da marjack bet： It turned out to be an anti-climax at Vijayawada
Erapalli Prasanna25-Nov-2002It turned out to be an anti-climax at Vijayawada. I had hoped fora close encounter but on the day when it mattered the most, WestIndies turned out to be a far better team than India. I mustadmit, however, that the visitors were worthy winners, for theymade a concerted effort to win the all-important decider.Perhaps, the Indians were done in by their being a touchcomplacent on the day. While West Indies came out with a definitegame-plan, India seemed to have taken it for granted that theycould chase any target. As luck would have it, their beliefproved misplaced on the day.It all looked good for India at the start when Dravid calledright and elected to chase. Soon, the hosts were on top with WestIndies struggling at 16 for the loss of two wickets. But WavellHinds and Ramnaresh Sarwan showed admirable temperament;collecting runs through singles and twos – – an important aspectof limited overs cricket.The lack of boundaries and sixes being scored also seemed to giveIndia in a false sense of security. And it was this aspect ofIndia’s game that the West Indies batsmen really exploited.
© ReutersI haven’t seen an innings like the one that Marlon Samuels playedat Vijaywada; it was simply breathtaking. In these days of pinchhitters and batsmen slogging for fours and sixes, here wassomeone whose smashed the opposing attack to smithereens withproper cricketing shots. Samuels is truly a gift to the game ofcricket; he is an artist of a rare pedigree, one who can bebracketed along with David Gower and Mark Waugh. He played amatch-winning knock, and after that India were never incontention.I cannot also forget Sarwan’s contribution to the West Indies’success . He played yet another gem of a knock. He leaves Indiaas a much-better batsman. Though, he remains guilty of notscoring an international hundred, it is just a matter of timebefore he succeeds in doing so.If the West Indies batting was of the highest order, the Indianbowling was a huge letdown. I seriously doubt whether the bowlershad any clue about the line and length that they were required tobowl. A couple of overs from Srinath towards the end were realshockers.Unlike the usual slower deliveries that international bowlersemploy, Srinath’s slower one is a bit too apparent andpredictable. I hope the Indian team management has taken note ofthis.
© ReutersWhen India replied. young Jermaine Lawson once again exposed theshortcomings of their batsmen against express pace. Once Indiahad lost the first four wickets to the speedster, any semblanceof a chance of them pulling off a successful chase evaporated. IfLawson could destroy India on a placid track, I shudder at thevery thought of these batsmen facing up to quick bowling onbouncy tracks.The series in the end might have ended in disappointment forIndia but they can take heart from the performances of the likesof Sanjay Bangar and Murali Kartik, who will strengthen India’schances in the World Cup 2003. They, though, need to be supportedby a few bowlers who can keep it tight in the end overs. Also,the batsmen have to train and equip themselves to tackle realfast bowling on bouncy tracks.Let me, then, end by congratulating the West Indies team forending their tour on a winning note. I am so glad to see theinfluence of the great Viv Richards on this team. The bodylanguage of the West Indies team has changed from that ofsubmissiveness to one bubbling with confidence. This victoryshould also strengthen the team morale as they did not rely tooheavily on Carl Hooper’s experience. I hope they take thepositives out of this impressive victory and keep the momentumgoing. The rebirth of Calypso cricket will only do a world ofgood to the game.