Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 |
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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
It's celebration time for the Indians as one of their chief tormentors in this series, West Indies skipper Carl Hooper leaves caught behind by Ajay Ratra off Zaheer Khan on day three of the final Test at the Sabina Park, Jamaica on Monday.
A very poor turn out at the Sabina Park once again reflected the following for this Test but India had its task cut out. A renaissance is now possible only through the Indian batsmen on a pitch that is going to test their skills and temperament. Even though the Indians managed to get Shivnarine Chanderpaul early this morning, the left-hander had played his role extremely well. It was an innings in the interest of the team and Chanderpaul deserved the highest honours for his selfless approach that has put his team in a position that would enable it to dictate terms. He fell a caught-and-bowled victim to Zaheer, who deserved his wicket most having toiled to snare him. Javagal Srinath's expressions said it all. No emotions, no fist pumping in the air on securing a wicket, as he lit the spark of revival with a lively spell in which he accounted for the opening pair of Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds. No doubt Srinath was remorseful of his act on first day when he failed to put the ball in the right place and suffered at the hands of the batsmen even on a pitch conducive to his style. It was as if Srinath was trying to make up for the last two Tests too when he failed to get a wicket. He struck an ominous length and adopted a line that gave little scope to the West Indians who had decided to build on India's agony by not enforcing the follow-on. The fears of the pitch crumbling on the last two days of this match weighed heavily on the mind of West Indies captain Carl Hooper but it was only in hindsight that a debate was sparked off on whether it was the right decision. The West Indian bowlers did not really toil to get the last five Indian wickets that fell for just 44 runs. It was mainly the fear of batting last that prompted the West Indies to adopt a different strategy but the Indian bowlers sprung a surprise with their vastly improved performance. For once, the Indian bowlers achieved their potential, with Srinath showing the way and Zaheer joining the mission with a brilliant spell that broke the West Indian spirit. The left-arm seamer had committed an act of indiscipline on the third morning when he played a most ungainly stroke to lose his wicket. Obviously Zaheer was keen to make amends after having let the team down with his batting and he gave India a chance to look at a comeback, even though the circumstances were inimical. Srinath began the slide by trapping Hinds with a sustained line in the `corridor which saw the batsman expectedly getting an edge. Srinath had tested Hinds severely and won the battle with his good thinking. Gayle had shown aggression through a flurry of boundaries but then Srinath was on target when he made the left-hander play away from the body and offer an easy catch. Srinath had looked every bit the crafty bowler that he has developed into in the last one year and must have regretted his wayward stuff on the first morning of the match. The West Indies may have entertained hopes of complete domination but the Indians were working on a rare revival. That the bowlers were scripting the revival was not surprising because they had been keen to erase the bitter memories of the first day. Zaheer now took over and bowled to his potential to grab three crucial wickets of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Hooper and Brian Lara. The match did take an interesting turn at that point. Sarwan, who has rarely looked in any discomfort against the Indians in this series, was a victim of indiscretion as he drove casually and Shiv Sundar Das, butter-fingered otherwise, hung on to the low catch at covers. It was an inspiring catch by Das and Zaheer was encouraged to bowl with greater aggression. A couple of wild bouncers indicated Zaheer's frame of mind, as he wanted to prove his mettle. It may not have been the line to adopt at that stage but Zaheer found the right ball to surprise Hooper, who could only be drawn towards the ball to snick it behind. Hooper's was an encouraging breakthrough for he has shown the ability to carry the innings on his shoulder. Zaheer continued to explore and the wicket of Lara, who had never looked in control, capped his spell. A pull off Srinath was Lara's best shot but then he played on in a casual attempt to drive and this was the wicket which convinced the Indian bowlers that they had a good chance to capitalise. If only they could get Chanderpaul. Ridley Jacobs was foxed by the bounce that Harbhajan gained while Mervyn Dillon swung wildly at Nehra as West Indies lost seven wickets. But Chanderpaul stood in India's way and guided the home team through the turbulence. The Guyanese, scourge of the Indian bowlers, was involved in a verbal duel with Harbhajan who was lucky not to earn a reprimand from the Match Referee for his on-field behaviour. On his part, Chanderpaul did enough to leave the Indian attack frustrated with his unique style of defence and enormous patience to pick the extremely loose deliveries to hit. Chanderpaul crafted his customary fifty against the Indian bowlers with this one, flawless all the way, being as valuable as any given the circumstance that confronted him. Losing wickets at the other end put pressure on Chanderpaul but he responded strongly, never losing his focus and giving yet another exemplary demonstration of his commitment to the team.
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