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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly in conversation with bowling coach Bruce Reid (centre) as Frank Tyson looks on during their nets session at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan
The players, from the two tour games thus far, are clearly battling to come to terms with the pace, bounce and the cricket culture which is different from the rest of the world. Everything here is result oriented and aimed at enhancing the performance beyond the ordinary. The Indians have understood it early enough in this most significant series for a long time. The Gabba has hosted some magnificent and bewitching contests that have enriched this great game. The sight of Richie Benaud testing a young Garry Sobers must have evoked the same anticipation as Shane Warne challenging Sachin Tendulkar would. Though this series may not match the intensity of the past there is reason to believe that effort would be made to attain previously unscaled heights. The Indian team, engaged in an orientation programme, has contracted former Aussie left-arm fast bowler Bruce Reid as a bowling coach. A superb choice provided the bowlers learn to implement what he advocates. Reid's suggestions, however, would definitely not be much different from what Kapil Dev repeated countless times when India last toured Australia. "Pitch the ball up, pitch it up'' he would scream but the Indians were repeatedly cut and pulled all through. Can Reid alter that trend? His appointment was welcomed by Australia opener Justin Langer, who remarked, "Reid is good as long as he's not bowling for them. But I know his appointment would be beneficial for India.'' Reid was at the nets on Tuesday afternoon, directing the left-arm trio of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan while Ajit Agarkar and L. Balaji were guided by former Australian fast bowler Frank Tyson. India coach John Wright said, "Reid has vast experience and we thought he could mould the boys. We've a young attack and Reid was highly recommended.'' He also conceded the possibility of using Sachin Tendulkar as a leg-spinner in the forthcoming series. "He's enormously valuable to the team,'' noted Wright. Tendulkar was glad about having to play a bigger role. For the time being though he was happy bowling pace in the nets with a new ball. "Genuine pace,'' he added stressing on `genuine.' A bowling coach, a batting coach, trainer, physiotherapist, psychologist, computer analyst, a former Test off-spinner as manager, and a thinking team management make it a very scientific Indian camp. What more would a team require to discover winning ways? Probably a wicket-keeping coach who could teach the basics to the wicket-keepers. The Indians continue to be confused. No decision has been made on who would open the innings even though Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag command the confidence of the team management. Sehwag was described as `strong and brave' and `capable of exploding on fast and true pitches' by Wright. There is no strategy on the bowling attack _ five bowlers or four, three seamers or two spinners _ but there are signs of the team management wanting to depart from past policies and forge a new discipline in the team. The Australians are pretty relaxed, and yet fiercely focused. Their nets session reflected their positive state. Brett Lee bowled to his mates prior to testing his ankle and stomach muscles in a one-day match against Victoria. Jason Gillespie has been handed the responsibility of spearheading the attack and is quite clear about the role he has to play. "No extra responsibility on me,'' he said dismissing any suggestions of extra pressure in the absence of Glenn McGrath and Lee. "We've to wait and see how the Indians play. The Indians have some good batters, good bowlers, but it's nice to bowl on green wickets. It feels great. I wouldn't worry about the results,'' said Gillespie. Langer was guarded in his response. "The Indians (bowlers) lack in experience. They have pace and talent and look competitive,'' he said even as he described the spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, as world class. Langer complimented the curator saying, "good, hard pitch with lot of grass on it.'' Gillespie, not in the habit of seeing the pitch before the match, admitted he would take things as they come. The difference between the teams lies in the approach. The Aussies look ahead while the Indians grapple with the present, often burying the past without learning the lessons. The two tour games on this tour have hardly helped the side. In fact, the woes have begun early, with Sourav Ganguly inviting the local media's wrath with his attitude. His having nets when the match against Queensland was in progress has come in for a lashing from the media here which expects Ganguly to uphold the traditions of an international captain. But Ganguly looks at things differently. The vice-captain Rahul Dravid spoke for the team when he said this series would be different from earlier ones. "We're here to play good cricket. We've specific goals to achieve and have been trying to give people opportunities,'' he responded to questions on the form and approach of the players. But Dravid's remark on the tour summed up the team's attitude in dealing with the pressure and hype preceding the series. "There's nothing special about this tour. We respect the opposition but hope to excel and show we can compete with the best team in the world.'' That, one would say, seemed a pleasant discovery about oneself.
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