Have wings but waiting to fly

"So close, yet so far." 8212; Dinesh Mongia They have been watching the cricket from beyond the boundary. They are members of a squad whose...

8220;So close, yet so far.8221; 8212; Dinesh Mongia
They have been watching the cricket from beyond the boundary. They are members of a squad whose exploits they have not quite been able to share. Frustrating is a word that binds Punjab batsman Dinesh Mongia and Kerala paceman Tinu Yohannan as they sum up their West Indian summer so far, this participation in the Indian campaign from the sidelines.

Mongia never really got within touching distance of the hallowed 22-yard-long strip in the middle. Yohannan did when he was named in the final 12 before this Kingston Test. On the eve of the Sabina Park encounter, the tall former high-jumper had what could have been his Caribbean debut all figured out. 8220;In my first spell, I8217;ll go all out, the new ball does something.8221; Later it would be a nod to the dictates of line and length. As it happens, he never got a chance. As it also happens, most unfortunately, his fellow bowlers did not heed the gameplan.

Savour the irony. After play each day, the cricketers who haven8217;t done time under the sweltering sun rush out, practising their bowling and batting skills with intense determination. In the mornings, in the evenings, they are the ones who sweat it out the longest in the gymnasium, checking with trainer Adrian Le Roux if they are following their regimen adequately.


Tinu Yohannan	Dinesh Mongia

It8217;s as much wise procedure as it is a coping mechanism. 8220;We get motivated to find a place in the side,8221; says Yohannan, the first Kerala cricketer to play for India. 8220;We have to satisfy ourselves that we are ready.8221; Agrees Mongia, meeting even disappointment in his characteristic way, with a ready smile: 8220;I keep working very hard, thinking, I8217;ll get a chance, I8217;ll get a chance.8221;

The One-Day Internationals may yet see them on the field as proud lieutenants in the Indian campaign. Mongia certainly would be a contender difficult to ignore, what with him coming here straight from a 156 against Zimbabwe. In fact, asked about the one-days, he immediately stresses: 8220;That8217;s what I8217;m here for.8221; And with Javagal Srinath booked on the first flight out after the Kingston Test, and with Ashish Nehra looking drained, Yohannan too should get his much desired chance.

Till then, there is the strain of connecting with their team8217;s on-field exuberance. 8220;You can8217;t be part of the winning side,8221; spells out the 24-year-old seamster. 8220;Like when we won in Trinidad, if I had been part of the team it would have been even better. But you realise it is for your team, your teammates.8221;

A connection of sorts is established when they come on to field for tiring or injured teammates. Does that help? 8220;Not really,8221; agonises Mongia, a year older at 25. 8220;I still can8217;t win a match for my country. I want to achieve.8221; There is, however, he adds, no denying that even that is a treasured experience. 8220;It8217;s a great feeling,8221; he beams, 8220;when you come on to the field with an India cap on your head, it is something special.8221;

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So there they will be, waiting cap in hand till May 25, when the first One-Day International gets underway.