Despite being in the dressing room for most of the Indian innings due to severe calf and hamstring cramps, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid showed a big smile and sense of humour too. The 160-run win meant an avalanche of positives before the Sri Lankan series and clarity about World Cup team composition. Such was the mood at the post-match press conference that even the repeatedly asked irritating question — how long will the experiments continue? — saw a deadpan Dravid reply, “As long as we need.” When asked if he was relieved seeing Tendulkar being among runs at No 4, he was almost in splits. “It was never a concern for the team management, so there is no question of being relieved. But the thing is, now even those who were concerned should relax,” Dravid said. And, as an afterthought, he added with a naughty smile: “But then what will we talk about? Maybe you guys will find something else,” he added. But that exercise will be a real brain teaser in case one goes by today’s proceeding. There wasn’t one foot laid wrong. Read on: • Robin Uthappa once again proved that he remains the top contender to be Sourav Ganguly’s partner at the top of the order. His 28 from 17 balls meant India had scored 47 from 6.3 overs. • Sourav Ganguly showed he can pull the short ball over the fence with the same elan he drives through the covers. Ironically he missed his favourite ‘stepping out lofted shot’ to be stumped but after his 82 balls 68 he had done the job. • Rahul Dravid had said after the Chennai game that he should have been around longer, which made it difficult for the team to approach the 300 mark. Today he stuck around till the 44th over, scoring 78, and that meant the final score almost reached the 350 mark.• Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 at No 4 meant India’s middle order muddle was not quite that.• MS Dhoni’s blitzkrieg in the final overs meant a nightmare for rival bowlers bowling at the death. • Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar confirmed their status at India’s top-two new ball bowlers. They showed that variety and change of pace is the way to bowl on dead track. Moreover, Agarkar also exposed that getting Chris Gayle early means the probability of a West Indies collapse increases.• Yuvraj Singh, even without a bat in hand, is an asset for the team. The catch to dismiss Dwayne Smith was the kind that is showed in promos to hype Team India.• Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble confirmed their status as top spinners by going for less than 4 runs per over despite the dead track. But there was one cause of concern for the Indians and a big one at that. Irfan Pathan was listless during his 7 over spell by going for 43 runs. The man so very vital for India’s team composition is still in trouble. But Dravid was in an obliging mood. “I think he bowled well for someone playing his international game after a long time,” he said. Didn’t we say he showed a sense of humour today.
