The Kiwis had evidently done their homework well. Mixing up the bowling attack with spinner Daniel Vettori and medium-pacers Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram - it was all a well-planned strategy. The three did manage to control the Indians despite a brisk start by Virender Sehwag. Aakash Chopra did well but I think the selectors have made a mistake. They could have picked Sadagoppan Ramesh instead. And even if Chopra was in their scheme of things, India could have opened with Sehwag and Dravid. Or even VVS Laxman. We could have got some quick runs then. Yuvraj Singh’s inclusion too could have boosted our run rate. Laxman is a very cool player. I think Saurav Ganguly was right in sending Laxman in his place. It was at a crucial juncture, because match-winner Sachin Tendulkar had failed. It was a pressure situation. Laxman can mix caution with aggression, while Saurav often throws his wicket away playing rash shots. Losing another wicket would not have done us any good. Besides, Laxman has always played well in the company of Dravid, like at the Eden Gardens against Australia. Tendulkar, I feel, simply gave his wicket away. He should have left the ball alone. The ball was outside the off-stump and Tendulkar should not have played it. He was uncomfortable all through, and his wicket put a lot of pressure on Dravid. Sehwag has a problem with being over-confident. The umpires might have made a mistake in judging him lbw, but I think that’s part of the game. I was impressed with the Kiwi medium-pacers. Despite the wicket being spinner-friendly, they bowled tight spells and Fleming was not at all wrong in using only Vettori till late in the day and then introducing Paul Wiseman. By Kunal Sanghvi, Age: 20 years and a First Year student
