Thursday, May 16, 2002
Thursday, May 16, 2002 |
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Cricket
It turned out to be a forgettable fourth Test, with the mountain of runs on the flat Antigua pitch, hardly presenting Test cricket in good light. Given the conditions, none of the side made a push for victory, and what we got in the end was a dull, drab draw. It is time the Indian bowlers manage to rise above the conditions and learn to bowl out sides on good batting tracks. The Australians and the Pakistanis do that because their pacemen know the art of reverse swing. The Indian bowlers, on the other hand, are dependent on the conditions. The only gain for India was the fighting hundred from wicket- keeper batsman Ajay Ratra. He was under pressure, and responded with a hundred in only his third Test. Ratra coming good certainly added weight to the Indian lower order, that was so grossly inadequate in the first three Tests. V.V.S. Laxman managed to reach the three-figure mark this time and he is another cricketer, who can be valuable to the side, given his natural ability. However, the Indians, for most part, were guilty of scoring at a rate that is way below the acceptable. The Indians reached the 500-run mark only on the third morning and even if they had managed around 275 in the 180 overs of the first two days, the score would have been 550 on the conclusion of Day two. Or, had the Indians been content with 500, they would have had the option of declaring around an hour before close on the second day. The Indian pacemen could have had a fling at the tired West Indian openers. Rate of scoring is an area where the team- management has to work on. It goes without saying that this series is a contest between two of the weaker Test playing nations. Under the circumstances, it is not surprising that the series is 1-1 going into the final Test in Jamaica. Both sides are evenly matched. It is quite astonishing, even on the placid St. John's pitch, that this mediocre West Indies line-up managed to keep the Indians on the field for nearly three days, which would surely have left Ganguly's men more than a little tired, ahead of the decider in Jamaica. The Caribbeans are dependent on just three batsmen - Lara, Hooper and Chanderpaul - and of the trio, Lara has had a low key series so far. HooAper and Chanderpaul, however, have gone from strength to strength, and the Indian attack has quite simply run out of ideas against the two, who, with one Test to go, have already had the best series of their careers! The team-management has to work extra hard to come up with the right strategy against Hooper and Chanderpaul. Find a little chink in their game and exploit it. This is the hallmark of good sides, who keep working on their adversaries. The match at Antigua was a strange Test. Superstars Lara and Tendulkar hardly made runs, while the wicket-keepers of both sides scored hundreds. Yet, honestly, though the quantity was huge (runs), the quality left much to be desired. The most endearing sight of the otherwise drab Test was Anil Kumble, bowling with a fractured jaw. That indeed was a stirring moment.
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