The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Pathan and Clarke, budding talents

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 05, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Pathan and Clarke, budding talents

By S. Dinakar

Irfan Pathan leapt in the air like a radiant bird taking flight, soaring in the rarefied zone of Test cricket, and celebrating a famous `strike'.

And like in any classic tale of the victor and the vanquished, the sight at the opposite end made contrasting reading. It was curtains for Adam Gilchrist.

Even as the Indians converged in a heap on a youngster with dreams in his eyes and fire in his veins, Gilchrist began the long walk back.

Actually, the Aussie did not seem to realise what had hit him. His stumps were in a shambles, and the man who often despatched the ball past the ropes in a flash, had now been sent packing, done in by a vicious reverse swinging yorker from Pathan.

A duel that was mismatched it had appeared — a 19-year-old paceman, in only his second Test, pitted against one of the most fearsome strikers of the ball in cricket history, someone who can leave even accomplished bowlers with a dented ego.

But cricket can spring wonderful surprises and in the cauldron of the big games and in demanding situations many an unexpected script has been written.

It had been a moment of pure magic from that unforgettable India-Australia Test at Sydney last season, and looking back, it was at that very point that Pathan's international career was kick-started in the real sense, triggering several more successes.

Excellent series

The Baroda left-arm paceman was outstanding in Pakistan, where his 12 wickets in the three-Test series was a major factor in India's epoch-making 2-1 victory.

Pathan is the brightest young Indian star in the up-coming four-Test series, and he will be on the hunt again. But then he could be operating on spinner-friendly pitches devoid of pace and bounce, where his precision and skill would be put to test once more.

He is tall, is filling out well, operates at a brisk pace, and has shown an inclination to learn. In the sub-continental pitches of Pakistan he very rightly bowled a fuller length.

There is so much that is right about Pathan's bowling; a strong wrist action, the two-way seam movement, and an uncanny knack of landing the ball in the area around the off-stump at a length that invites the batsman to launch into a front-foot drive, preceded by a fluent run-up and release.

Exciting player

Facing him in any of the Tests, could be the young Michael Clarke blessed with loads of ability. The New South Welshman, seeking to figure in his first Test, is the most exciting talent from Australia; a natural galloping on his skills, a `flair' batsman who dismantles an attack.

He has sizzled for the Aussies at No 7. — an extremely difficult slot to bat on — in the ODIs, and that he has invariably carved out match-winning knocks with lovely cricketing strokes without resorting to crude methods, indicates that he could be a success in Test cricket as well.

A wristy customer with wonderful footwork and strokes on either side of the wicket, the 23-year-old Clarke could cope with the Indian spin attack well, if he manages to break into a strong Australian Test batting line-up. The absence of Ricky Ponting from the first two Tests could provide him with an opening.

In how well Clarke adapts to the sub-continental conditions lies his true test. If he gets a start, he could well consolidate, finding the gaps, and seizing the initiative from the opposition.

Pathan and Clarke do represent a vibrant younger generation that could soar in the days to come.

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