The Hindu : Sport : When is India going to stop chasing?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 30, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport

When is India going to stop chasing?

In ODIs a team’s match-winning batsmen should be at the top, writes Geoffrey Boycott

Whether or not Paul Collingwood takes the field on Thursday, India will have to up its fielding if it is to threaten the English. I mention Collingwood in this context because, as a brilliant fielder himself, he sets the standard on the field and his players follow.

Modern fielding, when it comes to the one-day game, is essentially divided into two parts: one is catching, and the other is stopping. One depends primarily on judgment and skills, and the other on athleticism. Sadly, Indians have always been better at the former, and the result is starting to show.

When I say Indians are better at catching, I should probably refine it further and say close catching, because I think Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and V.V.S. Laxman are among the best close catchers that I have seen. Unfortunately, you won’t get any close catching in one-day games, because modern one-day cricket is all about saving runs in the outfield, and the Indians have established themselves as appalling in that respect.

Demoralising effect

There are too many poor throws, and too many slips through groping hands, so that at the end of the day, you have given away at least 20 extra runs, which may not only mean the difference between victory and defeat, but also demoralise the bowlers.

Conversely, the way England’s fielders have been throwing themselves around and cutting off the singles is enough to lift a bowler. And thereby hangs another tale. If you aren’t athletic enough to cut off a quick single, and none of the Indians seem to be at the moment, it stands to reason that you can’t run a quick single either. Therefore, the batsmen are under immense pressure to play big shots to make up the run deficit. England’s batsmen, by contrast, have seemed far more alert and constantly on the lookout for the second run, which inevitably pressurises a fielder.

Australian policy

As with so many other aspects of cricket, the Australians have got it right. It is unlikely that any player will be allowed into the national team unless he’s a brilliant fielder, or unless he’s an exceptional talent like Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne, in which case he’s allowed to get away with some creaky fielding.

It is all very well to say that’s part of the Australian culture, but what stops other teams from incorporating it into theirs? In Robin Singh, India has an excellent example, because he made it to the national squad owing primarily to his exceptional fielding. However, he needs to be allowed to work with U-15 and U-17 cricketers if India is to look at its long-term prospects, because the raw material that he is currently working with doesn’t promise much.

Yuvraj should bat up

Having dwelt at such length on the fielding, I would like to make a point about the batting. Yuvraj Singh cannot bat lower down the order than Dinesh Karthik. If you ask me why, I would ask you to answer a simple question: if you were an ODI bowler, who among Yuvraj and Karthik would you prefer to bowl to? I think the answer is explanation enough, but I would like to add my old theory: with only 50 overs to play, you should have your match-winning batsmen at the top. In my book, that would mean putting in Yuvraj and Dhoni after the big three.

Finally, when is India going to stop chasing? I would have thought Dravid had learnt his lesson after Southampton, but evidently I was wrong. For England, these really have been lucky tosses to lose. And if Dravid chooses to field first at Old Trafford as well, I for one may be rendered speechless by the time my next article is due, and that is saying something.

Gameplan

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