The Hindu : Sport : Dravid executing his plans meticulously

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 18, 2006

Sport

Sport

Dravid executing his plans meticulously

The absence of Akhtar, Afridi made the difference at Multan, says Javagal Srinath

MAKING WAVES: With his pace and nagging line, Sreesanth has come a long way and is looking forward to cementing a place in the team. - PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM

At times, captaincy is just not all about picking the right eleven or doing the right moves on the field. It is also important that captains win the toss at the right time. To translate the strategies discussed in the team meeting into realities on the field, winning the toss sometimes become a highly crucial factor.

Rahul Dravid winning the toss at Multan on Thursday certainly did not make the host skipper any more comfortable as he was already leading a depleted side. Throughout the tour, Shoaib Akthar's pace and Shahid Afridi's flamboyant batting were the main threats to the Indians.

The absence of this dangerous duo created a big void in the Pakistan team. Hence, the belief of winning the match was certainly low on the host side. Losing two key players and then the toss was a double blow for Pakistan.

For India, the performance of the youngsters was a treat to watch. The three relatively new fast bowlers — Irfan Pathan, S. Sreesanth and R.P. Singh — looked a formidable lot under the given conditions. Three fast bowlers operating for India is not new, but the trio bowling in tandem with a common purpose is a rare sight. Kamran Akmal's dismissal was meticulously executed. When such plans fetch desired results, it helps to build a tremendous understanding between the captain and the bowler. Sreesanth caught the eye with pace and attitude, but it was R.P. Singh who proved to be the dark horse. He was simply outstanding. A bouncer that rattled Shoaib Malik was followed by an intelligent spot-on inswinger to pack Younis Khan back to the pavilion. I cannot imagine if Yuvraj Singh had ever been so consistent in his career. Yuvraj's shots were powered with his high back-lift and Dravid's determination did not allow Pakistan to make an impact.

Suresh Raina exhibited top class maturity in his approach. He not only has a great technique to play fast bowling, but has a good cricketing acumen especially while picking the right bowlers to play shots.

Dravid's captaincy was remarkable. This series win is an important achievement in his career as a leader. It's never an easy beginning for him. Even in his own career, he took time to settle down in the shorter version of the game. Here, after taking over the captaincy from Ganguly, which was again not under the best circumstances, Dravid had to make a lot of effort to reach the stage where he is now today.

The usual practice in the one-day format is to win the toss and elect to bat. Invariably, the team that bats second tends to succumb under the pressure of chasing the runs on board.

But in this series the team bowling first has always driven the team to an advantageous position. The pitches in this series so far had a definitive role for the bowlers. — PTI

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