Friday, Feb 28, 2003
Friday, Feb 28, 2003 |
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World Cup
By Vijay Lokapally
Ashish Nehra (left) picks up the Man-of-the-Match award for his wonderful spell of seam bowling from Ian Botham who was a master of the art. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan
The bowler's did nothing wrong on a night when everything fell into place for skipper Sourav Ganguly. The team was given an outstanding start in batting and in bowling too, with veteran Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan striking a nagging line and then `man of the match' Ashish Nehra slicing through the opposition with an incisive spell. The fact that Harbhajan Singh was introduced into the attack only in the 24th over reflected the quality of fast and seam bowling by the Indian trio. The English lacked the will and the spine to make a match of it after the Indian batsmen had adapted themselves to the pitch and set up a challenging target of 251.
Sensational fielding
The Indians were charged up. The fielding was tight, and sensational at times. The run out effected by Mohammad Kaif to get rid of Nick Knight set the tone. It was an important breakthrough and gave the fillip to the attack. There was no run when Knight attempted one and he was out to a brilliant piece of fielding as Kaif flung himself and hit the target with just one stump in view. It was just the kind of support the team needed from Kaif, who had little role to play with the bat. There was a shocking lack of application from the English batsmen. The bowlers had a plan, to explore on and outside the off-stump, and the English could not find ways to upset the rhythm of the Indians. With Srinath keeping the ball in the right area and Zaheer emulating his mentor in a near-flawless spell, it was left to Nehra to maintain the pressure. That the Delhi seamer, who returned his career-best figures, could achieve it spoke for Nehra's ability to raise his level. Srinath was outstanding as he beat the bat repeatedly. It was ironic that his crafty spell did not fetch him the reward he deserved. Neither did Zaheer get his due. But Nehra was exceptionally brilliant, testing the batsmen with a probing line and leaving them laden footed with his stifling length. England skipper Nasser Hussain twice stepped out to Srinath, driving him straight, but they were strokes of desperation. Such tactics were never going to pay off, especially considering the state of the pitch. Hussain's desperation was an indication of the English camp's lack of faith in itself after the openers failed miserably to do their job. Knight's run out was just the opening the Indians needed and then it was Nehra all the way. It may have been a revelation to many but Nehra's potential came to the fore when it counted. He bowled with fire and bowled with purpose. He chose the right stage to showcase his craft after being made to fight for a place in the team. In New Zealand, the selectors put pressure on him by demanding an improved performance. He bowled himself into the World Cup squad by proving his mettle. Here he made some grand strides to emerge a genuine frontline bowler worthy of a place in the side. The performance should help the rustic seamer from Delhi cement his place for the remaining part of the tournament. He may have to play an equally significant role in the match against Pakistan. Nehra's self-belief saw him destroy England in a dream spell which began with the wicket of Hussain, who perished in trying to steer. It was the beginning of Nehra's match-winning show. There was lot of discipline in Nehra's bowling. He did not stray from his off-stump line after a lax opening over. It was a very strong comeback for Nehra, whose fitness was in doubt. But he recovered from the ankle injury and did not disappoint his skipper who backed him ahead of Anil Kumble. Having slipped when bowling his first ball against Namibia and ruled out for the remaining part of the contest, Nehra proved his fitness with an unchanged spell which culminated in the third best performance in the history of the World Cup. He planned his victims and deserved the accolades that came his way. A standing ovation from the audience was small recognition for a huge deed by a bowler who almost did not play this match. England put up a poor batting show with Andrew Flintoff a glorious exception. He did not lose heart and took pride in his performance. Some robust strokes adorned his knock with one of his sixes off Ganguly following the same path as Sachin Tendulkar's off Andrew Caddick. The knock of Flintoff was an act of defiance that came too late in the day. India now meets Pakistan in its last group match while England faces the collosal task of beating Australia to keep its hopes alive.
Ganguly praises Nehra
. Reflecting on the match, Ganguly praised Ashish Nehra. "He had to go through a fitness test in the morning. Hats off to him as he was more keen to play than anybody else. A physio can put in an effort, the coach can put in an effort, the captain can put in an effort but at the end of the day it is he himself who has to make the decision. It was a great show of character. He came through the pain barrier and he's still working on his ankle. It was one of the best spells of fast bowling from anyone since I've started to captain India.'' How did Nehra react to his performance? "It's a great feeling. It was a good wicket to bowl. I was just trying to bowl good line and length. I would like to give credit to Srinath and Zaheer,'' said Nehra, who also conceded he was a "great fan'' of Wasim Akram. Defending the awful form of Dinesh Mongia, the India skipper said, "He fought hard for his 32 runs. I think he needs to get on with the batting a bit. When you come on to international stage, everyone is under pressure. He's got pressure to establish himself in the team. He'll learn. I've seen him play more positively than he has done. Obviously, there is some thought put to his batting to get runs quickly.''
Hussain disappointed
England skipper Nasser Hussian said. "We're very disappointed. We would like to be in that position. But they outplayed us, as simple as that. Their discipline was very good. Sachin batted brilliantly but Andrew (Flintoff) fought back impeccably. We showed a little bit of inexperience in the last 10 overs. We've lacked a death bowler for a little while now.'' Hussain praised the Indian attack. "The left-armers (Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan) bowled very well, they hit the deck very well which is very important as there are no free balls. Obviously the conditions did help a little bit under lights. It just seems to zip off the wicket a little bit quicker. It's no excuse but a fact. We were lucky in Cape Town. And we were unlucky here. But all credit to Indians.'' SCOREBOARD
Fall of wickets: 1-60 (Sehwag), 2-91 (Tendulkar), 3-107 (Ganguly), 4-155 (Mongia), 5-217 (Yuvraj), 6-250 (Kaif), 7-250 (Dravid), 8-250 (Zaheer), 9-250 (Srinath).
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Knight), 2-18 (Trescothick), 3-52 (Hussain), 4-52 (Stewart), 5-62 (Vaughan), 6-93 (Collingwood), 7-107 (White), 8-107 (Irani), 9-162 (Flintoff).
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