All credit to Zimbabwe

All credit to the Zimbabweans for achieving a sensational victory at Jodhpur on a pitch where the ball was jumping and turning.

But then it was a day when the Indians, instead of making things happen on the field, waited for them to take place.

It was also a day when the Indian spinners clearly let the side down, particularly, left-armer Sunil Joshi. Indeed the less said about the Indian bowling the better.

It was surprising that on a wicket in which a part- timer like Grant Flower was effective against the Indians, who are much better players of spin, Joshi went for 58 runs in his 10 overs, in the latter half of the match, scalping just one batsman.

Under the circumstances, it was surprising that Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly did not bring on part-time left-arm spinners Yuveraj Singh and Hemang Badani. The risk was well worth taking on that pitch, especially when the Flower brothers were seizing the initiative.

The Flowers, Andy and Grant, who scripted Zimbabwe's fine recovery after the loss of three early wickets, stood out with their sensible approach.

The manner in which they ran their singles, keeping the scoreboard moving, besides punishing the loose deliveries, was indeed praiseworthy. They never lost their cool, and went about their job in a professional manner. There is a lesson to be learnt for the Indians here.

Then, Mluleki Nkala took Zimbabwe to the doorstep of victory with some authentic shots under pressure, before the last pair saw the visitors through.

Nkala is one of the cricketers who has come through the development schemes in Zimbabwe for the blacks and the country's future lies in unearthing more young players like him.

It was a pity that Sachin Tendulkar's outstanding century proved to be in vain. It was yet another occasion when the little genius' glittering skills were on view.

The noteworthy aspect of his latest hundred was that he settled down to go on to much bigger things after a blazing start. With wickets falling at the other end, the situation demanded that he play a long innings and the Mumbai maestro did just that. The middle-order let the side down rather badly, and India can hardly afford such failures.

At the end of the innings, Zaheer Khan's big hitting was a revelation, and it was once again good to watch someone from the lower order make a telling contribution.

So, the Zimbabweans, against all odds, have come back in the five-match series. It would be interesting to see whether they can keep the momentum going.

K. SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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Section  : Sport
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