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"It's deja-vu all over again" was one of the immortal
malaprops of baseball legend Yogi Berra.
It's doubtful if Indian cricket fans have heard of
Berra. But they will surely echo his words after their
beloved team once again failed to click in a crunch
ODI match.
And once again it was the big batting
stars that fizzled out just when they needed to stand
up and be counted.
The DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur has been a letdown from
the start. The wicket was two-paced and the weather a
nuisance. Certainly the Indians could be said to be
the worst sufferers from the elements.
They were beaten by the West Indies in their first
match on the Duckworth/Lewis system when just the bare
minimum of 20 overs could be bowled. It was also the
only game in which the batting really clicked and it
is fair to state that had the match gone the distance,
it is doubtful the Windies could have crossed India's
total of 309 for 5, the biggest in the tournament till
the final.
Ironically, that was also the only match in which the
Indian bowlers failed to deliver, albeit over just 20
overs.
In fact if the Indian camp can take any positives back
from this rather dismal show it is that the bowling
appears to have finally gained some teeth. Ajit
Agarkar has confirmed after his fine show in the West
Indies ODI series earlier this year that after nearly
10 years in the side he is now the best of the medium
pacers. And Harbhajan Singh was certainly the top
bowler in the tournament.
The batting on the other hand, apart from Sachin
Tendulkar is the area where the Indians will have to
work harder. However, to be fair to them, the constant
rain interruptions could at least be partly to blame
for the dramatic loss of five wickets in just eight
overs in the first (rain interrupted) game against
Australia.
With the Champions Trophy just weeks away,
the time for experimentation is now surely over. The
decision to send Rahul Dravid as opener with Tendulkar
proved to be disastrous. And by the time that was
rectified in Friday's loss to Australia, it was too
late.
The disintegration of Irfan Pathan as a front-line
bowler is one of the most worrying aspects as India
begin the run-down to the World Cup. His attractive 64
in the first game showed he is still an accomplished
bat. But it is a strike bowler that he is being missed
in the line-up. The sooner he regains his bowling
confidence the better it will be for the team's
balance.
India have now won just two of their last nine matches
(including one No-Result). It is a dismal record and
threatens to undo much of the good work which the
Dravid-Chappell combine achieved in their first season
together.
The Champions Trophy is rapidly taking on
the shape of a make-or-break event for the home side.
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More Views by Gulu Ezekiel
