The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Pleasure and pain for Kaif and Patel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 17, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Pleasure and pain for Kaif and Patel

Mohammad Kaif and Parthiv Patel experienced mixed fortunes as India continued to claw its way towards victory at Chepauk. As members of the younger brigade they started by batting with the utmost spirit as they took their team towards a substantial lead. But youth's path is seldom smooth. Every experience is fresh, every decision a leap in the dark. By the end of the day both had suffered setbacks that brought grimaces to faces that had been smiling.

Kaif is an exotic batsmen in whose hands a willow can resemble a wand. At times he might just as easily be dashing around turning frogs into damsels. At the crease he darts around with the irrepressible energy bestowed upon man till his thirtieth year whereupon domesticity causes a creasing of the brow.

Eager to take the chance presented by selectors searching for their strongest combination, Kaif survived his early moments only by licence of an opponent enduring many ailments, none of them catching. Hereabouts he was a veritable flibbertigibbet

Once he had settled, the youngster began to play well, building his score with sweetly timed strokes off his pads and placements through the covers executed with the delight shown by an antelope as it hops over a fence.

Hope to Haplessness

In a trice, spectators went from expecting him to lose his wicket every ball to snoozing contentedly whenever he was facing. Towards the end even his mother must have been able to watch. A century beckoned and a chance to win a match for his country.

And then Kaif blinked. Before lunch he had started to squat down in the manner of a man suffering some intolerable inconvenience. At the interval he ran from the field like a fellow with a pressing appointment. Afterwards he did not appear and word spread that he was suffering from dehydration and had been taken to the hospital for remedial treatment.

Thereafter India's innings fell into predictable decline. Retiring hurt is a last resort because it cheers an opponent even as it depresses the batting side. Out of the blue a wicket has effectively fallen. Suddenly the mood of the game changes. Unsurprisingly the next two wickets fell cheaply and then Kaif reappeared with a runner.

Inevitably the Australians objected. Had not this same fit young man dashed from the field an hour before? What was the nature of his injury? In any case Australians rightly complain about runners. Nor are they alone in their opinion. Sachin Tendulkar sent his packing in Brisbane. In most cases they are the merest self-indulgence.

Kaif responded to the fracas by stepping down the pitch to loft a boundary. Next ball he rubbed salt into the wound with a reverse sweep whereupon he forgot about his pain and embarked upon a run. Reminded of the need to recover his crease he fell flat on his face, writhed in agony and was run out.

Some observers condemned the Australians for taking advantage of another's misfortune. But Test cricket is not a tea party. Kaif might have taken his inspiration from Dean Jones who ignored desperate dehydration to score a double-century in the celebrated Tied Test of 1986. Only the most resilient can survive in the furnace of Test cricket.

Both fearless and faulty

Patel batted every bit as well as his comrade. His partnership with Kaif was as skilful as it was sustained. He is a shrimp with the heart of an ox. His batting has improved since he first wore the colours of his country. His game has no obvious weakness. Always he watches the ball closely and often he scores runs through the off-side. Moreover he is a fearless fellow, a man in the body of a boy.

Unfortunately his work behind the stumps has deteriorated disconcertingly. His primary task is to take the chances that come along. Instead, and much to the dismay of a proud competitor, Patel has fluffed a number of opportunities. Standing over the stumps to Anil Kumble is not the easiest of tasks on any surface let alone a breaking pitch. Even so, Patel has struggled.

In truth, his confidence seems to be in his boots. His inability to read Kumble's variations and to react swiftly enough to take edges has hindered India's progress. Numerous chances have been missed off a fine bowler who might otherwise have helped his team to win even more matches.

At such times selectors face a difficult choice between showing faith in a promising player experiencing complications and sending him to quieter pastures to work on his game. Patel has played his part in building this committed Indian side and he has also batted with plenty of pluck. It might be enough to save him.

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