Fickle English weather and the Big 2

Much that Indian bowlers would like to forget memories of Michael Vaughan bullying them on that 2002 tour of England, the batsmen too would remain wary of Matthew Hoggard

Much that Indian bowlers would like to forget memories of Michael Vaughan bullying them on that 2002 tour of England, the batsmen too would remain wary of Matthew Hoggard, the 14 wickets, and of course his arm-length swings.

Wasim Jaffer, for one, would remember Hoggard8212;the bowler got him twice for scores of 1 and 08212;that virtually put the lid on the right-hand opener8217;s career. That aside, in England8217;s victory over India in the first Test at Lord8217;s, it was Hoggard8217;s seven-wicket haul and prized catch of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly that sealed the fate.

Like Englishmen touring India face the perpetual question about their ability to tackle spin8212;their difficulty to tackle the weather notwithstanding8212;Indians have suffered a similar fate when it comes to their handling of swing.

Once again, this time, the subject of facing the English seamers in windy conditions and tapping the moving ball will be on top of Indian minds.

To find an appropriate solution here, India cannot do better but take note of two successful batsmen in their own ranks, who have made English grounds their own backyard on the last two tours. Sourav Ganguly8217;s trip in 1996 and Rahul Dravid8217;s run-glut in 2002 remain the best examples in this current Indian team for the juniors to learn from.

Ganguly is remembered in England more than anything for his back-to-back centuries 11 years ago while Dravid, for that Headingley innings when he shut the doors on the possibility of England winning the series. While the former collected his fame and number of runs merely with immaculate timing, Dravid8217;s efforts were a classic example of concentration and hard work.

One former cricketer whose batting was in a class of his own, refers to these two batsmen and their achievements as the perfect illustrations for someone wanting to learn. Former stalwart Gundappa Viswanath believes that 8220;to tackle English conditions and bowlers, it has to be a combination of technique and timing both.8221;

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The Bangalore-based ex-India batsman may have been running to become India8217;s batting coach, but his praise for senior Indian batsmen has its place, especially when talk revolves around such exceptional performances. 8220;You cannot say Ganguly was good then and better now or the other way round. It is the gift of timing that he has and it will always be there as many times he walks out to bat,8221; explains Viswanath. Dravid, on the other hand, he says 8220;works very hard on his batting. He is the kind who will stay there, look at what is happening and work his way out.8221;

Dravid and Ganguly could be very different but there is no denying that they8217;ve been successful in similar conditions.

Ganguly himself has a few things to say about his own batting. Before embarking on the long tour that involves playing Tests in England, the southpaw spoke about fond memories of his England tour in 1996, when he first emerged as a batsman to watch out for. 8220;I like those conditions. Over the years, county has played its own role in helping my fascination for the place but overall England, I personally think, has given me the comfort of coming up with my best. When conditions support, it helps to get going,8221; he says.

Dravid8217;s views are, nevertheless, different. The skipper talks more about high levels of concentration and technique that is required to succeed. 8220;Headingley was satisfying because it was challenging to stay there in the middle and tackle the conditions. There was pressure in terms of the fact that we were trying hard to level the series,8221; says Dravid.

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In terms of their route to success, Ganguly and Dravid might be completely different. While the former likes to enjoy the conditions and make the most out of a comfortable situation, the latter is the man who likes to work under pressure, work his way out of difficult situations.

The two, undoubtedly though, have been immensely successful in England. While there is a lot of hope that they carry on with their success, it remains to be seen what the others learn from their achievements.

India land in Belfast

Belfast: The 15-member Indian cricket team, led by skipper Rahul Dravid, today flew in here to play a three-match one-day international series against South Africa in Ireland. The team, accompanied by cricket manager Chandu Borde, will begin its 80-day tour of the United Kingdom by playing the first match of the off-shore series against South Africa at Stormont on June 26. The Indians are scheduled to play a warm-up match against Ireland here on Saturday. After the series, India will travel to Scotland to take on Pakistan in a one-off ODI clash at Glasgow on July 3, the proceeds of which would go to the Prince Charles Charitable Trust. The players would then move to England to take on the hosts in a three-Test series, which would be followed by seven one-dayers. PTI