A near-perfect performance by the Indians!!!

By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan

This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 27th of February, 2003 - The day after India's win over England.

http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan5.htm


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The Indians put up a comprehensive all-round show to beat the Englishmen at Durban in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. This victory has taken them closer to qualifying for the `Super-six' stage of the tournament. In fact they can aim to enter the next stage with a good eight points in their kitty.

The title could very well have been `A PERFECT PERFORMANCE BY THE INDIANS'. But there were a few baffling decisions by the Indian think-tank which could prove Costly in the later stages of the tournament.

* One of them certainly was the decision to send Dinesh Mongia into bat ahead of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. Mongia has looked awfully out of place and today was no exception. This slowed down the momentum considerably and the team ended up atleast forty runs shorter than the initial promise. The viability of Mongia's place in the playing eleven should be under serious consideration now. No team can afford to carry a liability.

* More baffling was Ganguly persisting with Harbajan Singh and himself while bowling after Ashish Nehra had reduced England to 8 for 108. Harbajan Singh was clearly having an offday and was struggling to strike the right line and length. Ganguly should have brought back Srinath and Zaheer Khan right away and ensured that England was skittled out for as low a total as possible. He failed to do so and Flintoff severely dented India's Net-Run-Rate. This could adversely affect India's chances in the long run.

* Also one feels sorry for Anil Kumble. The team management should clearly define his role and ensure that his confidence is not dented. Maybe they can go in with six batsmen and find a place for Kumble in the eleven.

* After a glimpse of good form in the previous match, Saurav Ganguly struggled again. He couldn't rotate the strike and finally succumbed to the pressure with a desperate shot. This also meant that bowlers like Flintoff got away with miserly spells. One hopes that Ganguly will return to better form soon.

The Indians also had plenty to feel happy about. Ashish Nehra probably bowled the best spell of his life and definitely the best by an Indian in terms of statistics in a World Cup game. He has always shown a lot of promise and this fantastic performance should boost his confidence. This will result in him being a lot more consistent.

Srinath and Khan also bowled spectacular spells at the top and they whould be happy that Nehra has arrived to share their burden. The third seamer has been a problem for India for a long time now and after today's show, the attack will look much more menacing.

Rahul Dravid proved his value to the team once again with a gem of an innings and a few catches behind the stumps. Without his well-paced knock and his partnership with the ever-improving Yuvraj singh, India could have never reached this competitive total. The team management should ensure that both Dravid and Yuvraj Singh get to bat atleast one slot up the order.

And Sachin Tendulkar once again showed why he is the best in the world. He showed great commitment and his innings was as good as any he has played. Had only Ganguly ran the single when Tendulkar, when on 49, drove the ball into the covers, he might have got another big score. He could not get the single for another 10 balls and this upset his rythm.

Another plus was the fielding. Kaif epitomized the commitment they had on the field today with the `Jonty Rhodean' run out of Knight early on in the England innings. This immediately lifted the spirits of the others and they all showed positive body-language and threw themselves at everything.

This victory has eased the pressure on the Indians and they can go into their match against the Pakistanis in a far relaxed state of mind. If they continue their current form, the Indians should be counted as favourites in that match.

They can even count as favourites to win the cup after the mighty Aussies!!!

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