The Hindu : Gains for India from the Samsung Cup series

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 26, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Gains for India from the Samsung Cup series

By S. Dinakar

LAHORE, MARCH 25. The Indians celebrated, a display of fireworks lit up the night sky, and a famous ODI victory applauded by a sporting Lahore crowd had been achieved.

The triumph at the Gaddafi Stadium was critical for India from several standpoints. The foremost among them being able to finish on the winning side at the business end of a series or a tournament.

And India made history in Pakistan with a depleted bowling attack.

The Indians were picking up the reputation of being chokers, not quite being able to get their act together when the occasion demanded.

Their talent was never in doubt, but shades of grey were visible when it came to the question of strength of mind. They would often crumble under the weight of expectations after promising much and another tournament victory bid would be gone with the wind. In the cauldron of a final, searching questions were being asked about their temperament.

The Indians had much to prove to themselves and the world going into Wednesday's match. Another stumble was bound to dent their morale ahead of the Test series.

But then, the manner in which the Indians blended as one on the field, displaying resolve and togetherness brought back memories of the NatWest final and the Champions Trophy (2002), when Ganguly's men bucking the odds, fought back from tough situations.

Winning stems from confidence, and the Indians had to break the jinx, and hop on to the road of what could now be a more positive sequence at the last hurdle.

Pathan on song

Given the conditions, the Indians had to strike early and the young pace duo of Irfan Pathan and L. Balaji were not found wanting. The two combined quite brilliantly in Australia, and on the less helpful tracks of Pakistan, adapted well. With Zaheer Khan returning from a hamstring injury and feeling his way through gradually, and Aashish Nehra splitting a webbing, there was intense pressure on Pathan to deliver. The 19-year-old left-arm paceman from Baroda responded to the challenge well, bowling with the heart of a lion, and getting the ball to move both ways from over the wicket; it is his ability to swing the ball consistently at a reasonable pace that makes Pathan such a threat in the early overs.

The decision to give Pathan the new ball ahead of the more senior Zaheer would not have been an easy one for Ganguly, but the captain was proved right. What is striking about Pathan is the eagerness and the zest with which he goes about his job; irrespective of the situation; his youthful exuberance can prove infectious which is not such a bad thing in a team game.

Like Pathan, Balaji has been learning fast; he is now delivering from closer to the stumps, his wrists are straighter and the seam position better, and he is taking the odd one away from the right-hander.

When Pakistan began the chase, it was imperative that the Indian pace attack made early inroads. The early evening moisture on the surface would help the pacemen, but as the game progressed into the night, the dew on the outfield would also make it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball.

When Pakistan was reduced to 58 for four, the home team had a mountain to climb. Balaji opened the sluice gates, and Pathan made further inroads.

The Indian victory, that has earned the side Rs. 50 lakhs as a bonus from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was a team effort every step of the way.

If Tendulkar held on to a remarkable catch under pressure to dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq, later adjudged Man of the Series, then V.V.S. Laxman conjured a skilful hundred in a big game, brushing aside a temporary loss of form. Now the Hyderabadi's batting has a touch of class about it and he did dismantle the Pakistan attack with some delectable strokes that quite magically were coaxed through the empty spaces on the field. Man of the Final he certainly was.

Eventually, if India stood firm, it was because the side made the right choices in bowling. India came back strongly in the last two matches, and much of it had to do with the return of left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, which meant India would be fielding four specialist bowlers who could be depended upon to finish their quota of overs. Importantly, pressure would be maintained in the middle overs.

And the role of Rahul Dravid, who did an able job leading the side after Ganguly left the arena due to a back injury in the final, will have to be acknowledged. As Ganguly and Tendulkar rightly pointed out, it was team spirit that carried India through on a memorable night in Lahore when Team India kept its date with history.

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