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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
The Hilton organises an Indian food festival and the place is decked up in a splash of colour. Outside, the `Roti Huts', very popular eating joints, are packed. The Indian connection is so very evident here. But these are not reasons why the Indian cricketers are so happy to come to Port of Spain for the back-to-back one-day matches. It is the cricket environment that engages them. The Queens Park Oval is what attracts them and not the Indian food festival or the Roti huts spread over the town. The Test victory here last month is still vivid with some fond memories for some of the members. But the dark moments of Barbados and Jamaica also serve a grim reminder to the cricketers that they did not get their act right after having shown the promise at Trinidad. The Test series is history now but the one-day series offers the Indian team a chance to salvage a little pride. The first step towards achieving that goal was taken at Bridgetown when India won the third match of the series quite convincingly after the first two encounters at Kingston were washed out without a ball being bowled. Again they have to look at the consistency factor after having taken the lead. The Indians were quite professional and committed in their attitude at Bridgetown. The fielding improved as skipper Sourav Ganguly had promised; the bowlers concentrated on the right areas to put the ball in while the batting was not really tested since the West Indies had posted a modest target. The Indians looked confident all the way in their seven-wicket victory. Among those who stood out were Dinesh Mongia and Tinu Yohannan, both living up to the promise and both doing coach John Wright proud with their quality show. It was a very encouraging performance from Yohannan who overcame initial nerves to produce a tight spell and Mongia once again showed that he has the potential to play under pressure without shedding his natural instincts to attack. Yohannan was preferred to Ashish Nehra and he did not let the team management down. One hopes this talented bowler is nurtured well by the team management, which can get desperate at times.The most impressive aspect of the Indian victory was the flexibility introduced in the batting order where Sachin Tendulkar made no fuss about coming down the order. Ganguly obviously has lot of faith in this man being best suited to finish a tight game and it was quite an effective move since the team stands to benefit a great deal with Tendulkar around to respond to a distress call. Ganguly has a bunch of loyal cricketers at his command and is determined to mould them into a winning unit by the time they get to the World Cup in South Africa. This strong self -belief is the most impressive aspect of Ganguly's character and he enjoys complete support of the young turks. There is merit in the team management backing the players. Ganguly is convinced can deliver in adverse conditions and two of his trusted men are Mohammad Kaif and Yuveraj Singh. They signify the importance of fitness and agility on the field as was seen in the manner they attacked the ball every time it came near them. Ganguly had long advocated fielders who attacked the ball and cut the twos to ones and Kaif stands out as a fielder of high quality capable of saving runs and pulling off stunning catches. Yuveraj too falls in that category and is being backed by the team management, which is convinced that he is a big-stage performer. In Virender Sehwag the team has an explosive talent. The striking feature of Sehwag is that he has the ability to play with the same fervour regardless of the situation and such temperament comes in handy when faced with a grave challenge. The Indians seem to be content with the manner in which the team went about its job in the first match where the mission was accomplished without the services of V. V. S. Laxman and Nehra. The Delhi seamer is a ready target for being made the scapegoat and deserves a better deal than being kept under pressure always. He may well figure in the scheme of things for this match in place of an inconsistent Zaheer Khan. The West Indians, after their Test series triumph, appeared complacent which prompted skipper Carl Hooper to talk of a change in the batting order and also improvement in bowling and fielding. The West Indian skipper acknowledged the strength of the Indian team and pointed out the difference that the young brigade has made to the overall approach of the side. Along with coach Roger Harper, whose technical input has contributed immensely towards the improvement, there is no doubt that Hooper has played the leading role in boosting the confidence of his team with some sterling performances with the bat. It was his knock, which saved the West Indies from acute embarrassment at the Kensington Oval. His form continues to be ominous. The home team is determined to make a fight of it and should it raise its game in the fourth match, the spectators would stand to gain a lot. It could be a fitting weekend for them if the rain stays away and the series ends with two close encounters at the Queen's Park Oval on Saturday and Sunday. The teams (from): India: Sourav Ganguly (Capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, V. V. S. Laxman, Yuveraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Ajay Ratra, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Murali Kartik and Tinu Yohannan. West Indies: Carl Hooper (Capt.), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Ryan Hinds and Gareth Breese. Hours of play: 7.05 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.; 11.15 p.m. onwards.
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