The Hindu : Sport : Time for youngsters to perform

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 08, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport

Time for youngsters to perform

`It would be perfect if we had a series win under our belts before the World Cup'

The Indian team is going through an evolution of sorts, with the induction of a fair amount of fresh talent, says Tom Moody

— photo: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH

KEY PLAYERS: Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene gives some tips to Russel Arnold on the eve of the first one-dayer against India.

Plenty has been said about the fact that Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas are missing from this important series leading up to the World Cup, but I think that's actually quite a blessing, because it gives them the opportunity to take a well-earned break.

Besides, their absence also gives some of the younger players the opportunity to assume greater responsibility. Our leg-spinner Malinga Bandara, for instance, has done well whenever given opportunities to do so, which have frankly been few and far between.

When we were operating under the Super Sub rule, we had a chance to get him more involved in the game as a player, so this series is a great chance for him to perform to potential once again.

Confident

Admittedly, the younger guys have some pretty big shoes to fill, but we are 100 per cent confident of their abilities. We hope to gather a lot of momentum from this series to carry into the World Cup, though I am not a great supporter of the theory that playing conditions in the Indian and Caribbean are pretty similar.

In fact, I don't think there can be too many comparisons between the two countries. For one thing, most of the wickets in the Caribbean will be almost brand new — no older than six or eight months — which means they are an unknown quantity.

For another — and this is the vast difference between playing India in India and elsewhere — we will be two neutral teams playing at neutral venues, though we are in the same group. The overpowering energy that flows from the crowds when India play at home will be missing in the West Indies, so it will be more of an even contest.

Major step

That said, beating India at the group stage would be the major step in our progress to the Super Eight stage, so this series offers the team a good opportunity to find form going into the World Cup.

Cricket's showpiece event is not the best place to try and find form, after all, and it would be perfect if we had a series win under our belts, so that the guys would be on autopilot in the Caribbean.

Sri Lanka has evolved a great deal as a team during the past year, though success is a moving target and evolution is the only way forward. The Indian team, too, is going through an evolution of sorts, with the induction of a fair amount of fresh talent.

The face of the last India-Sri Lanka series, of course, was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and he certainly arrived on the scene with all guns blazing! However, though a terrific talent, I assume he will find it increasingly difficult to live up to expectations, which have certainly mounted as far as he is concerned.

Perfect venue

The fact is that both these teams are now looking to grow, and Eden Gardens is the perfect venue for a fair fight. The pitch looks good, and with overcast conditions forecast for Thursday, the dew factor will probably not play as strong a role as it does during a day-night game. I'm sure everyone would be eager to erase memories of the last time India and Sri Lanka met at Eden, so here's looking forward to a great show.

(Gameplan)

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport