da imperador bet： If Indian cricketers can do nothing else, they can throw a spanner in theworks with a regularity that would confound the most diabolical of greasemonkeys
Anand Vasu16-Aug-2002If Indian cricketers can do nothing else, they can throw a spanner in theworks with a regularity that would confound the most diabolical of greasemonkeys. With the team struggling not a little to counter the conditions -and cricketers – on tour in England, selection has been a burning issuethroughout, and it is likely to remain so for the entirety of the tour. Butwith the middle order – favourite tinkering site for most team managements- as full and settled as it has been in recent years, the Indian think-tankhas turned attention to other departments.At a press conference at the end of the Trent Bridge Test, where India ekedout a face-saving draw to keep the series alive, skipper Sourav Gangulyadmitted that all was not well. At his candid best, Ganguly said, “At somepoint we will have to look at other options in the bowling department.”This was in response to a pointed question that inquired whether thecaptain thought the current bowling attack capable of taking 20 wickets towin a Test.With seamers Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan going for runs bythe bushel, and only the latter looking even remotely penetrative, it seemsmore and more likely that young Tinu Yohannan will get a game this series.That prospect appeared unlikely at best when this tour got under way. Butin this case, Yohannan might just sneak in on the back of his colleagues’performances. Nehra has just five wickets at an average of over 60 and astrike-rate of a wicket per 100 balls, so one suspects the Delhi left-armseamer, seldom fully fit, will be relegated to the sidelines for the thirdTest at Headingley.Agarkar and Zaheer Khan have admittedly fared a touch better than Nehra,but neither has managed to inspire much fear in the minds of the Englishbatsmen. Both average more than 40 and have proved expensive to boot.Zaheer Khan will hold his place in the side thanks largely to the few shortbursts of genuine pace and aggression he displayed both at Lord’s and TrentBridge, while Agarkar’s batting, which has finally bloomed, will be a majorplus when the management sit down to pick the team for the third Test.Putting the pace conundrum aside, there is the spinning riddle. ShouldIndia go with the raw yet promising Harbhajan Singh, or opt for theexperienced Anil Kumble? Neither has distinguished himself abroad, butIndia will certainly have to play one spinner. After all, at a time whenseamers are struggling, the captain must bank on his traditional strengthto tide over the rough spots. If nothing else, the presence of spinnersshould help curtail the flow of runs, keep one end tied downfor periods of time, and perhaps force the mistake. As a bonus, a spinnerwill also help the slow over-rate, which cost the Indians 40 percent oftheir match fee at Trent Bridge!But all said and done, the bowling is not the trickiest of puzzles for theteam management to solve. It is at the top of the batting order that theIndians traditionally struggle abroad. In the two Tests thus far, the bestbuffer Rahul Dravid has had at number three is 61 runs, and that was in thesecond innings of the Lord’s Test. The other three innings have yielded”partnerships” of 2, 6 and 0 – hardly the stuff of which sterling openingpairs are made.While Virender Sehwag has settled perfectly into his role, despiteconditions being less than conducive to his batting style, the other endhas proved to be shaky. Jaffer, with scores of 1, 53, 0 and 5, hasadmittedly been unlucky with more than one decision. Yet one struggles tosee him retain his place in the side. Before the Indians traveled to Essexfor their warm-up match, there was talk that Jaffer would get another go,given that he had made scores of 51 and 86 in the WestIndies just two Tests before the England tour. But Shiv Sunder Das seems tohave put paid to Jaffer’s hopes. Making 250 in the game against Essex, Dashas made it extremely difficult for even the most fickle of selectors tonot select him.Or so we speculate. Not long ago, Zimbabwe toured India, and the hosts wereyet again in search of an opening batsman to partner Das. Gautam Gambhir,Delhi’s stylish left-hander, slammed a double-hundred in a Ranji trophygame before the start of the series and followed it up with 218 for theBoard President’s XI against Zimbabwe. Consecutive double hundreds infirst-class matches, and yet the selectors looked right past him. What willthey do this time around? Your guess is as good as mine, but it seems safeto say that Das will probably sleep a tad better than Jaffer in the week tocome.