da leao： Considering India’s dismal record in one-day games against SouthAfrica in that country, a win and a defeat against them after twomatches in the current competition would seem to be a minor triumph
Partab Ramchand22-Jul-2009Considering India’s dismal record in one-day games against SouthAfrica in that country, a win and a defeat against them after twomatches in the current competition would seem to be a minor triumph.In 1992-93, India lost the seven-game one-day series by five matchesto two. In the Standard Bank triangular series five seasons ago, theIndians were beaten by South Africa in all three group matches andthen went down to the hosts in the final. Wednesday’s result was thusthe first Indian victory over South Africa in that country sinceDecember 19, 1992, when they had the consolation prize of winning thelast match of that series in East London.
It must be stated that, despite Wednesday’s result, consistencydoes not seem to be the hallmark of this Indian team. Unable to defenda total of 279 then and defending a total of 233 now, one wonders whatlies next. Up in the clouds one day and then down in the dumps just asquickly, this Indian side excites and exasperates.
If there is one immediate lesson that is brought home by the verdictat Centurion, it is that India has to play to its strengths. Even inone dayers, though it may not be as pronounced as it is in Tests, thestrength of the Indian attack lies in its spin bowling. And now thatthe country has two worldclass spinners in Harbhajan Singh and AnilKumble, it would be better to play both, along with two seamers, andleave the remaining 10 overs to the likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag,Ganguly and Yuvraj. Come to think of it, Sehwag did not do too badly,but why was Yuvraj not given the ball, one wonders.It was the combination of Harbhajan and Kumble that had the SouthAfrican batsmen all tied up in knots on Wednesday. However gallant theIndian seam bowlers may be, Srinath, Prasad and Agarkar have theirlimitations. In any case, the South Africans clearly have few problemsplaying them. But as was proved in the second game, they can beshackled while trying to negotiate good spin bowling. Granted thewicket had something in it and was not as flat as the Wanderersstadium pitch was during the first game last week. But on any surface,India must play both their front-line spinners to stand a chance.That said, it must also be stated that, despite Wednesday’s result,consistency does not seem to be the hallmark of this Indian team.Unable to defend a total of 279 then and defending a total of 233 now,one wonders what lies next. Up in the clouds one day and then down inthe dumps just as quickly, this Indian side excites and exasperates.The excitement level was high during the time they batted in the firstgame, and Ganguly and Tendulkar dished out some sterling stuff. Theexasperating part came only in the second half of the game, thanks towayward bowling. But the batsmen too have to cop part of the blame,for, after the kind of dream start given by the openers, a total of300 should have been notched up. Unfortunately, the middle orderbotched it up.I was never happy with Shiv Sundar Das’ selection. I argued that he isthe one specialist Test opener we have and his precious gifts shouldbe preserved for the longer game. His superb technique is bound tosuffer thanks to the exposure to slam-bang cricket. Moreover, the teammanagement just does not know where to fit him in. In the first matchhe went in at No 7, but in the second he was sent in at No 3. It isthis kind of yo-yo treatment that has, over the years, nipped thecareer of many budding batsmen. Reetinder Singh Sodhi, a player ofconsiderable promise, could be played instead; that would also giveGanguly an additional bowling option.Overall, however, the Indians can look back with some satisfaction attheir performance in the tournament so far. But even with Kenya justthere to make up the numbers though one must guard against overconfidence there is still plenty of work to be done. Consistency isthe key word. The team now has three batsmen who have exceeded 5000runs in one-day internationals, two bowlers who have crossed the 200-wicket mark, and exciting young talent in Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Sodhi andSehwag. Agarkar has always been an exemplary one-day cricketer,whatever his lamentable record in Tests, and Deep Dasgupta seems to beshaping well. The nucleus of a really fine side is very much there perhaps even one good enough to take the title. Now if only theplayers perform up to potential.