The Hindu : Sport : Dravid's men cannot be discounted

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Friday, Mar 09, 2007
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Dravid's men cannot be discounted

Peter Roebuck

Sri Lanka's main problem may be that; expectations are high

Can a subcontinental nation cause an upset in the 2007 World Cup? Sri Lanka has the cohesion and India the class needed to prevail. Nothing much can be said about the Pakistanis, except that they don't resemble a team on the verge of mighty deeds.

Beaten finalists in 2003, the Indians are regarded as outsiders. Considering the wealth, population and deviation at India's disposal the national team has a dismal record. Furthermore most of India's best players have been around a long time. Although a few lively pacemen have emerged, the emerging batting looks frail and spinners are thin on the ground.

Last chance

Accordingly the 2007 tournament offers the last chance to take the title for a generation. A few months ago the idea of India reclaiming the Cup seemed to be a flight of fancy.

Important players had fallen into apparently terminal decline. Sourav Ganguly had been ousted, Zaheer Khan's laziness had caught up with him, Virender Sehwag yearned for the comforts of home and Sachin Tendulkar was a shadow of his former self.

In the nick of time the leaders managed to restore ambition. Senior players have been recalled after replacements failed to take their chance. Nor was the old guard merely its old self. Ganguly had been spotted running around fields. Zaheer was likewise inspired by revelations of mortality to turn his back upon wasteful ways.

Notwithstanding these welcome restorations, much will depend on the form of Sehwag and Tendulkar. Although he failed in the 2003 final, Tendulkar led his team's recovery from a slow start. A giant of the age, he has in recent times played with so little distinction that even sympathisers thought the game was up. Does he have another inspired campaign in him?

Sehwag is a more quixotic type but he is likewise capable of extraordinary feats and the Indians will be hoping his hunger has been renewed.

India's bowling is dangerous but wayward and the fielding lacks mobility. Yet there is an authority about the side that means it cannot be discounted. Also men fight harder when they know that no more fields await to be conquered.

Sri Lanka's main problem may be that expectations are high. Ever since Mahela Jayawardene and Tom Moody came together the team has played well. Moody has brought calmness and consideration to the side.

Jayawardene has emerged as the leader his team needed. He has batted with composure and captained with courage and his players have responded. Victories have been secured without the services of the famous men upon whom the side's fortunes were supposed to depend.

Clever seamer

Amongst the veterans, Sanath Jayasuriya remains a buccaneer capable of taking an attack apart whilst Chaminda Vaas is a clever and accurate seamer whose hairstyle hints at eternal youth even as his bowling indicates decades of experience.

Although batsmen have become accustomed to his wiles, Muttiah Muralitharan remains a threat and can pounce upon batsmen fresh to the crease. Besides these stalwarts, the side's strength lies in teamwork and telling contributions from Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, a formidable cricketer and competitor able to represent the best of the past and the hope of a prosperous future. Taking confidence from their elders, the youngsters no longer play with a diffidence easily mistaken for timidity.

Sri Lanka is playing well enough to reach the later stages of the tournament but might lack the power needed to take the spoils. India is the opposite. Rahul Dravid's side could easily come a cropper in the opening rounds but after that anything is possible.

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