical deficiency he will have trouble leading fromthe front in Tests.
© AFPThe Indian skipper will also have to tell almost all his batsmen topull up their socks and deliver a much better display in the nextTest. In Bloemfontein, only Sachin and Sehwag delivered, and despitetheir magnificence, the Indian batting in the two innings put togethercould not even last two days. No team can win a Test after such apathetic display.Let me also say that I am no fan of the idea of opening the battingwith Rahul Dravid. Rahul has probably been our best batsman on foreignsoil and it makes no sense to waste him in the opening slot in theTests. Sourav might keep saying that Rahul had volunteered to open theinnings but from what I have seen the latter seems most uncomfortableat the top of the order. In my opinion, Rahul would rather make agreat No 5, a position he adorned so splendidly at Eden Gardensagainst Australia. It would, for instance, be a much better idea toopen with an ultra-aggressive Sourav than with Rahul.
© AFPAs for the bowling, I felt that both the left-arm pacers were belowpar. It might have a lot to do with the fact that they lacked anymatch-practice. But it was here that the team management should haveapplied their collective mind and probably brought in someone likeVenkatesh Prasad, who has toured South Africa previously. I only wishthat the thinktank hopefully plays Prasad in the second Test. Fastbowlers, as they say, hunt in pairs and the Srinath-Prasad pair hasbeen one of our finest. Also to be remembered is the fact that Prasadhad done well in the previous tour of South Africa.I would also like to see Harbhajan Singh recovering and returning forthe next Test. His variety and skill makes him a bowler who can makethings happen. He will definitely be helped by that the fact that theSouth Africans have found it almost impossible to read him. This meansthat he can always be trusted to flummox the home team batsmen and, ifall goes well, possibly spin them to their doom.The Indian team, collectively, then will have to put up a much betterdisplay in the next Test due to start at Port Elizabeth on November16. The pitch there, according to accounts from South Africa, is alsoexpected to be friendly to batsmen and slower bowlers. The Indians sowill have to use the period leading up to the Test to regroup andchalk a plan that will help them win the Test and level the series.For if they don’t and South Africa do, it might definitely lead to yetanother forgettable whitewash for the Indians in the series. And thatcertainly is something the Indians can do without.