The Hindu : Same old sorry story

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 21, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Same old sorry story

It caused me a great deal of pain and anguish to see the Indians coming apart like that, when they had only 38 overs to negotiate on the second day of the Hamilton Test.

It was a repetition of the same old story and I am amazed at the lack of application by the Indian batsmen on this tour. They have hardly showed the right technique to counter seaming wickets.

They were found wanting again, though the conditions may not have been easy for batting. On this tour, we have seen one of the worst batting performances ever by India.

My mind goes back to that disastrous tour of England in '74, when India was so hopelessly outplayed. There has been little resistance from the batsmen in this series.

It is in conditions such as what prevailed on the second day in Hamilton that quality batsmen should show their class. Instead, we have seen a hollow performance. It almost appeared that some of them were bent on giving the cordon a catching practice.

What we need is a change in our total outlook and attitude. It should be a drastic one. Preparation of pitches at home, there is a pressing need to make them hard and bouncy, is a key area.

Coming to the forthcoming ODI series, the fact that Murali Kartik's name does not figure in the first 14 named for the one-day series also leaves me extremely disappointed.

If you look at the ODI series against the West Indies, he was easily India's outstanding spinner, being both able to contain and strike. That he has been left out of the first 14, after such a fine performance, leaves me perplexed.

It is not the first time that Kartik is at the receiving end of such rough treatment at the hands of the selectors. He is young and can serve India well both in the coming one-day series, and during the World Cup. I hope his confidence is not affected.

The selection of the probables for the World Cup has left a lot of questions unanswered too. Regional considerations, and the need to push players from their own places rather than picking cricketers best suited for the job, appears to be the case.

It is surprising how a young promising batsman like Rayadu can be overlooked. He has so much talent, and is in such fine form in domestic competitions.

He is just the kind of batsman who can change the course of matchesRayadu did deserve to be among the probables. The selectors have left us all disappointed.

By K.Srikkanth

www.kris-srikkanth.com

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