Published: Oct 17, 2011, 10:33 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 25, 2014, 12:56 PM (IST)
By Karthik Parimal
It was heartening for Indians in general and the people of Hyderabad in particular to see Team Indian break the jinx they endured for long at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. The Indians pulled off a resounding victory in their first match against England to draw first blood in the five-match ODI series. After being pummeled by England a few months ago, it was heart-warming to see India return to its winning ways. For a team that dominated India so ruthlessly in all departments of the game just weeks ago, the margin of England’s defeat was a huge shocker. Alastair Cook was the only English player who looked positive with a quick-fire 60.
India’s batting department, which drew copious flak for consistently failing to perform on the tour of England, finally came good. The lower middle-order ensured that the team touched the 300 run mark in the very first match of the series this time around. The top-order looked a little shaky, although Parthiv Patel was run-out in a rather unfortunate manner. Ajinkya Rahane‘s 15 of 41 balls was in stark contrast to the explosive starts he often got off to during the tour of England. Nevertheless, Suresh Raina proved yet again why he’s regarded as such a dangerous player in the shorter format of the game with his exquisite display of batting skills. Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to pile runs as he blitzed his way to 87 of just 70 balls, thereby providing India the much-needed acceleration towards the end in reaching 300. It was heartening to see a vintage Dhoni provide cheer and joy with his unique range of shots.
Ravindra Jadeja played the role of an all-rounder to perfection. He came in towards the end of the innings and scored a brisk 27 and then dented the English batting line-up by picking three important wickets – Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Jonathan Bairstow. Bairstow’s wicket was extremely crucial as he was in excellent form smashing 104 of just 53 balls during a warm-up fixture against the Hyderabad XI (HCA XI) a couple of days prior to the first One-Day International against India.
Ravichandran Ashwin has consistently been a force to reckon with on Indian wickets and he didn’t disappoint this time either. The young spinner is striving hard to cement his place in the side and his performance in the first game, in which he made life difficult for the English batsmen, is a step in the right direction. He picked up three wickets for 35 runs at an economy of 4.28.
Despite the fact that Vinay Kumar could prove to be a handful under seaming conditions, pacer Varun Aaron should be given an opportunity in place of him. It will give Aaron a chance to prove his mettle in the international arena and can add variety to India’s bowling attack with his raw pace. Indian bowlers are predominantly medium-fast and someone like Aaron can rush the batsmen into making an error with a little more speed in his deliveries unlike Vinay Kumar, whose bowling lacks sting.
India’s bowling department can be strengthened by making sure that its top bowlers don’t wear out quickly and hence emphasis on physical fitness must be laid. A pool of dominant reserve bowlers who can replace the first string attack when needed and still be equally effective must be groomed. The sooner India starts the process of grooming new bowlers, the better it will be for the team, especially considering the fact that the Indian fast bowlers are prone to injury now as they are running a tight schedule till the World Twenty20 championship scheduled to begin next September. Hence, bowlers like Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, who can add spice to India’s bowling line-up, must be given frequent opportunities, even if the gamble doesn’t bear fruits in the immediate future.
As the series progresses, the Indian spinners can be highly effective as it is well known that the subcontinent surfaces provide major assistance to the spinners. Also, the English batsmen aren’t as proficient as batsmen from the sub-continent when dealing with spin. But it’s high time that India starts to play on sporting wickets that provide equal assistance to the batsmen and all kinds of bowlers. Playing on flat and spinning tracks will only ensure that India struggle when they travel overseas despite being unbeatable at home. To be world beaters, India need to play equally well under all conditions and pitches, and not just at home.
With familiar conditions, flat batting tracks and a decent spin attack, India has the ammunition to call the shots over England in this series. However, India will have to keep in mind the tough tours that await them in the near future and not just the outcome of this series. Opportunities to untried bowlers must be provided more frequently, as it increases the possibility of finding young talent who can strengthen India’s frail bowling attack. And producing sporting pitches at home and playing more often on it will is the only beneficial way for India in the long term.
(If cricket is a religion and has many devotees, Karthik Parimal would be a primary worshipper. This 23 year old graduate student, pursuing his Masters in Engineering, could be an appropriate example of how the layers of what inspires, motivates and keeps one happy run deeply in our daily lives. He, unlike others, is not too disappointed about not making it big by playing for the country, but believes that he plays the sport every day with his heart by watching and writing on it)
