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India tour Pakistan
- Samsung Cup 2004 |
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Can India get its act together?
 LAHORE: Management of overs is a vital element for success in the
ODIs. India finds itself in a tight corner in the Samsung series down 1-2, since, due to a combination of injuries to key bowlers and defensive selection, the side has been caught out in bowling.
With the resources at his command, Sourav Ganguly has led the side well on the field. However, the big question as India takes on Pakistan in a crunch day\night game at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday is does Ganguly really have enough choices in bowling?
Already without Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Ajit Agarkar, Indians' plight has been made worse with Aashish Nehra splitting a webbing in his bowling hand. And the Delhi
left-armer had been the pick of the Indian bowlers.
Both in Rawalpindi and Peshawar, India did not appear to have four full-fledged bowlers. Assuming that Zaheer Khan - he has still not run into prime form - Irfan Pathan and L. Balaji complete their quota of ten
overs, India is left with 20 overs to account for, and it is here that the problems start.
Ramesh Powar has struck the ball well during his brief stints with the bat, and despite his promise as an off-spinner, he still has some way to go before he can be relied upon to finish his ten overs against sub-continental batsmen, who will use their feet and milk him with drives to long-on and long-off, apart from delivering the odd big blow.
The Mumbai off-spinner has sent down just ten overs in all in his two games so far, and Ganguly clearly has a major worry regarding the management of
overs. How are those twenty overs going to be completed and what happens if one of the three frontline bowlers gets clobbered? There is absolutely no cover.
Sachin Tendulkar came up with a useful spell in Peshawar, and Sourav Ganguly chipped in with his
seamers, but if India is to win the series from here, then the pressure will have to be from both ends. And this is just not possible with an occasional bowler in the middle
overs.
If the Indians, who had Pakistan struggling at 65 for four in the third
ODI, finished on the losing side, it was essentially due to the fact that the home batsmen could still breathe easy, knowing well that the Indian bowling lacked depth.
Speaking to presspersons on Saturday, Ganguly admitted that he was missing Kumble and Harbhajan in this ODI campaign.
"Kumble and Harbhajan were integral part of Indian successes," he said but was not willing to offer their absence as an excuse.
During the practice session Ganguly imbibed words of wisdom from Pakistan coach and cricketing legend Javed
Miandad, underlining the goodwill nature of the tour. On a brown pitch, with a tinge of grass - this is not the same wicket where the Indians were involved in a high-scoring tour-opener against Pakistan `A' - the Indian bowlers will have to get their act together.
The good news for India is that a huge influx of Indian supporters who entered Pakistan from the Wagah border - there should be at least 5,000 of them for Sunday's game - should boost the spirits of the men in blue. Leading politicians, industrialists, and film stars from India are expected to watch the match as well.
If the Indians decide to field seven specialist batsmen again, then they may have to go in for the left-arm spin of Murali Kartik again. Kartik took a hammering in Karachi, but also consumed Inzamam and Younis Khan in the climactic stages. India needs bowlers who have the ability to strike. Replacement paceman Amit Bhandari has joined the team, and it remains to be seen whether the Indian team-management would thrust him into the fray straightaway. From an Indian perspective, runs from Yuvraj Singh's blade were welcome. The gifted
V.V.S. Laxman is due for a big score, and should find his range and timing sooner than later.
Leading 2-1 with two matches to go, Pakistan is sitting pretty, but Inzamam will still have to keep an eye on the clock vis-a-vis completion of overs on time.
Two young cricketers have made much difference to the home team's fortunes. Promising top-order batsman Yasir Hameed has shown that it is possible to score quickly without taking undue risks, while Shabbir Ahmed, with a combination of three-quarters length, bounce and seam movement has troubled the Indians more than any bowler. The decision to give the new ball to Shabbir has paid dividends for Pakistan. Not surprisingly, Inzamam had words of praise for both these young cricketers in the pre-match press conference.
Then there are others like Abdul Razzaq, who has emerged as one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in ODI cricket. He also keeps his cool, rarely gets tense, and invariably picks the right ball to strike. Razzaq is a powerhouse for Pakistan in the lower order.
Inzamam said the pitch for Sunday's match should prove sporting, which means there could be some pace and carry for Shoaib
Akhtar, Mohammed Sami, and Shabbir. The Pakistan captain was dead right with his decision to field in Peshawar where the team bowling first had a distinct advantage, but the dynamics are different in a day\night match, where chasing is never easy with the dew factor entering the picture.
The teams:
India (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender
Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Ramesh
Powar, Irfan Pathan, L. Balaji, Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik, Amit
Bhandari, Hemang Badani, Parthiv Patel. Coach: John Wright.
Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Yasir Hameed, Shahid
Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan, Shoaib
Akhtar, Mohammed Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Imran Farhat, Tauseef
Umar, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan. Coach: Javed Miandad.
Umpires: David Shepherd and Asad Rauf.
Third umpire: Nadeem Ghouri.
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle.
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