The Hindu : Sport : Playing five bowlers will benefit India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 05, 2005

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Playing five bowlers will benefit India

Dravid will have to try a different combination in the coming encounters

W.V. RAMAN

The IndianOil Cup marked the start of a new season for India and that too under a new coach and captain. However, things like the poor record in Sri Lanka, the indifferent batting form and the combination of the team are pretty much the same despite the change of guard. The hosts won both their encounters against India after being down on the mat, which will dent the psyche of the Indians further. Significantly enough, the hosts won both the matches chasing a target, a feat not common in Dambulla.

Jayawardene chose to return to form at the most appropriate time for the Sri Lankans and not so for the Indians. The talented middle order batsman was hardly heard of in the last one year but Wednesday's knock was probably the turnaround Jayawardene was looking for a while. Though Jayawardene and the Sri Lankans deserve credit the rigidity of the Indians with regard to playing only four main bowlers needs to be put under the microscope.

It is not a case of hindsight making me wise but a quick peep into the past would reveal that several games have been lost due to the absence of an additional bowler. Dravid has continued to carry on with Ganguly's legacy of playing with just four main bowlers to strengthen the batting line-up. The new team management tried several changes in the batting order to assess the best possible slot for each batsman but the indifferent form did not provide any answers. Moreover, the skipper was the only batsman on view to provide some sort of confidence though there were minor contributions from Kaif and Raina.

Ganguly's return

The return of Ganguly has sorted out the opening slot and his half-century will provide a bit of comfort to the side. But Sehwag is nowhere near his best and it is crucial that he gets going if India has to pose any threat to the experienced Sri Lankans. Given their achievements, it is only fair to expect Sehwag and Ganguly to contribute heavily with the bat, but to give them the ball under pressure and expect them to swing the game in India's favour can prove to be a backlash. The form of the middle order continues to be a worry with the exception of Dravid though Laxman always provides a fair amount of anticipation. Laxman does tend to get into problems with his timing on pitches where the ball does not come on to the bat quickly enough. As such, he may struggle to retain his place and Raina will get some more opportunities if the Indians stick to playing only four bowlers. Raina has proved to be an asset on the field but as of now he cannot be the choice at number seven.

The Indians will be expected to beat West Indies and take on the hosts in the final. It remains to be seen if there will be a rethink as far as the final combination is concerned. Anil Kumble has been left to cool his heels and he needs to get a game before the final in order to be prepared. Kumble's experience will come in handy and the leggie bowling in tandem with Harbhajan will add to the pressure.

With the batsmen failing to achieve the objective, playing five bowlers will give the Indians the chance to back themselves especially if they happen to defend a target. Dravid will have to bite the bullet and try a different combination in the future encounters. It is a tightrope walk he must prepare himself for, as only flexibility in thought process makes a team evolve.

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