The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Of an exuberant knock and a remarkable twist

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Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Of an exuberant knock and a remarkable twist

The tone for India’s win was set by the young Karthik, writes W.V. Raman

The Indians registered a series win in England after a long wait of 21 years and though Dravid’s decision to have a second hit is debatable, he will settle for the 1-0 margin. A combination of a good pitch and Indians’ positive batting did not portray the Englishmen as eggheads at The Oval on the opening day.

The tone was set by the young Karthik, who played with the flair that one normally associates with a Sehwag or Slater. The youngster has carved a niche for himself in the series with his batting and but for his adaptability to his new role, Dravid would have encountered some serious concerns. The controlled aggression of Karthik rubbed off even on Dravid who likes to play himself in as he took off the blocks quickly with some expansive strokes.

The Indians meant business in their first innings with everyone making a contribution, but the remarkable twist in the tale came in the end with Kumble scoring his maiden century. The leg-spinner has always put up a price on his wicket and his trademark determination made him realise his dream.

Looking ragged

The Englishmen looked ragged on the field as Dhoni and Kumble ran them to the ground to set India up for a possible victory. Michael Vaughan, for all his sagacity, failed to inspire his bowlers and his field-placing looked strange at times. He would have realised that handling a very good attack is a far cry from handling an inexperienced one. Matt Prior’s very ordinary work behind the stumps added to the woes of Vaughan and his bowlers as well.

The Indians were expected to win the Test after they amassed a huge score, but on a flat pitch it was going to be hard work, especially with only four bowlers in the line-up. The reluctance to bowl back to back came in for severe criticism, but one must remember that the Indian skipper had a whole night to muse over his decision.

Dravid was obviously peeved at the criticism for not enforcing follow-on, but he would do well to remember that he will get his share of bouquets and brickbats. In the end, the series win was what mattered, and not necessarily the margin of it.

Four-part act

To me, it was a four-part act that enabled India to win the series, starting off with the crucial Dhoni innings at Lords.

That narrow escape kept things on an even keel, and who knows, a loss there could have changed the whole script. While the Dhoni-innings kept India afloat, Zaheer Khan’s incisive spell at Nottingham helped India get into the driver’s seat.

The initiative wrested by Zaheer gave India the mental strength to outplay the Englishmen and record a thumping win. The third part was the slip-catching, where the likes of Laxman and Tendulkar excelled.

The fourth part is the way Karthik and Ganguly batted in the series, though the latter’s figures may not reflect the quality of his batting. Ganguly played as fluently as he is known to play, and the silken touch and grace was a delight to watch.

Karthik in his first series in England played with a lot of confidence as did Ganguly. The very fact that two cricketers of different generations (if one may say it) exuded utmost confidence indicates that the Indian dressing room is a happy one.

I say this because neither of them looked like playing for their places in the side.

Now that the Indians have the psychological advantage, they need to keep the momentum going in order to win the one-dayers.

There is no reason why the Indians can’t do it as England team has not been at its best in the shorter version of the game.

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