Stars of a brave new world

HARBHAJAN SINGH leaving them bamboozled with his turn and bounce, Zaheer Khan unleashing a toe- crusher at the `death', the little Shiv Sundar Das' unflinching ways against the big, fast men, Hemang Badani caressing one through the covers, Virendra Sehwag, his smiling visage masking searing pain, walking up to receive the Man of the Match award,...vignettes from an unforgettable year.

A match-winning off-spinner, a sharp left-arm paceman, a `genuine' opening batsman, a smooth-stroking middle-order southpaw, and a hard-hitting `one-day' all-rounder; we are not talking about the prolific, record-breaking V.V.S Laxman here since he has been around for quite a while now.

Wasn't India on the look-out for men who could fill the above slots. The nation does seem to have found the right answers.

It promises to be a brave new world for Indian cricket. A world bristling with youth and flair. The Young Guns complementing the `heavyweights' in the line-up. The ideal scenario.

Harbhajan couldn't have `delivered' for India at a more opportune moment. The country had struggled to unearth quality off-spinners since the departure of S. Venkatraghavan in the early 80s, and though Shivlal Yadav made a handy contribution subsequenty, his rather negative middle and leg line meant he couldn't really assume a more threatening role.

In contrast, Harbhajan's off-stump line is an aggressive one, yet his true test would come in `away' soil, where India's record in recent times has been less than satisfactory.

The pitches in Zimbabwe have generally aided batsmen, and Harbhajan could well discover that he might have to be slower through the air to snare his victims. Though the Indian attack should revolve around pace, with Javagal Srinath as the spearhead, Harbhajan has his task cut out. The two could forge an effective pace-spin combination too.

Harbhajan's record abroad, prior to his `rebirth' against Australia this year, has been a forgettable one - the tours of New Zealand and Australia hardly proving fruitful.

But then, it will be a different Harbhajan who will be carrying India's bowling hopes to the African nation. The country desperately needs to conquer on foreign soil, and Harbhajan could well fill that `big' missing piece.

The key to his rejuvenation was switching over to an off-stump line. The Punjab offie possessed natural turn and bounce, he now had to make every delivery count.

On a consistent line, he could try out the variations; the ball drifting away, and the one coming through with the arm. This way he could, both, maintain the pressure, and strike.

And strike he did with 32 scalps in the three Tests. The Sardar had risen from the ashes and India had unearthed a `rare commodity' in the absence of Kumble.

Yes, the close-in cordon was firmly in place to snaffle the `chances', Harbhajan spun his web, the Aussies were caught napping, and India won a famous series.

Yet, apart from Sachin Tendulkar's baffling, exotic mix, Harbhajan lacked spin support for most part. Under the circumstances, it might not have been a bad idea at all to field Sarandeep Singh, Harbhajan's off-spin partner from Punjab.

The two are different in their approaches. Sarandeep, much slower through the air, might have emerged an ideal foil to Harbhajan. Instead, the selectors got into a tangle with the left-arm spinners.

Truth to tell, Sarandeep has been desperately unlucky not to figure against Australia, after snaring six Zimbabweans on his Test debut at Nagpur earlier in the season. He has his basics right, possesses a sound head, and is well worth persisting with.

Zaheer may not have encountered success like Harbhajan, but the Baroda paceman made a huge impression with his ability to generate `genuine speed' and move the ball even in the sub- continental conditions.

The left-arm paceman brings much-needed variety to the attack, and with India having a busy `away schedule' during the year, could form a potent partnership with senior bowler Javagal Srinath.

Zaheer, an MRF Pace Foundation Product, has already revealed he possesses the aggression needed to sparkle at the international level; he is not averse to softening the batsmen with short- pitched deliveries, but seldom gets carried away.

It would be wrong, however, to brand Zaheer a one-day bowler - too many bowlers have suffered in this country due to this habit of `classifying' cricketers. When provided an opportunity in the Kolkata and Chennai Tests, the left-armer bowled purposefully, keeping the heat on the batsmen, apart from striking some early blows.

From bowlers to batsmen. The technically sound Shiv Sundar Das is bound to go places. The short-statured Orissa batsman is unruffled by pace, has innings building skills, and once he finds his groove, makes a pleasing sight at the crease with his attractive strokeplay - punching the pacemen off the back-foot, pulling them with aplomb, using his feet against the spinners, and sweeping them.

Importantly, he is a regular opener - the job has not been thrust on him - and comes like a breath of fresh air after the likes of Devang Gandhi ruled the roost.

Given the purity of his technique, it would be unwise to field Das in the `hustle and bustle' world of one-day cricket; he is too valuable a commodity to be lost. The selectors have already erred by picking Harbhajan for the abbreviated version of the game.

Das' body balance in both defence and offence is exemplary and add his sound temperament to the `package' and we have a neat, competent, opening batsman. Not to forget his razor-sharp reflexes in the close catching positions.

The openers - Das and Ramesh - had been under unwarranted fire after the setback in the Mumbai Test, but by the end of the series, both had silenced their critics.

Ramesh too has had his share of success against all sides, and in a land where openers are precious, deserves to be treated with more respect. Too many critics are obsessed with his technique, without looking at the left-hander's returns.

Another southpaw from Tamil Nadu, Hemang Badani, has made waves this season with some sensational batting during pressure situations in the LOIs. The striking aspect of Badani's cricket, apart from scintillating strokes, is his shrewd cricketing brain.

Badani can change gears with ease, rotating the strike cannily in the initial phase and then launching into booming strokes.

And his cool ways at crunch times makes him dangerous. Somewhere down the line, Badani is bound to receive his Test call too, and the odds are he would perform well.

He picks the line quickly, which means he has so much time at his disposal against the quicker bowlers, and counters spin superbly using his feet. A natural athlete, Badani is a swift runner between the wickets, though he can improve on his communication skills.

Dinesh Mongia missed out in the two LOI opportunities he received against Australia, but the Punjab southpaw is a solid middle- order batsman, and should not be cast away like deadwood like so many youngsters are, following a couple of failures. His inclusion among the probables for the tour of Zimbabwe is the right way to go.

Virendra Sehwag's strokeful half-century and his handy off-spin were key factors in India's day\night victory over Australia. Significantly he withstood pain from a fractured finger in his bowling hand to send down ten overs - the boy has character.A `slam bang' batsman in his early days, the Delhi cricketer, who can clear the ground with ease, is a more mature batsman these days.

Among others, Yuveraj made a dazzling start, but as the season wore on, the Punjab batsman's lack of footwork against spin, and his suspect temperament brought him down with a thud.

Yet, with the odd exception, this has been a profitable year for Indian cricket. The search should now be on to groom a young wicket-keeper, a long-term option in both forms of the game. Haryana's young Ajay Ratra does have the right qualities. One season has gone by, it's time to plan for the coming one. Let's not sit on our laurels. In the `away campaigns', the country's true worth will be known.

S. DINAKAR

Chennai

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