The great experiment continues

By Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI, MARCH 5. The great experiment continues, first dabbling with youth and then with experience. The only problem being it creates more confusion, more self-doubt, and gives an insight into the bizarre ways of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the manner in which it runs the game.

There appears to be no enthusiasm as far as this Board President's XI vs Australia match is concerned. The organisers, going by the complimentary tickets being distributed with such munificence, appear to be pleading with people to fill up the stands. It seems to be a formality for the Australians as also the the host team.

Skipper Sourav Ganguly gave `nets' a miss, preferring a quiet `nets' at the Eden Gardens before taking the evening flight to Delhi. Narendra Hirwani and Jai Prakash Yadav were also conspicuous by their absence. The Australians for their part took the day off to visit the Taj Mahal while some indulged in golf.

As members of the Board President's XI arrived in batches, and discovered the discomfort in store at the team hotel, the very idea of such an encounter struck a discordant note.

Part of the experiment here is for the National selectors to scrutinise the prowess and fitness of Hirwani, the leggie from Indore on a comeback trail. His inclusion for the first Test was considered a master stroke by some since the Aussies knew little of him. Now they will know all about him if he plays.

It will be tough on Hirwani then. Should he now display his wares or hide some for the next stop at Kolkata? But then there is no certainty that he will find a place for the second Test. To be there he has to show his craft here. A strange dilemma indeed.

And what of Hirwani's fitness? Well, if the selectors were not sure why did they pick him for the first Test without convincing themselves earlier. Hirwani and the mystery surrounding him will be the focus of this match.

Not much need be read into Ganguly's appearance in this match even though he would have been better off leaving the burden of captaincy to the original choice, Vijay Dahiya, and concentrated on regaining his own form. That Ganguly's inclusion denies someone a chance to play is sad but it is also important the Indian skipper spends time in the middle.

``The idea is to get some practice and be in the middle. Honestly, I couldn't have had a similar preparation by batting in the `nets' and that's why I opted to play this match. A knock in the middle is better than hours in the `nets'. As simple as that,'' said Ganguly.

Stunned by the media reaction to the defeat at Mumbai, Ganguly is trying to focus on the remaining part of the series with an emphasis on finding the right men for the job. ``I think much of the reaction to our defeat was stupid. What else can one say when a team is written off because it has lost a match. It is ridiculous. It is all easy to comment from air-conditioned boxes and from the stands. Believe me, it is quite different in the middle. But I am not bothered by the media reaction. I know the team gave hundred per cent and I know how much each of us was involved,'' he said calmly.

``We all know we have to bat well. That is the key. No harm in accepting the truth,'' the Indian vice-captain Rahul David remarked as he reflected on the defeat at Mumbai. A view shared by Sachin Tendulkar. The search here is not just for batsmen but bowlers too.

Indian cricket sorely lacks direction. It would not be prudent to judge coach John Wright on the basis of just one Test for the the team management believes there is hope that the team would bounce back from the debacle at Mumbai. But pray where is the ammunition to meet the firepower of the Australians? And one wonders whatever happened to the modern equipment termed e- CricketPro, a tool with data on all cricketers.

The tool, launched with much fanfare recently in Bangalore with good intent, is not being utilised at all because there is hardly any support for those who work on it. One gathers the crew running the equipment had to fend for itself during the Mumbai Test with the Board not even providing it space and entry tickets. So much for the `professional' support from the mandarins in the Board.

This exercise at the Ferozeshah Kotla may not provide the selectors with much substance since those in the fray are discards and some are aspirants with a long way to go. It is an all too familiar scenario. Everyone is whistling in the dark, looking for a quick solution to problems facing Indian cricket. Thank Lady Luck if they stumble upon one.

The teams (from):

BP XI: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Vijay Dahiya, S. Sriram, Vinayak Mane, Gautam Gambhir, Mohammad Kaif, Jacob Martin, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Dinesh Mongia, Narendra Hirwani, Rakesh Patel, Surinder Singh Bagal, Sarandeep Singh, Jai Prakash Yadav and Ramesh Powar.

Australia: Steve Waugh (captain), Michael Slater, Mathew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Brad Haddin, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Colin Miller.

Umpires: Messrs Sanjeev Rao and Subrata Banerjee.

Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.; 12.10 p.m. to 2.10 p.m.; 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.

The match will be telecast live on DD Sports.

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