The Hindu : Sport : A question mark against the Indian batsmen

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Sunday, Nov 26, 2006
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A question mark against the Indian batsmen

No one, not even Sachin, has that competitive aura that can put bowlers on the back foot, writes Barry Richards

To put it mildly, India are in serious trouble, and it's going to take more than Sachin's magic to turn things around for them. The opening salvos have been fired, and South Africa have the howitzers and India the peashooters at the moment. You have to put a real question mark against the Indian batsmen on any delivery that bounces above stump height.

After all, one didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that pitches would have a little more grass and bounce than you see at Brabourne or, say, Multan, where batsmen need to be blindfolded to give the bowlers a fair go.

There will be no such luxury for the Indian batsmen in South Africa. It's not so much the degree of difficulty as how India are going about it.

The players seem almost resigned to the fact that it is all too tough, and appear to be waiting for easier pickups later in the year. No one, not even Sachin, has that competitive aura, that defiant glare that can put bowlers on the back foot. Senior players are your core strength when the going gets tough and you need, as a unit, to be committed to working together to blunt South Africa's arsenal.

Sehwag is a prime example of what's going on. He was fit to play had we had a game in Johannesburg but not fit for a game in Durban three days later. What is going on? Surely as a senior player he had the duty to stand up and be counted. He opted out of the "hot kitchen" and left new boy Wasim Jaffer to face the music.

What sort of message will it send to the younger players?

Touring and playing as often as modern players do has its share of problems but you have to enjoy other cultures and get out and about with the locals.

From what I can gather it's not happening here in South Africa.It's not easy to get out there when you're losing but it is worth the effort. Taking your mind off the cricket in the `down time' is very underestimated, but getting out and about relieves the pressure and the Indians can do it here in South Africa where they can do it without the press and public invading their space.

The senior players and Greg Chappell have to formulate a plan, a plan that all endorse and are committed to. It's all very well to say `I'm going to do this and that' but it has to be meant.

Cape Town is a day game so the conditions won't change much over 100 overs. It's not an absolute belter, and the bounce is a little inconsistent, but 250-280 is always possible.

Tendulkar will no doubt at some stage explode and all India will think there is a resurgence — sadly that would be flattering to deceive.

The problems for India are more in the head than in the technique at the moment and it's going to take some serious soul-searching and answering the hard questions for that man in the mirror to make this tour one to remember.

Gameplan

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