The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Get Anil Kumble in

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Wednesday, Feb 08, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Get Anil Kumble in

India needs buffer in the form of a few extra bowlers with more variety, writes Javagal Srinath

— FILE PHOTO: AP

SEASONED CAMPAIGNER: With Indian bowling lacking teeth it will be sensible to bring back Kumble.

It was a sad finish to the first one-dayer in Peshawar as the game was so delicately poised. But in the end, the Duckworth-Lewis equation tilted the balance in favour of Pakistan. In what appears to be an incomplete defeat for the Indians, few bowling issues continue to stare at the face of the team management.

First of all, the Indian bowling, which had struggled to come to terms in the Test matches, will not find it easy playing the one-dayers on much more batsmen-friendly pitches. Having realised that the bowling is the weak link, the idea of going with five bowlers was certainly a sensible decision. India needs buffer in the form of a few extra bowlers chipping in with more variety.

But what is glaring is that the team is missing out on the experience front. While Zaheer Khan, the senior most bowler, is still a shadow of himself, consistency is eluding Ajit Agarkar time and again. Somehow, the Indian new ball pair has never settled for too long. With Irfan Pathan leaning more towards the bat than the ball, the quest for match-winning bowlers still continue for the tourist.

With Murali Kartik being in and out of the side, the team is only left with Harbhajan Singh to rely upon. Under such circumstances, it is certainly wise to call upon Anil Kumble to lend credibility to the bowling department as a whole. If anybody can give the right advice to the bowlers and also play his heart out, it can be only be this silent assassin.

It is true that the playing 12 (including the super sub) should be picked keeping in mind the 2007 World Cup. Till then, the confidence building measures for the bowlers has to be an integral part. Losing too many games and holding the bowlers responsible too many times will erode their conviction. So it will not be a bad idea to recall Kumble.

Well-defined role

Sachin Tendulkar played a well-defined role for the team. His approach must have surprised many in the initial part of his innings. But if one can read between the lines, he was the one infusing energy into Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the middle.

The senior most player leveraged his wealth of experience as he helped the two youngsters at the crease. This act of mentoring in a game situation is where he brings real value to the team. Scoring runs is one thing but making others score is the most important thing.

Few years ago, the game plan would be for Sachin to play his aggressive shots and the rest would revolve around. Now, it is still Sachin at the centre but other batsmen around him play the shots. In a way, it is a reversal of roles where Sachin does not open up to take the extra risk initially but enables other batsmen to unleash their strokes.

Heartening sight

The most heartening sight was to see Mohd. Asif bowling as well as he bowled in the Tests. On sub-continent pitches, it is crucial to bowl well during the initial part of one's career to have a sense of belonging in both forms of the game.

This lean youngster graduated quite easily to the white ball. Hitting the right areas consistently and being repetitious are good habits in fast bowling. Asif has worked hard to replace Sami, whose potential is yet to be realised.

As a captain, Rahul Dravid was impeccable. Timely promotion of Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh in the batting order helped India to keep the momentum going. Shuffling the bowlers was so important to bring about variation as long spells can become too predictable.

From the Pakistan point of view, it almost played the game into India's hand. Mindless running and batting by Shahid Afridi and Mohammed Yousuf proved that pressure can bring the best down to their knees.

With Shoaib Akthar yet to make his presence felt, Pakistan may appear to hold the upper hand. But if the Indians can bat the way they did on Monday, the bowling edge of the host can be negated. — PTI

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