The Hindu : Sport : Yuvraj should bat at No. 3

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Sunday, Sep 02, 2007
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Sport

Yuvraj should bat at No. 3

Collingwood’s street-smart approach helps him succeed, writes W.V. Raman

The rival captains, Collingwood and Dravid, were faced with different challenges at the start of the one day series. Collingwood had the onerous task of infusing confidence in the ranks after the loss in the Test series, while Dravid had to motivate his boys to sustain the intensity levels.

Though both the captains are on even keel in terms of leading by example on the batting front, Collingwood has inspired his team in the other two departments as well by setting high standards.

Of course, Collingwood is no real threat as far as pace is concerned but his street smart approach helps him succeed with the ball at crucial junctures.

Collingwood and his team are ahead both individually and collectively on the field, and this has set both the captains and the teams apart.

The obvious differences notwithstanding, the England lower-order batsmen have proved to be more than a handful as was evident at Old Trafford. Bopara and Broad scripted a remarkable win to put England in the box seat and it will take an exceptional turnaround if India has to win the series.

Tiny little cracks are beginning to develop, with the bowling coach Prasad expressing his displeasure about Munaf Patel. His views cannot be dismissed but at the same time Prasad must realise that his comments in the midst of a series can be counter-productive.

Munaf Patel might be physically fit but quite obviously he is not bowling as fast as he possibly can. Patel cannot try and sustain himself by bowling far below his pace and this very fact was conveyed to him before he departed from Bangladesh. However, it doesn’t seem to have registered with Patel and the sooner he starts bowling faster the better it will be for all concerned.

Robin under scrutiny

The fielding of the Indians has come under the hammer, and as an extension the fielding coach Robin Singh is under scrutiny. Nevertheless, one must concede that there is only so much that he can do to improve the fielding standards. On the one hand, the Indians have some players who are longer in the tooth which is of no great help but, however, the likes of R.P. Singh and Romesh Powar seem to undermine the hard work that is presumably put in during the practice sessions.

Unfortunately, they have not given the impression of being safe let alone being athletic. It all comes down to the individuals and the Indians would do well to take a leaf out of Panesar’s book who is definitely a much improved fielder than he was a year ago.

Team India has to take one game at a time rather than looking at the remaining three games in entirety. The Indians need to rethink about the number three slot and based on current form, Yuvraj Singh will the best candidate as the skipper is playing the floater’s role well.

The left-hander is the kind of player who is difficult to contain and if he can play more number of overs, the better is for Team India.

Karthik can always play the cameos down the order and the lower-order batsmen can play around him. The critical factor for the Indians is to support their bowlers on the field and thereby allow the skipper to be positive and continue playing five bowlers.

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