'Will to go for the kill' to the fore

The Indians went for the kill and were quite ruthless as they demolished the Zimbabweans in Kanpur. And their positive body language on the field - they did appear desperately keen to avenge the Jodhpur loss - was indeed refreshing to see. One only hopes Sourav Ganguly's men go about their task in a similar fashion against stronger outfits.

All credit to Ajit Agarkar and Ganguly, who exploited the seaming conditions to the hilt. Their line was impeccable and when the visitors missed, they hit.

Agarkar, in particular, caught the eye, moving the ball both ways, in the air and off the wicket, to baffle the Zimbabweans. When this Mumbai paceman strikes the right rhythm, he can be a handful to most batsmen.

Ganguly's ability to revel in such conditions is well known and he did not let the opportunity go waste. Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar can be very handy with the ball, and with both these players in the team, India does have the option of including an additional specialist batsman. Especially against teams like Australia and South Africa where depth in batting could make all the difference. The outcome after the Zimbabweans were skittled out was well known, especially with the formidable opening pair of Tendulkar and Ganguly walking into the middle. In the event, it is not fair to be critical of the Zimbabwe bowling. They hardly had any chance after the meek surrender by the batsmen earlier in the day. Yes, it was a no-contest, and though India took a winning lead in the series, the match turned out to be a huge anti-climax, after the Zimbabweans had put up such a spirited display at Jodhpur.

One would like to reiterate here that Zimbabwe is always prone to such capitulations since it relies overly on a couple of cricketers, Andy Flower in particular. On days these key cricketers fail to deliver, the side tends to come apart.

On the selection of the Indian eleven, rather the omission of Yuveraj Singh for the game, one did feel sorry for the Punjab youngster. Not too long ago he was hailed as the new batting sensation and within a matter of a few days, he finds himself in this sad situation. It would be worth remembering here that his memorable knocks came against the demanding Australian and South African attacks. And let's not forget the fact that he is a wonderful fielder.

Yuveraj is a match-winner, a rare commodity in Indian cricket, and it always makes good sense to include such a cricketer in the line-up. Dropping him was a harsh step and would do his confidence no good.

Let's not take our budding stars to the skies and then drop them with a thud. There is too much hype in the media too, putting that much more pressure on the youngsters. It's time we approached both success and failure with more equanimity.

By K. SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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