What I saw at Kingsmead is probably the best bowling performance by the Indian seamers; all three bowled superbly
22-Feb-2003Thursday, February 27, 2003:::What I saw at Kingsmead is probably the best bowling performance by the Indian seamers; all three bowled superbly. Ashish Nehra bowled at a completely different level; even Wasim Akram would have been proud with a spell like that. It was a convincing win for India, and that should help their confidence a great deal ahead of the crunch game against Pakistan.I don’t think day/night games in this World Cup have been fair to the side batting second. Toss should never be a crucial factor in one-day cricket; it kills the very spirit of the game. In the game against Pakistan, James Anderson bowled an unbelievable spell under lights, and today at Kingsmead he couldn’t get the ball to swing at all. Seeing how the medium pacers have enjoyed bowling under lights, I think the toss takes so much of importance.I think Mohd Kaif running out Nick Knight raised the spirit of the Indian team, and they never looked back. Having said that, Andy Flintoff had a very game too; he bowled an exceptional spell of fast bowling, and also played a cracking knock when all other English batsmen failed to. Possibly the only positive thing England would take from this defeat.Wednesday, February 26, 2003:::I don’t think Dinesh Mongia fits into this Indian team. Game after game, we have seen him slow down the momentum, and that is precisely what he did against England too. Guys like Yuvraj Singh should come up in the order and keep the pressure on the opposition bowlers. By allowing Mongia to play like this in the middle overs, India is actually playing into the hands of the opposition.It was the partnership between Dravid and Yuvraj that saved India against England. After Tendulkar had given India such a superb start, I was looking at a score in excess of 280. All credit to Dravid for holding the innings together, and Yuvraj once again showed that he has the ability to tear apart any attack.Tuesday, February 25, 2003:::The Indian players should look back at the wonderful NatWest Final victory and motivate themselves a lot more before they go out to play against England. Having said that, India should not take England lightly; they have some utility players who can turn around things in the space of a few overs. Someone like Paul Collingwood is definitely a dangerous customer, one who can finish the innings strongly, take a few wickets, and a real livewire on the field.Michael Vaughan’s fitness is something that will keep England worried a lot. He is by a long distance their best batsman, probably one of the finest batsmen in the world at this moment. I have a feeling that the England middle order stands to be exposed by Harbhajan Singh in the middle overs. So a few early wickets from Srinath and Zaheer Khan will do India a world of good.Monday, February 24, 2003:::I think the run out of Grant Flower was the big turning point of the match; Australia never actually looked back after that. The Aussies have the best bowling attack in contemporary cricket, and even without Warne, they look so sharp and attacking. Brad Hogg has been a big surprise to me; he has bowled extremely well, and the one that bowled Andy Flower was a beauty.My heart goes out to Andy Flower; he is trying to do too many things at one time. Cricket is a big mind game; you have to be relaxed and go in with a good frame of mind. Andy has taken up this democracy cause, and I see it is affecting his game a lot. He is bringing in more pressure on himself by wanting to do well – and make a powerful statement through his bat.After having played relatively weaker sides in the early part of the World Cup, and winning those games quite convincingly, Sri Lanka seems to have picked up some false confidence. And that turned out to be so detrimental too against Kenya. I don’t think playing at home made any difference to the Kenyan performance.All credit to the Kenyans, but Jayasuriya and his team should take a lot of blame too. I just don’t understand why Sanath decided to field first; it was a big mistake on his part. He should have elected to bat and given the middle-order the much-needed match practice. And it is that brittle middle order which gives West Indies the edge over Sri Lanka in their next big game. When it comes to bowling, Sri Lanka depend a bit too much on Muttiah Muralitharan – and that could be their undoing against the likes of Lara, Sarwan and Powell.Sunday, February 23, 2003:::Indian cricket has got what it wanted so desperately – Sourav Ganguly is back in form. I am sure the quality time he spent in the middle against Namibia would have helped him a great deal. As a batsman there is nothing like a hundred under your belt.We all know what a wonderful talent Tendulkar is; he is the best batsman in the world. A big hundred for Tendulkar is just a warning shot to the other teams: do not take India lightly. He can tear apart any attack in the world, and seems to have got out of the bad patch.I would have liked to see Yuvraj Singh run into some sort of form before we take on England. The four wickets he took against Namibia must have increased his confidence a great deal. But, as Ganguly would vouch for it, for a batsman there is nothing like spending some quality time in the middle.I was a bit surprised that India did not play Anil Kumble in the game against Namibia. I would have thought that Kumble is a certainty for the game against England; if that were the case he should have been there in the team today.The more I see of this master batsman in full cry, I get more convinced that West Indies will make it to the semi final of the World Cup. It is a treat to watch Brian Lara bat; he can play all the shots in the book, and that too with such elegance. The renewed confidence and the hunger for runs in Lara is a genuine threat to all the opposition bowlers in this tournament.Chris Gayle is an extra-ordinary striker of the ball. On his day, he can take apart any attack in the world single-handedly. He seems to be struggling with his footwork at this moment. Having said that, it is only a matter of time that Gayle comes back to his best. It might well be against Sri Lanka that Gayle is going to put his mark on World Cup 2003.Slowly we are getting an idea of who will make the cut for the Super Six. And I reckon West Indies has it in them to beat Sri Lanka. They should probably be looking at bolstering the pace attack; I am looking forward to seeing Jermaine Lawson – he is an awesome speedster.I am a bit disappointed that Ajit Agarkar was not given a chance in the game against Namibia. Even though he tends to get on the expensive side, his ability to pick up wickets is something that should never be ignored. I am also surprised that Dinesh Mongia keeps his place in the team, and India has not tried out Sanjay Bangar against Namibia.It would have been a good idea to give Srinath and Zaheer Khan a rest ahead of the crucial games against England and Pakistan. By doing so, India could have also tried out Agarkar and Bangar – to ensure that the guys sitting on the bench are not too rusty and deprived of match-practice. Not making changes to a winning eleven might be a part of the game plan, but it also sends out a signal that India are a bit insecure even when it comes to taking on a lowly side like Namibia.Saturday, February 22, 2003:::If South Africa is to qualify to the Super Sixes, their key player Jacques Kallis should get back to form. Kallis has somehow lost the ability to swing the ball. It might be a good idea to bring him on early, so that he will be able to make better use of the new ball. Kallis is a world-class allrounder, and he has to deliver with the bat and ball – for the sake of South Africa’s success.I think India has a better chance to win against England. They are a much better side than the English. The Indians should not worry about net run rate and all that; they have to go out and play for a win. On the other hand, England are the team under pressure, having lost points after forfeiting the game against Zimbabwe. It is important that India should get early wickets and exert as much pressure as possible on England. Someone like Javagal Srinath will have to lead from the front.