The Hindu : India, Windies all set for one-day battles

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 06, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

India, Windies all set for one-day battles

By Vijay Lokapally

Debutant J.P. Yadav having a word with Virender Sehwag during the practice session at the Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur on the eve of the first India - West Indies one day International, on Tuesday. Right: Wavell Hinds, Ricardo Powell and Marlon Samuels relax after workout. — Photos: V.V. Krishnan

JAMSHEDPUR NOV 5. The journey from Kolkata to Jamshedpur did not go down well with the teams as they endured a four-hour drive from Ranchi to this steel town. The security factor did not allow the teams to travel by train, a far more comfortable option than flying from Kolkata to Ranchi and then the travails of a bumpy ride.

Some things just do not change in Indian cricket and this haphazard travel schedule and matches slated at far-flung venues should be a greater challenge than the one the players would contend on the field.

The India skipper Sourav Ganguly admits that West Indies can be a different side in one-day cricket and his counterpart, Carl Hooper holds a similar view.

"We did well in the last Test and hope to carry on the good work. It's going to be a different ball game and interesting too. I hope the matches would be close. We're a better one-day side. But that doesn't mean we're a poor Test side,'' said Hooper said on the eve of the first of the seven-match one-day series.

The Keenan Stadium here was decked up for the occasion even as the captains held contrasting opinions on the state of the pitch. "The surface is dry and it's got cracks too. I've been hearing that it'll be a good pitch but it looks... funny,'' said Hooper, even as his smile summed up his apprehensions about the newly-laid pitch.

Ganguly projected a different picture. "I don't know about the cracks but I've reasons to believe it'll play well. The colour of the pitch has changed from the time I last played here,'' said the India skipper.

The absence of Sachin Tendulkar will be felt more in the stands than in the dressing room it seems. The Indian team management is looking at the situation with a positive mind and the emphasis on experiments suggests that the home team has a few things in mind in the run up to the World Cup. For example, the search for an all-rounder.

The team management has decided to leave out Javagal Srinath, Dinesh Mongia and Sanjay Bangar from the opening match. The idea is to give Jai Prakash Yadav, the man in form, the stage to showcase his potential.

"We're looking for an all-rounder who can serve the team for some time. That's the reason we've decided to play Yadav. He's done well for the Railways and is in good form,'' explained Ganguly.

Yadav, who will be making his debut on Wednesday, had travelled to Sri Lanka for the Champions Trophy but failed to play a match. This then should provide the best chance for him to keep himself in the reckoning.

The conditions _ a good batting track and a small boundary square of the wicket _ suit his style of batting. A hard-hitting strokemaker, this cricketer from Bhopal shifted to Railways last season in search of better opportunities. The team management has given Yadav time to prepare himself for the big occasion when he wears the India cap on Wednesday.

Yadav's biggest supporter would be Virender Sehwag, who also earned his chances the hard way.

Another man wanting to do well will be Yuveraj Singh, who has been branded a one-day specialist much to his chagrin. For a batsman as gifted as Yuveraj, it is a pity that he does not get to play in the longer version of the game. Always keen to perform, Yuveraj too deserves to be groomed as an all-rounder.

For Mohammad Kaif, the series shall open more avenues to establish himself in the side. Needless to say, the same holds true for V.V.S. Laxman, who won a place on the basis of his recent wonderful knock at Kolkata.

Fielding, as Ganguly observed, remains the strong point of the Indian team. Among the experiments is the move to try Ajit Agarkar as a pinch-hitter. Ganguly is very keen to keep this option and much would depend on how things happen. "We'll take things as they come,'' concluded Ganguly.

It shall be no different for Hooper. The West Indies too is looking for an all-rounder. "He could be a spinner who can bat or a seamer who can bat but we need an all-rounder. There're some young players in this team and this series gives them the opportunity to grab their places,'' he noted.

The West Indies camp is looking up to Ricardo Powell, who could be a difficult batsman to tame if gets going on the small grounds.

"He's a talented batsman and a brilliant fielder. I'm sure he'll get the chances to stake his claims,'' said Hooper on the Jamaican batsman who was almost forgotten by the selectors after a series of failures.

Hooper will have to bear the mantle and erase the poor memories of the Test series where he struggled with his form. The West Indians would like to leave the Indian shores with honours high in the one-day series after a disappointing time in the Test matches.

The teams:

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, J.P. Yadav, V.V. S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Yuveraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble and Ashish Nehra.

West Indies (from): Carl Hooper (captain), Ricardo Powell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ryan Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Marlon Samuels, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Cameron Cuffy and Merwyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes.

Umpires: Messrs Asoka de Silva and A.V. Jayaprakash; Third umpire: Mr. I. Sivaram.

Match Referee: Mr. Mike Procter.

Hours of play: 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.; 1.15 p.m. onwards.

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