The Hindu : Sport : Dravid defends Kaif and Yuvraj

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 11, 2005

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Sport

Dravid defends Kaif and Yuvraj

By Sanjay Rajan

IMPORTANT COGS: Mohd. Kaif and Yuvraj Singh play an important part in the Indian batting line-up, not to speak of their fielding which is worth a lot more. - Photo: K.R. Deepak

AHMEDABAD, APRIL 10. Somehow, and this is true most of the time, Yuvraj Singh and Md. Kaif never quite get the recognition they truly deserve for the crucial roles they play in the one-day scheme of things.

Occupying the No. 6 and 7 batting positions in the abridged version of the game is not easy. For, situations vary match after match. Aggression from the word go might be the requirement on a particular day. Caution might be the watchword on another. In short, it calls for flexibility and presence of mind.

When the topic of the lower middle-order came up the other day, and somebody pointed out that it has been failing of late, the Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid jumped to the defence of the two Young Turks.

"People do not seem to understand that Kaif and Yuvraj perform what is probably the toughest job in the side, and they do it so selflessly. It is unfair to say that they are in poor form just because they have got a couple of low scores," said Dravid.

After failures in the first two contests of the six-match Pepsi Cup limited-overs series against Pakistan, Kaif made 32 in the third ODI at Jamshedpur on Saturday, while Yuvraj failed. Chasing a tall target, the host's top-order collapsed and there was not much the rest could do, and both young guns will be hoping for better results in the fourth ODI here on April 12.

"The top-order batsmen get sufficient time to play themselves in, but Kaif and Yuvraj walk in during the last 10 overs and have to start hitting from the first ball. You cannot expect it to come off every time. Seven out of 10 times, one would fail. They are successful thrice, and that's the point. This does not mean they are going through a lean phase," said Dravid.

As Dravid pointed out, one cannot judge players walking in at 6 and 7 through statistics. You need to assess them differently, have to view their contribution with the situation as the backdrop.

Yuvraj, 23, has played in 114 ODIs (101 innings) and scored 2630 runs at an average of marginally under 30. The burly southpaw scored those runs at an impressive rate of near-87 and that's the point.

Similarly with Kaif. The fleet-footed Uttar Pradesh batsman runs like a hare between wickets. The right-hander has played in 84 matches (72 innings), scored 1773 runs at an average touching 32. Here again, the scoring rate is what that matters: a touch over 74.

Kaif was the captain of the victorious 1999 junior World Cup team, of which Yuvraj was an integral part. The two have been friends since age-group days. It has helped in their cricket as well, especially in their running of the singles at the `death'.

High fielding standards

Equally so in fielding. Yuvraj marks the point region and Kaif the covers. Tough positions in the one-day game, especially in the first 15 overs, with the field restriction on. Fielding is an area where the two have set very high standards for themselves.

Both understand their positions well, and bat with that as the objective.

As Yuvraj once said, "It is quite sad, the kind of support you get back home from fans and the media. At No. 7, you come in with very little overs left and sometimes you do not score. All of a sudden, one day you walk in with five wickets down and 35 overs to go. You might get a good delivery and get out."

The southpaw continued, "Then in nine innings you have hardly a big knock. The cricket followers may think otherwise. But what matters is when I come back to the dressing-room after scoring a quick-fire 20-25, and the team and coach appreciate the effort and say I've done a good job for the team. And that's what keeps me going when I have a bad time.

"The members of the team have all been around for long and understand that batting at 6 or 7 is not at all easy. I don't think it is right to always judge a batsman by records. You know, sometimes you come through a patch when you go in with just four overs left and have to get after the bowling. Then, if you get out after hitting a few boundaries, people consider it to be a bad performance because you have not scored a fifty in the last eight or 10 games. Honestly, what people think does not matter — what matters is what my team-mates think."

About what is really needed at the crunch, Yuvraj said, "It's not just technique, one has to be mentally aggressive. You have to be able to change your game and your approach quickly. You have to know your game very well. I try to keep it simple."

Fine preformances

Yuvraj and Kaif have together scripted some fine performances, notably the 2002 NatWest triumph. Kaif and Dravid helped win the crucial fourth ODI in Lahore on India's tour of Pakistan last season. Otherwise too, the Young Turks have chipped in.

Just that statistics do not tell the full story. Only the situation does.

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