The Hindu : The great Indian quest continues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 19, 2002

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Sport - Cricket

The great Indian quest continues

By Vijay Lokapally

THE SPEARHEADS: Javagal Srinath on whom rests the burden of carrying the Indian bowling attack, prepares for the second Test beginning on Friday at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain. (Right): Cameron Cuffy, the most impressive of the West Indian bowlers, has a similar task on hand. — Photos: V.V. Krishnan

PORT OF SPAIN APRIL 18. Can this bunch of Indian cricketers re-live those joyous scenes of over two decades ago when the world of West Indies cricket was turned upside down at this very ground.

India's first ever Test win in the West Indies was a historic moment and one distinguished member of that party happens be on tour again — this time sitting in the commentators' box. A little pep talk from him could do wonders to the confidence of this Indian team which is fiercely determined to make history repeat.

To achieve that, someone will have to play the role Sunil Gavaskar did — scoring runs by the tons. Of course, it is easier said than done, but there is no doubt that India has the potential to shut this West Indian side out. On paper, at least.

Interestingly, the West Indians also entertain similar thoughts, backing themselves to win here.

As the Indian team honed its skills at the `nets, some spectators of Indian origin turned up in excitement at the Queens Park Oval. Among them was an elderly man. He sat quietly, clutching a worn-out piece of paper in his hand. It had the autographs of all the members of the victorious Indian team of 1971.

He shared his emotions of that glorious day, when he sat in the stands and watched the Indians knock off the runs and win in style. It was an unforgettable day for him, and for Gavaskar's countrymen. Indian cricket made great progress that day. History can be of immense significance, provided one is prepared to learn from it.

There are members in this Indian side — the seniors — who value history and cricketing traditions. The Queens Park Oval is etched in their minds as the venue where India beat the West Indies twice, the second time in 1976 when the team overhauled a target of 400-plus. That win left the West Indian pride battered. And in the following Test at Kingston it was the Indian batting which suffered, destroyed by the pace battery under Clive Lloyd's command.

Harbhajan not fully fit?

The Indian camp was looking forward to Harbhajan Singh returning to the playing eleven. Even though he bowled at the nets, one suspected the off-spinner was not comfortable enough. Not the kind of comfort which would give him the confidence to go into the match with no fears of another breakdown at the back of his mind. It would be ill-advised if the Indian team management pushed Harbhajan into the contest.

"Harbhajan looks okay," claimed skipper Sourav Ganguly. But the final word would only be known on the morning of the match. The team, meanwhile, prays for his speedy recovery. It would, however, not be fair to expect an unfit Harbhajan to give his best.

But then his replacement, Sarandeep Singh, does not enjoy the confidence of the captain and that adds to the woes of the bowling department, which has simply come to rely a lot on Javagal Srinath.

The seniormost member of the side, Srinath is once again prepared to bend his back. "It's my dream to win a series for India overseas," he had said before leaving home.

He did his part by rocking the West Indians in the first session of the Test at Georgetown but lacked support at the other end. His shoulders may be aching but his spirit to serve is admirable.

It augurs well for the team which has young Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra waiting in the wings to take up the mantle once Srinath decides to say good-bye after the next World Cup.

In quite a similar situation to that of Srinath's was the gangling Cameron Cuffy. He too broke his back on an unresponsive pitch but was alone in his pursuit. "We know it helps to bowl in pairs, and that's what we should be aiming at. It's important to put the ball in the right area. It was not the best pitch to bowl on but I enjoyed my work," said Cuffy of his three-wicket show at Georgetown.

West Indies skipper Carl Hooper agreed. "Dillon was short of work," but added, "we don't have quality bowlers right now. I think we need to have a little more in the wicket for our bowlers."

Varied reactions on pitch

There have been varied reactions on how the pitch would behave. The Indians expect it to be dry and slightly favourable. One local expert predicted it could well deteriorate since the pitch had cracks at some places. The West Indian camp struck a different note altogether.

"We've a good chance on this pitch. We're excited looking at the surface and hopefully we will get a good result," said Hooper, indicating that he would be inclined to put faith in his fast bowlers.

It would be worth mentioning here that the Queens Park Oval, of late, has acquired the reputation of having uneven bounce and that would be a very exciting thought for the West Indians, who need some juice in the playing surface to pick up 20 wickets.

``There could be a result here," observed Bernard Julien, coach at the Queens Park Oval. A noted Test all-rounder of yesteryear, he said, "I think there could be a result. The Indians have an effective attack. Srinath is a good bowler. Kumble is tidy. The West Indians have some good youngsters. To me, the team which makes fewer mistakes will be better off. Fielding will be important and you'll have to take your catches. You'll have to be consistent in all the departments to win here."

The West Indians had a minor concern when leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo reported unfit with a niggling hamstring. "It's a worry for us," admitted Hooper even as the home team drafted in leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine as cover.

The great Indian search for that elusive series win overseas continues. If it has become some sort of an obsession, the players can not be blamed for it.

"We want to win the series," Ganguly repeated.

But pray, how? On the eve of the second Test here, the Indians were not even sure of what combination to adopt. Three seamers and one spinner or include both the slow men. The Indian team management has kept the wicketkeeper's options open. Ganguly conceded there was a possibility of a re-think on this issue, what with Deep Dasgupta only causing embarrassment with his shoddy glovework.

"We have kept the options open. We might find a place for Sanjay Bangar to open if Ajay Ratra plays," said the India skipper. The great search for a series win continues along with these unending experiments — now Ganguly wants to bat at number five, reverting Rahul Dravid to his number three slot.

The teams (from):

India: Sourav Ganguly (Captain), S.S. Das, Deep Dasgupta, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Sanjay Bangar, Dinesh Mongia, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ajay Ratra, Sarandeep Singh, Wasim Jaffer, Ashish Nehra and Tinu Yohannan.

West Indies: Carl Hooper (Captain), Chris Gayle, Stuart Williams, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ryan Hinds, Junior Murray, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Adam Sanford, Marlon Black, Dinanath Ramnarine and Mahendra Nagamootoo.

Umpires: Messrs Asoka de Silva and Daryl Harper; Match Referee: Mr. Ranjan Madugalle.

Hours of play (IST): 7.35 p.m. to 9.35 p.m.; 10.15 p.m. to 12.15 a.m; 12.35 a.m. to 2.35 a.m.

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