BAD NEWS: He’s back in form

You can’t help but begin with toss. Our bowlers would have used the Day One conditions better. Our Pathans and Balajis have better cont...

You can’t help but begin with toss. Our bowlers would have used the Day One conditions better. Our Pathans and Balajis have better control and swing and would have been devastating on the first morning. Our composition was a little flawed too. Ajit Agarkar was returning to cricket after a long lay off, whereas Ashish Nehra was in good form till he got injured. Therefore, let’s say that even before the game began, we carried two handicaps.

It’s also difficult to overlook our batting failure. They could have been overconfident or casual or both. They have been consistent for so long you don’t want to be too harsh on them. But they were a let-down when we needed them the most. It’s not everyday you can create history in Pakistan.

Rahul Dravid has not performed with the bat when he has been captain. I would not like to think that captaincy is affecting his batting. From my experience though, I can tell there are too many things which crowd a captain’s attention all the time. I had worked out a method by which I never used to let my focus waver in the middle. I felt that when I was at the crease my team needed the best out of me as a batsman. The rest didn’t matter. Sachin Tendulkar too failed to come to terms with the sharply incoming deliveries but then he has had this issue with his batting all through his otherwise glittering career.

As if this was not bad enough, Shoaib Akhtar has clearly returned to form. It took him six games to sort himself out but he did so in India’s second innings. His snorters were more than a handful for Irfan Pathan and Virender Sehwag. He’s finally realised that it doesn’t serve to keep a deep point and bowl those away-going deliveries to Sehwag. He was aggressive and accurate.

Our bowlers bowled well and Pathan showed a big heart but I felt he got a little carried away bowling those bouncers to the lower-order batsmen. One bouncer is enough to put a batsman on the backfoot; overdoing it wasn’t going to help the Indians’ cause. Also, despite his zip, he doesn’t have the pace to scare batsmen. It’s a long way for Yuvraj yet, but I think he can become the David Gower of the current age if he can cope with the pressure of international cricket. His century in the first innings was such a delight for its power, placement and timing. In full flow, he was a treat to watch. But I am not sure if he should open the innings in the Rawalpindi Test. That should be Chopra’s to do.

It’s not as if I am a great admirer of Aakash Chopra. He hardly has any stroke in front of the wicket. If Sehwag gets out cheaply, Chopra’s 40s are never going to be enough, and he can also reduce the scoring to a crawl which could become a factor if you want to raise a good score in quick time. Pakistan bowled well in this game but I felt they were a bowler short. Had it not been for Umar Gul, India could still have made their regular 400-500 runs. Shoaib and Mohammed Sami appeared decent only in the second innings. They also have an issue with their opening slot. Taufeeq Umar is not aggressive or positive. If their openers can give them a good start, they will be a better team. What made the big difference, along with Gul’s bowling, was the revival of the innings on the third day. The tail put on over hundred runs which deflated the Indians.

Enough has been said about the umpiring and I share the popular view. Everyone makes mistakes but when umpires start making elementary mistakes, then it’s a major concern. It’s a tough job, you have to concentrate on every ball and conditions and match situations could exhaust any umpire. But you can’t ruin the game. This issue is growing in international cricket all the time and the authorities just can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.

(Cricket News)