Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002
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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
Ashish Nehra is ecstatic after dismissing Brian Lara while his teammates rush to congratulate him on the final day of the second Test at Port of Spain on Tuesday. —
Two big strikes by Ashish Nehra raised hopes of an unlikely hero in the Indian ranks as the team closed in on the West Indies in its bid to craft a Test victory in the Caribbean after 26 years. It was at the same venue that Sunil Gavaskar and G.R. Visvanath had scripted a dream triumph, chasing a target of 400-plus, and this team drew motivation from history to produce an impressive comeback on the final morning. At lunch on the final day, West Indies was 210 for four, still 103 runs short of the victory target of 313 runs, with Chris Gayle (40) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (26) at the crease. The sun came out brightly and the Indians pressed hard on the final day of the second Test. So did the West Indies through its most reliable pair — Carl Hooper and Brian Lara. But this time the Indians were up to the task, having studied the situation impeccably. This was the best chance to usher in a new sense of self-belief and just two men stood in the way. And then India found one man to silence the support from the stands. And what a ball Nehra confounded Lara with! The West Indians backed themselves strongly this morning. As long as Lara stood in the middle, the home team had every chance to negotiate all detours to the destination. Hooper too was determined and his presence had an effect on Lara too since the left-hander concentrated too hard. It was the decisive phase of the contest as Lara and Hooper brought their experience into play and looked to capitalise on every scoring opportunity. Lara was in control, playing his square drives only when the ball merited such a shot. He had worked hard on cutting down across-the-line strokes but Nehra got him to edge one which left him late and also gained in height. Dravid made no mistake at first slip, making his own contribution. Lara, and the Queens Park Oval, was shattered as the local icon had once again brought misery upon himself and the team after having promised much. Worse was to follow for the West Indies when Hooper perished to a reckless pull, a result of lack of composure on losing Lara. Hooper presented Shiv Sundar Das with another opportunity, this time at short midwicket, after the fielder had failed to reach a skier behind square leg. It was a big let down by Hooper as the situation demanded he stayed at the wicket following Lara's dismissal. What if the stands were scarcely occupied. For Queens Park Oval here it was a huge disappointment. The contest was lively and that is what Test cricket is all about. The bowler plotting a dismissal and the batsman looking for scoring opportunities. The engaging fare in the last session of the fourth day was just about quality cricket. The target that India set the West Indies was imposing since the home team had a reputation for poor second-innings response to any challenge. Small or big, the target looks unattainable given the West Indian trait of looking up to Lara mostly for every positive batting act when faced with a target. If the West Indians did not falter in their chase it was mainly due to Sarwan's attitude. A compact batsman with a wonderful temperament for a 21-year-old, he batted in flawless fashion, not giving the bowlers any hope as he built his innings. That Sarwan likes to grind the attack is a habit inculcated from the need to keep his place in the side and batting up the order means he has a responsibility to shoulder. Sarwan has grown as a batsman from the time he made his debut against a strong Pakistan side and made a fluent 84. To reconfirm his credentials, Sarwan averaged fifty-plus in the last away series in Sri Lanka. A back injury deprived him of playing in the Test series in Sharjah against the same opposition but his comeback at home has established Sarwan as a batsman to keep an eye on. The Indian collapse in the second session of the fourth day left Sourav Ganguly livid as his partners forgot the basics of playing the supportive roles in such situations. He was looking forward to getting his century and was concerned with the lower half not being able to realise its role. In contrast was Sarwan, who prospered under the shadow of Lara, who applied himself brilliantly. Home conditions inspired Lara and in the process Sarwan too joined in the chase with a most positive approach. It was the right manner to go about the task and the presence of Lara had a demoralising impact on the bowlers on the fourth day. Sarwan's forte was his concentration as he handled the attack with authority. One could not recall many moments when Sarwan struggled to meet the ball with confidence. He had set minor goals for himself and was prepared to go about it in a phased manner. There were moments when he gave himself the liberty to play some forceful strokes in front as the Indian attack became desperate for a breakthrough. The home team's hopes rested a lot on the kind of approach that Lara would adopt. Would he indulge in his desire to get on with the game by playing his shots or would he adapt to the situation and play the ball on merit. Lara had a mix of both even though initially he appeared to be unsure of his footwork. Chris Gayle had given the West Indies the kind of start he was expected to. He is one batsman who does not believe in changing his style and there was a distinct touch of authority in his stay. He remained a picture of confidence and appeared to have settled down when cramps in his arms saw the left-hander leave the field. His 21 was a big source of motivation as the West Indies score read 68 when Gayle was forced to retire hurt. He had done his bit quite competently. The Sarwan-Lara association fetched the West Indies 57 runs before the Indians made a breakthrough. Having stuck it out with conviction, Sarwan failed to read Harbhajan's drifter and just nicked it mildly for Dravid to snap it up at first slip. It was a much-needed relief for the Indians since Sarwan had looked in no discomfort at all.
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