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Thursday, Jul 26, 2007
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Indians practise indoors as rain continues

S. Ram Mahesh

Ganguly has no active involvement due to a stiff back

Nottingham: The rain has followed the Indian cricket team from London.

Worse, it has seemingly gained in intensity; enough in any case to force the side to abandon the scheduled practice session here at Trent Bridge and repair to Loughborough.

So hauntingly rustic is the forty-five minute drive to Loughborough University — flecked cows, silent cottages, plain primroses — that the ECB’s National Cricket Centre, inside the University, comes as a surprise.

Everywhere in this modern facility one finds proud signs of its lineage: a hall of fame containing names such as Alastair Cook, Monty Panesar, Ian Bell, Chris Tremlett; photographs of the Ashes celebrations; and a quiet corner to Rod Marsh, who was head coach till 2005, and Peter Moores, who has since graduated to coach the senior side.

Built at a cost of £4.5 million, the indoor facility has six strips for batting — bowling machines in the middle two — and space enough to practice slip catching.

“I mean, look at this,” said Yuvraj Singh, “you really don’t find facilities like this in India. Of course it’s a good enough substitute (for nets at the Test ground).”

Yuvraj spent much time in the fifth net, facing an assortment of seamers, both right and left-arm, and spinners. On the adjoining strip, V.V.S. Laxman grooved his off-drive as fielding coach Robin Singh, manning the bowling machine, upped the pace and widened the line.

Attacking options

Both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar worked on attacking options against the ball short of good length and wide off off-stump — the parameters of Chris Tremlett’s landing areas.

While Dravid cut to ground with a horizontal bat, not the back cut but the more contemporary version, Tendulkar played the forcing drive square, the cut, and the upper cut.

Throw-downs were available in the first two nets. Openers Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik, and Dravid partook. Though Sourav Ganguly was present, a stiff back prevented him from active involvement.

It isn’t serious; the left-hander is expected to take part in Thursday’s practice session, said Rufus Rocky, the media manager.

“Sourav had a slight strain in his lower back,” said Rocky. “But, it’s nothing to worry about. He should be able to come out tomorrow.”

Such is cricket that a man’s stiff back could just be another’s look-in. “He (Ganguly) should be fine, but you should ask John Gloster (the physio),” said Yuvraj, smiling at the subtext in the question.

Did he, Yuvraj, think he may play the second Test, starting Friday? “That’s not really in my hands,” he said. “Obviously, I’d love to play, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Brightest star

For long, Yuvraj has been the brightest star of Indian batting’s next generation. But, while he has evolved emphatically in the one-day version, the tall left-hander hasn’t yet shown clinching evidence of having worked out the Test format.

That he possesses a range of strokes to most parts of the field — and crucially many cater to the area front of the wicket — is indisputable. It has allowed him patches of brilliance: the 129-ball 112 against a rampaging Umar Gul at Lahore and the 144-ball 122 in a score of 265 chasing 607 at Karachi.

But, he hasn’t shown the mastery of the craft of scoring runs a less-obviously gifted Alastair Cook has. Little wonder that Yuvraj has two Test hundreds in 19 games since 2003, while Cook has six hundreds in the same number of Tests in two years.

The 2006 tour of the West Indies was wretchedly disappointing for Yuvraj. With Tendulkar’s injury and Ganguly’s non-selection, Yuvraj had his opportunity. But, he failed to cash in — 104 runs at 17.33 from four games meant his temperament was under question.

Dealing with frustration

A part of Yuvraj’s problem has had to do with dealing with frustration. The Indian middle order at its heights had no elbow room.

But, with definite signs of decline in three of the Big Four, mustn’t he be pushing harder?

“You have to give these guys respect,” said Yuvraj. “You don’t put pressure on them. It was obviously disappointing at Lord’s. We didn’t have many partnerships. But, the wicket changed after the rain. We have been here for a month, so we are used to the conditions. We just didn’t have a good game.”

At 25 — officially, though the rule of thumb is to add two years to it — Yuvraj is entering a decisive period.

John Wright believes he has what it takes to be a very good Test batsman, but he will need to break in first.

His great mate, Mohammad Kaif, seems lost to the system; India can’t afford Yuvraj going the same way.

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