The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Good display by India

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Friday, Oct 15, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Good display by India

Winning the toss, as we all know is a matter of luck. The Indian captain once again faced the problem of losing the toss. Toss is an important ritual and is also an integral part of players' preparations. There are some players who remain little fidgety before the toss.

Once the toss is decided, the players start encouraging each other to get on with the job on hand. Even the best players in the world cannot avoid those anxious moments during the toss.

The advantage held by the tourists in winning the toss was surely negated by the Indian spinners today. The Chennai wicket, as usual, offered a lot of bounce and spin for the bowlers. Anil Kumble's nagging accuracy paid rich dividends. His spell in the last session was inspiring to watch. This is the class with which Anil has operated for so many years now. Not many teams can

survive when Anil is on song. On many occasions, I have watched in amazement as Anil demolished the rivals almost single-handedly. I can vividly recall Anil destroying the English team in 1993 at the same venue, which was incidentally Anil's first Test series in India.

A lot of cricket pundits declared that Anil's success was more because of the freakish and the unpredictable that he brings in the name of leg spin. Some went further to say that once his unpredictability sheen is gone he will be sorted out at the international cricket.

His performance in this Test is a sure reminder that Anil has come a long way and at the same time he still has the stuff to cover a fair distance.

Not easy

It's not easy for the bowlers especially in the sub-continent to make use of the surface in the first innings. But the red soil at Chepauk Ground has always offered something not only for the spinners but for the fast bowlers too. The `Turbanator', who made the initial breakthrough, appeared as if he was simply continuing his last spell from the Bangalore Test.

A classic left-hander dismissal of Justin Langer must have sent warning signals in the Australian camp. To dismiss a batsman by bowling a wicket-taking ball earns a lot of respect for the bowler. More than the bad batting, it was good bowling which triggered the downfall of the aggressive Australian batting.

To send Yuvraj to open the innings is not a bad move. Yuvraj will have to think hard about his cricket. Aggression is the important ingredient that he brings to his batting. But only regulated aggression can make him progress in Test cricket. This team is providing all the support that he needs and Yuvraj should not let this opportunity go abegging.

The Indians have a done a great job in getting the tourists out for 235. That's the normal score a team would expect to get the opposition out if it puts it in to bat. A good bowling performance is invariably followed by a good batting performance. The mindset of the batsmen at the centre is more positive when the target is within the achievable range.

The Australians might make it a little difficult for the Indian batsmen in the first session. But hard work without any rewards will definitely wear the bowlers off on such wickets. The Indians have a great chance to make a game of it. With the pitch not getting any better in the next four days to come, it won't be easy for the tourists to take an upper hand in this Test match.

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