Kaif’s flight 111 helps India soar

It needed careful juggling of the bowling attack as Zimbabwe, through Flower’s smart switching of the strike, attempted to out-score the Indians. His innings of 145 — the highest by a Zimbabwe batsmen in one-day internationals — displayed the sort of grit needed to give his team a chance.

Chasing 289 and falling 14 short was no small effort and if its architect failed to win the man of the match award, he could not begrudge Mohammed Kaif this singular honour. One of the two heroes of that great NatWest Series final at Lord’s, his maiden ODI century helped set up a challenging target.

With Rahul Dravid’s inspiration and help, Kaif resurrected a sorry Indian innings and an even more sorry performance by the top order and the end result was an undefeated 111 off 112 balls. Under great pressure, he showed he knows how to handle it.

With the batsmen playing away from their body and making catching practice easy, the Zimbabwe attack, at best of the pea shooter standard, would have been more than satisfied with a scoreline of 84-4. Those first 12.1 overs also provided the sort of non-stop action with the shuttle service to the pavilion working smoothly. First Ganguly, then Dinesh Mongia and Sachin, all failing on a pitch laden with runs.

Just as well Virender Sehwag applied some of his flamboyant strokeplay, though he had a lucky escape when the ball dropped short off a Hondo over. Just as well, too, that India found that middle-order depth which pulled them around at Lord’s, though what possessed Yuvraj to play the way he did is a matter between the batsman and himself.

At 87-5 Dravid, doing what he knows how to do best, gave the innings the life it needs to recover. Just how much Kaif owes the master technician was obvious enough. Kaif, a calm and assured young man and a future Test captain, needed Dravid’s guidance and early influence.

The result was a partnership of 117. Dravid’s 71 was an execution of fashion and quality and full of handsome strokeplay; anything on his pads was worked away with perfection and when he caused his own downfall by taking on the fieldsman, his anguish was obvious enough.

At least he created the confidence in Kaif to play his natural game. The youthful Allahabad batsman flourished the way he took on the Zimbabwe bowlers and at times reduced their efforts to that of a peashooter trying to knock over the Galle Fort battlements.