Ganguly’s googly: Kumble was missed

But Ganguly was not ready to accept the need for a second spinner. “I don’t think so,” Ganguly replied asked whether he should have gone into the match with two spinners. “If fast bowlers keep it tight at one end, a spinner can pick wickets (from the other end). When we saw the wicket on the first day, it was a fairly hard pitch,” Ganguly said.

“I have never seen a wicket overseas, even in India, yield so much of spin from the rough. There was nothing left on the wicket.” So bad had the wicket become on the last two days that off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who sat out in this game said: “The wicket is absolutely gone, there is nothing left,” looking at the track with wide cracks on either side.

“Anybody who had gone close to the wicket would have noticed it. And this has been so since the fourth day,” Ganguly said. “We missed a spinner very badly. You could see Kumble when he bowled he looked like picking a wicket every ball. I never expected the wicket to break in this fashion.” It was quite ironic that Ganguly needed the help of a spinner he didn’t deem fit enough to hold his place in the two previous Tests. Harbhajan Singh was preferred in Trinidad and Barbados Tests before the roles were reversed in this game. Ganguly was full of praise for his three fast bowlers each of whom bowled in excess of 40 overs in the West Indies’ innings which crossed the 600-run mark on the last day.

“I thought all the three fast bowlers bowled their hearts out. It was not an easy wicket but they kept on running in everytime they bowled. “I think it is a very encouraging sign for a captain to see his bowlers on a placid wicket run in every time you throw the ball to them,” said Ganguly. The skipper admitted India’s fielding wilted once the West Indian batsmen started piling up runs. “I think we slowly started going down because there was nothing left in the match. We fielded pretty well in the other three Tests and I think we will do well in Jamaica where the situation is very competitive.” Ganguly also praised man-of-the-match Ajay Ratra and Wasim Jaffer for their knocks.

“Ajay (Ratra) I thought played superbly. He showed a lot of character because he didn’t have two good Tests in Trinidad and Barbados. He was under a lot of pressure in this Test and he came out with flying colours.”

“Ratra’s performance holds good for Indian cricket as it does for his future.” Ratra made 115 after coming in when India were reeling at 257 for six. “As for Jaffer, he looks a quality player. It appears he has a lot of time to play fast bowling which I think is a sign of a quality player,” Ganguly said. “The rest is up to him how he handles the situation and keeps on playing for India.” Ganguly admitted India’s plans to contain Chanderpaul failed to click.

(PTI)