Thursday, June 15, 2006
When Records Lie
Brian Lara with the help of Mother Nature managed to pull the St.Lucia test out of IndiaÂs seemingly fatal grip. You can imagine the comfort with which India could have pocketed the match from the final score. Just three tail enders to fight it out and oodles of runs still to be climbed. And India would not have needed many of those ninety mandatory overs robbed by rain on the fourth day.
Well, a win is something to be looked at the low level of records. Even without a win, India has morally surged ahead in this series, establishing great dominance over the hosts. Two tests saved by the skin of the teeth, rain being the savior on both occasions will never be a confidence-boosting development.
This West Indian team does not look like owning more than a session or two in a test. That too when India gets trapped on a spiteful pitch or when Lara gets into the zone which is not that rare. But Indiadoesn'tnÂt seem to have the fire power to run through even this batting line up. None in this bowling department looks likely to take a bag of wickets except Kumble. Pathan is struggling and the other two rookies scream for more time. Both of them look capable of being among the wickets but so far that potential is only in the realm of imagination. Patel has the control and probing skills and Singh looks capable of being wreckerer. Vir Singh perhaps needs a few months of expert guidance at the highest level to blossom into a potent weapon. Munaf Patel is picking up experience in a very steady way. It seems poor Sreesanth may need something more than pace and swing to sneak into this team!
Well, a win is something to be looked at the low level of records. Even without a win, India has morally surged ahead in this series, establishing great dominance over the hosts. Two tests saved by the skin of the teeth, rain being the savior on both occasions will never be a confidence-boosting development.
This West Indian team does not look like owning more than a session or two in a test. That too when India gets trapped on a spiteful pitch or when Lara gets into the zone which is not that rare. But Indiadoesn'tnÂt seem to have the fire power to run through even this batting line up. None in this bowling department looks likely to take a bag of wickets except Kumble. Pathan is struggling and the other two rookies scream for more time. Both of them look capable of being among the wickets but so far that potential is only in the realm of imagination. Patel has the control and probing skills and Singh looks capable of being wreckerer. Vir Singh perhaps needs a few months of expert guidance at the highest level to blossom into a potent weapon. Munaf Patel is picking up experience in a very steady way. It seems poor Sreesanth may need something more than pace and swing to sneak into this team!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Unexpected Turnaround In Tests
I don’t even remember what I wrote about last. A long absence forced upon me by a medical problem. I only hope using the mouse may not lead to such severe repercussions again.
O.K. Let us get back to what we like most. Talking about Cricket. So much has happened during this long break that I falter at recollecting what we were talking about. Anyway one thing is certain, the entire one day series got the miss. And we are already into the second test.
Cricket more often than not gets hold of things by the scruff and gives the story a twist least expected by us, the self-proclaimed experts.
We all thought that India might continue its success saga in West Indies also. Especially after a great show against England. But in a shocking turnaround, West Indies trounced India 4-1. Agreed, the first part of the series went repeatedly to wire but the overall dominance of Windies was quite pronounced.
Actually what went against India in that series?
The most obvious factor might have been the Indian batsmen’s failure to handle Gayle and Samuels effectively. But that alone can not be put forward as the reason for India’s poor performance. As I see it, the series win for the West Indies was a combination of several factors. The pitches this time were quite unlike the typical Caribbean surfaces. They were slow and the ball did not come on to the bat. Fluent driving was almost impossible on these tracks. You had to wait for the ball and guide it for runs. When Gayle and Samuels stuck to a good line and length, run getting became a difficult task.
This end product might have been the creation of several brains put together. West Indian authorities, Lara, the coach King and the men in charge of the pitches all came together to give shape to a strategy which embraced the entire spectrum of laying of the pitch to the use of the part time spinners. The Indian think tank could not anticipate or counter the homework done by the hosts.
A very inexperienced pace attack also did not help India, Pathan’s poor show adding to the team’s woes. The final result was simply shocking to a team whose graph was going north for quite a while.
West Indies which still looks a bits and pieces team in both versions of the game, could not repeat its success in the tests. At Antigua, India gained control over the test after a naïve decision to bat first. And though India failed to go 1-0, the inherent superiority of the Indians in the longer version was for all to see. On a pitch which lost its sharpness day by day, India fought hard to gain control on the third day and had the match in its grip till the last ball was bowled.
Now as I write this, rain has betrayed its intentions to prevent India from converting its control over the match into an emphatic win. This time India was on the way from the first ball of the test and at no time could the West Indians succeed in wriggling out of India’s vice-like grip. But rain, it seems, has different ideas and if it rains today-the final day- also, it could prove to be Lara’s best guardian angel.
India for all its runs and wickets does not look a winner here. Look at the pace department. In the first test Sreesanth, Patel and Singh had a collective experience of four tests against Kumble’s 108! It was not surprising that these boys could not support Kumble, let alone lead the attack. Even with Pathan,s return lack of experience has shone through the mist of West Indian ineptitude. Both Patel and Singh bowled with spirit in the West Indian first innings but they obviously need to log in a few more tests to soak in the knocks which make them better bowlers.
O.K. Let us get back to what we like most. Talking about Cricket. So much has happened during this long break that I falter at recollecting what we were talking about. Anyway one thing is certain, the entire one day series got the miss. And we are already into the second test.
Cricket more often than not gets hold of things by the scruff and gives the story a twist least expected by us, the self-proclaimed experts.
We all thought that India might continue its success saga in West Indies also. Especially after a great show against England. But in a shocking turnaround, West Indies trounced India 4-1. Agreed, the first part of the series went repeatedly to wire but the overall dominance of Windies was quite pronounced.
Actually what went against India in that series?
The most obvious factor might have been the Indian batsmen’s failure to handle Gayle and Samuels effectively. But that alone can not be put forward as the reason for India’s poor performance. As I see it, the series win for the West Indies was a combination of several factors. The pitches this time were quite unlike the typical Caribbean surfaces. They were slow and the ball did not come on to the bat. Fluent driving was almost impossible on these tracks. You had to wait for the ball and guide it for runs. When Gayle and Samuels stuck to a good line and length, run getting became a difficult task.
This end product might have been the creation of several brains put together. West Indian authorities, Lara, the coach King and the men in charge of the pitches all came together to give shape to a strategy which embraced the entire spectrum of laying of the pitch to the use of the part time spinners. The Indian think tank could not anticipate or counter the homework done by the hosts.
A very inexperienced pace attack also did not help India, Pathan’s poor show adding to the team’s woes. The final result was simply shocking to a team whose graph was going north for quite a while.
West Indies which still looks a bits and pieces team in both versions of the game, could not repeat its success in the tests. At Antigua, India gained control over the test after a naïve decision to bat first. And though India failed to go 1-0, the inherent superiority of the Indians in the longer version was for all to see. On a pitch which lost its sharpness day by day, India fought hard to gain control on the third day and had the match in its grip till the last ball was bowled.
Now as I write this, rain has betrayed its intentions to prevent India from converting its control over the match into an emphatic win. This time India was on the way from the first ball of the test and at no time could the West Indians succeed in wriggling out of India’s vice-like grip. But rain, it seems, has different ideas and if it rains today-the final day- also, it could prove to be Lara’s best guardian angel.
India for all its runs and wickets does not look a winner here. Look at the pace department. In the first test Sreesanth, Patel and Singh had a collective experience of four tests against Kumble’s 108! It was not surprising that these boys could not support Kumble, let alone lead the attack. Even with Pathan,s return lack of experience has shone through the mist of West Indian ineptitude. Both Patel and Singh bowled with spirit in the West Indian first innings but they obviously need to log in a few more tests to soak in the knocks which make them better bowlers.
