The Hindu : Fans are the biggest winners

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 18, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Fans are the biggest winners

By S. Dinakar

`FAN'TASTIC: The banner sums up the popular sentiment in the two countries. — PTI

RAWALPINDI, MARCH 17. The Samsung series has thrilled the senses so far despite all the apprehensions about security. While security has been tight, the teams have gone about their job with a lot of passion, the matches have been roller-coaster affairs and the finishes gut-wrenching.

There has been a fair sprinkling of individual brilliance as well; Sachin Tendulkar waltzed past 13,000 one-day international runs with a century full of character, Inzamam-ul-Haq displayed exquisite touch, Ashish Nehra bowled with the heart of a lion, the fiery pace pair of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami sparkled in patches and Rahul Dravid made runs in characteristic style.

But then, the most heartening aspect of the two matches so far has been the spontaneity with which the performance of the Indian team has been appreciated in Pakistan. If at all there are barriers of any kind between the people of the two nations, they are crumbling rapidly.

In Karachi, Rahul Dravid was loudly cheered when on 99, and in Rawalpindi there was warm applause for Nehra for his gutsy bowling braving an injured ankle. And there was genuine admiration for Tendulkar's dazzling ways at the crease.

Several Indian supporters, who crossed the border to watch the Rawalpindi game, were welcomed with open arms by their Pakistani counterparts. In fact, one could view the Indian and Pakistani flags side by side in the stands.

Even when the matches went all the way down to the wire, the crowds watched the proceedings with a degree of calmness amidst the excitement. The cricket-starved public just wanted to witness some good, clean India-Pakistan cricket.

Goodwill and friendship is the theme wherever you travel in Pakistan, from the shoppers at the crowded Sunday bazaar at Islamabad to the person manning the giant wheel at a bustling, colourful Pindi fair. "Aap hamare mehmaan hain (you are our guests)" is the common refrain.

The matches have been engrossing even though the bowlers have been marginalised by the nature of the pitches. The quickest of bowlers have been taken apart by batsmen who have just planted their front foot forward and hit through the line.

The pitches at Karachi and Rawalpindi have been dry and lifeless, and although the surface at the Pindi Stadium bore a few minor cracks, they would have opened up, perhaps, only on the third day of a Test match.

The batsmen have not been complaining, though, and all the four innings of the series have produced scores in excess of 300, a record in itself. The ball has streaked past the ropes and been dumped into the stands with the bowlers, hands on hips, watching helplessly.

While both sides have competed with plenty of spirit, things would have been better had the games been staged on sporting wickets. It is a misconception that spectators like to watch only fours and sixes in one-day matches.

Nehra will be missed

Bowlers are a vital ingredient of the game and cannot be banished to the sidelines. Given the odds the pacemen were against, much praise is due to Ashish Nehra. The Delhi left-armer was the most consistent in the first two matches, bowling a full length, operating at a lively pace and getting some swing. It is a pity that a split webbing of his left hand has prevented him from taking further part in the one-day series.

Zaheer Khan, meanwhile, is going through a crisis of confidence, finding his rhythm one moment, losing it the next. Without Nehra, India's bowling is going to be stretched further.

For Pakistan, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Sami appear to be slipping into top gear. Akhtar's speed in the air and swing suggest that he does not really need to depend on the nature of pitches. The swashbuckling Afridi has now given the team more options.

Both the skippers and their teams must have held their heads high during the high tea hosted by Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, on Wednesday evening.

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