Mohali Musings

Boycott corners all attention — whether it is finding faults with Shastri’s swing or Morrison’s grip — in the `mock sessions’. Different matter though that Shastri would disagree and find fault in Boycott’s `coaching’. Yes, Boycott knows it all. Wasn’t he swinging a club when he was supposed to be fielding in what was to be his last Test match in Delhi (1981)!

SAME OLD STORY: Watch the New Zealanders and the Indians train and you would be surprised to see a wide chasm in approach. Whereas the Black Caps are innovative, the Indians still believe in the `same old ways’. The Kiwis divide themselves in two groups and play Frisbee. They have a special ball (much bigger than the normal medicine ball) for back and abdomenexercises and their fielding drills, both with tennis and cricket balls, are worth watching. If you watch the Indians, you would be amused to find their coach giving them slip catching practice just the way in his playing days, some four-five years back!

ELECTION CAPERS: The members of the new selection committee were visibly disturbed with the host’s first day’s performance, especially with newcomers Devang Gandhi and Vijay Bharadwaj. Their decision to play only two seamers on a pitch, where the rival seamers needed only 27 overs to bowl the Indians out, had drawn lot of flak. Thanks to Javagal Srinath’s spell, Indian batsmen had a chance to make up for the first-innings disaster. Gandhi’s batting not only impressed his supporters but the selectors as well. The pitch has slowed down, the ball is keeping low, spinners are expected to call the shots now, vindicating the selectors’ faith in them. There are already `I-said-you-so’ phrases whenever the selectors huddle together. As for their job –selecting team for the next Test — it seems there would be no head-scratching now. It could be an unchanged team.