On the right track

The victory over Kenya was expected, but the heartening aspect was that India fielded three debutants for the contest. This is certainly the right way to go. Pace bowler Zaheer Khan, hard- hitting batsman Yuveraj Singh and wicket-keeper Vijay Dahiya were capped and, in many respects, it represented a bold move.

Zaheer, part of an effective three-pronged pace attack, appeared nippy off the pitch bowling left-arm pace, and can be groomed for the future. These are early days yet in his career and he has to learn the tricks of the trade - moving the ball in the air, off the pitch, change of pace. His future lies in being a fast-medium swing bowler rather than someone who is quick.

And it was good to see Yuveraj's positive approach on the field. The youngsters are all reputed to be fine fielders and this can only be good news for India.

However, one felt Robin Singh could have been utilised as a bowler. The Tamil Nadu captain is in the team as an utility player and not as a specialist batsman and it did appear strange that he was not required to bowl a single over. In case Robin has to operate against Australia, it would not have been a bad idea to have given him a bowl against Kenya.

Coming to the Indian batting it was good to see Rahul Dravid back among the runs and the knock would certainly have helped his confidence. It is vitally important that he comes good against the Aussies.

Vinod Kambli, making a comeback, cashed in on an opportunity to pick some useful runs, but his `Big Test' would come in the next game.

Coming to the home team, though they might be ranked at the bottom, their attitude on the field was praiseworthy. They threw themselves at the ball, and gave it their all. And even Kenya seems to possess an useful all-rounder in Thomas Odoyo, something India cannot boast of.

True, the host might not have posed much of a challenge in a lacklustre match, but from the Indian point of view it was good to start on a winning note.

K. SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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Section  : Sport
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