Indians have to show some character

On an Eden Gardens track that neither helped the pacemen nor the spinners, it was astonishing how India could have caved in so meekly in the first innings. The tame surrender was inexplicable.

The batsmen were negative in their approach, allowed the bowlers to dictate terms, and the results were disastrous. What is the use of some of them possessing healthy Test averages if they cannot deliver when it matters.

One feels the Australians themselves would have been surprised as one batsman followed another as if in a trance. The Indians seemed to have lost the mental battle in the pavilion itself.

And if India has done much better in the second essay, it is because the approach has been more positive, with V.V.S. Laxman, prepared to take the challenge up to Shane Warne by using his feet, producing a fine hundred.

This was a crucial match for Laxman and he is one player who has come through this test of fire well. Yet, despite his promotion in the second innings to the No.3 slot, the selectors should resist the temptation of playing him as an opener.

Too many careers in Indian cricket have been ruined due to this strange belief among the selectors that anyone can open. Pushed into a corner while fighting for a place, the players are often left with no choice. Opening is a specialist position and should be left to specialists.

And in the Indian second innings, openers Sadagopan Ramesh and S.S. Das certainly appeared more positive, even if some of the strokes were streaky. Taking risks in a pressure situation can often upset the bowlers' line, and Ramesh and Das made things easier for the later batsmen.

Coming to the Aussie innings, Steve Waugh's century in an adverse situation showed why he is such a special batsman. Time and again the Aussie captain has produced such efforts during crisis. This separates the very good players from the great ones. Steve has his place among the very best, as he proved in Calcutta.

In the same breath it must be conceded that the Indian bowlers once again to failed to finish things off from a dominant position. This aspect of our cricket continues to baffle me. If they can get the top men out, why can't they blow away the tail?

Had the Aussie innings folded up at around 350, the batsmen too might have been in a better frame of mind. Instead, they looked defeated.

This is not a daydream, but Laxman's innings may have provided India with a ray of hope. If the home team can set a target of around 175, the Aussies can be subjected to some pressure. Stranger things have happened in this game.

Yet, for that to happen, the Indians would have to show some character when the contest resumes on Wednesday. Can they rise up to the challenge?

K.SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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