The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Same old story for India

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Friday, Aug 05, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Same old story for India

Arjuna Ranatunga

I suspect India would have had too many issues to ponder with at the end of their triangular series game against Sri Lanka. They started off well and then lost the plot while batting; the same happened when they bowled. Sri Lanka were just a whistle away from being blown away. Such lordliness from a team trying to take fresh roots would hardly be funny to the new coach Greg Chappell.

It is stating the obvious that a bright start was not built upon and India were 20-30 runs short in the end. Sourav Ganguly would have little complaints though he got out at the wrong time for India. Virender Sehwag did not make use of the chances but deserves sympathy because the wicket was too slow.

It has not been a good bunch of one-day strips at the Dambulla stadium. Tillakaratne Dilshan is a part-time bowler in the Aravinda de Silva mould. He is the kind of spinner who relies on batsmen to make mistakes, and the Indians obliged. They played bad shots and a solid platform was lost.

Dilshan was the last man you expected to wreak such damage. Given that the pitches for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean would be similar to what we have at home in Sri Lanka, Dilshan provides hope for his captain.

The other star for Sri Lanka was Mahela Jayawardene, who seems to relish the Indian bowling. There were concerns about his form and the manner in which he got out in the first two games, missing straight deliveries while attempting to drive off the front foot.

But Wednesday turned out to be a delightful day for him, as he was able to flick deliveries to fine-leg from the off- and middle-stump right from the word go. The only regret for Jayawardene was the run-out of Marvan Atapattu. This is the third time running the two have been involved in a mix-up and the captain has been at the receiving end.

India struggled once their fast bowlers were through with their spells and it has been a feature for them throughout the tournament. Three matches is a long time to look for an alternative or a change in strategy. The opposition waits for the weaker bowlers to emerge and since the Indian batsmen have not made big totals, the weak links in the bowling department are being fully exploited.

India played an extra batsman and reduced their bowling strength once again. It must have been all the more disappointing to see the batsmen not able to justify the trust in them. V.V.S. Laxman made a forgettable return to one-day cricket. His face was a giveaway as it showed him extremely uptight. Laxman is a slow starter in one-day cricket and there is no urgency in his batting, a faculty which was badly required after the openers had given a solid start.

Laxman has been given a berth in the team in the absence of seniors and if he cannot make use of it, he might as well bid goodbye to the 2007 World Cup.

Irfan Pathan kindles hope for India as an all-rounder in the making. He made some clean, whistling hits. He has a good batting technique and if a fast bowler can contribute 30-40 runs in dominating style, it could be extremely useful to the team.

I would not fault Rahul Dravid for India's embarrassing loss, as it was the batsmen and bowlers who were guilty. His batsmen first wasted a good start and the bowlers then drifted too much down the leg-side.

Harbhajan and the fifth bowler duo of Ganguly and Sehwag let the pressure off so splendidly applied by the fast bowlers. I am afraid that it is increasingly looking like the old familiar tale for the Indians in Sri Lanka. — PTI

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