After having been blown away by Christ Gayle at Trinidad onSaturday, India had everything to play for on Sunday at theQueen’s Park Oval
Erapalli Prasanna03-Jun-2002After having been blown away by Christ Gayle at Trinidad onSaturday, India had everything to play for on Sunday at theQueen’s Park Oval. The series level at 1-1, the deciding matchwas one last chance for India to redeem some pride at the end ofa long and hitherto bleak tour.The rub of the green and run of the ball went mostly in India’sfavour as Sourav Ganguly won the toss for the third time insuccession. India made most of the good fortune that came theirway, winning the match most comprehensively and taking the oneday series 2-1.Given the fact that the track had already been used for 50 overson Saturday and it exhibited some wear and tear, the surfacealmost resembled those commonly found in the sub-continent.Ganguly, thus, must have been might pleased at the idea ofbatting first on such a track. My own analysis was that the ballwould start to keep low in the second half of the match, makingit difficult for the batsmen to play their shots.I was very impressed with India’s game-plan, which laid a strongemphasis on building partnerships. The fact that India put up 260bears testimony to this positive batting approach. True, thenature of the pitch was to the liking of the Indian batsmen, andthey relish batting on such easy-paced tracks, but the runs stillhad to be made, and all credit to the Indians for making them.The target was always going to be stiff, even for sides wellequipped to chase down such high totals. The West Indies neverreally recovered from the double-blow early on when the openerswere dismissed for next to nothing. The West Indian batting,throughout this tour, has revolved around Carl Hooper andShivnarine Chanderpaul, but on Sunday, Hooper failed for once,largely due to the mounting pressure of the required run-rate,and Brian Lara too failed to get going.Even though Ridley Jacobs and Chanderpaul put up a brilliantfight, the Windies had surrendered the match in the early stagesof the run chase. Few teams can afford to lose the top half oftheir batting line-up for just 88 runs and still chase down 248runs in 44 overs.Almost all of Ganguly’s plans were executed to perfection. Foronce, this Indian team looked like a well-knit unit, and theydeserved fully to win this crucial game. The 2-1 one-day serieswin will help team morale, even though they lost the Test seriesby the same margin.
© CricInfoI should also commend Ajit Agarkar for his effort in Indiawinning the one-day series. He seems to have found his rhythm andhas been bowling well under pressure. The only area of concern isthat India still seem to be struggling when it comes to wicketkeeping. With the World Cup coming up in 2003, India should beplaying a specialist stumper rather than have Rahul Dravid toplug the hole.I am sure the team management has discussed the long-term aspectsof his wicket-keeping assignment with Dravid. If they have,however, Dravid will have to think first as a wicket-keeper andthen as a batsman.The idea of sacrificing a specialist wicket-keeper to include theextra batsman baffles me, especially with a formidable line-upalready in place. I also think India should always play fivespecialist bowlers. More thought, along such lines, should gointo team composition, and we cannot afford to experiment, as wedid in the Caribbean, once the World Cup rolls around.Having said all this, I still feel that the Indians had a goldenchance to win the Test series as well. After leading the series1-0, they squandered a great opportunity. My feeling is thatIndia should always play two spinners, since spin is theirstrength. I am happy, however, that the Indian side will at leastreturn home with smiles on their faces.In the interim, England have been playing some good cricket. I amsure that the Test series against England will be a closelycontested one. Even though the series will be played in thesecond half of the English summer, I expect the tracks preparedfor the series to offer considerable bounce. Javagal Srinath’sexperience in English conditions will definitely be missed, butthe show must go on, and it is for the younger brigade to take upthe challenge in England.