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Mission POSSIBLE Sri Lankans have a West Indian streak in them. As much beer guzzlers as the Calypso charmers, they play cricket with a devil-may-care attitude. Flamboyant and carefree, they indulge in audacious stroke-making and deceptive bowling. Statistics show that, like the West Indians under Frank Worrell, Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd, they win their matches by a mile and also lose them by a mile. Indians, in comparison, are conservative in their approach and doings. Except for one or two batsmen, their style of batsmanship is care-worn, shackled and also flimsy under pressure. They are up on cloud nine one moment and in the pit of despair the next. History shows that Indians have gifted away matches on several occasions. Since its readmission into international cricket in 1991 after the elimination of apartheid and following wide-range changes in the political system, South African cricket has not stabilised firmly. After the death of Hansie Cronje and the exit of Dr Ali Bacher, the performances of the South African team have been unpredictable. In the World Cup, they have been distinctly unlucky at times. On paper — purely on paper, India are superior to even Sri Lanka. But judging from their recent show in the West Indies, India will have to raise their game by many notches to subdue the islanders in their den, where they are unfettered lions. Late last year, a close contest was expected when Sri Lanka undertook a tour of India. But the series degenerated into no-contest as the islanders failed to justify their rating. They were mauled 1-6 in the one-dayers. Considerably disturbed by this setback, the islanders will endeavour to roar on their grounds to avenge their defeat and impress upon the cricketing world that it was one of those things that could happen in the game. After a long lay-off owing to a shoulder injury, Sachin Tendulkar — he is an idol in Sri Lanka — will be back in action. He is a great influence on youngsters. But his physical well-being is not as robust as that of Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin. He has suffered ailments and injuries from time to time. Since Tendulkar’s debut in Pakistan in 1989, India have played 143 Tests. He has played 132 of them. In one-dayers, he has played 362 out of 458. Had he not missed some matches, he would have amassed many more runs and reached many more milestones. Apart from his personal achievements, maybe, India would have won or saved some matches through his batting. Cricketing history shows that many batsmen have performed superbly after the age of 30. CK Nayudu was 37 when he played (as captain) his first Test in 1932. In 1957, at the age of 62, he scored 80 plus in a Ranji match against the bowling of Vinoo Mankad and G.S. Ramchand. He lifted Mankad for a six more than once in that match. He had hardly any cushion of money in those days! Tendulkar is a genius. He is far more gifted than even Nayudu. He should take a leaf out of Nayudu’s book and plunder runs on this tour to prove that he has matured in batsmanship. In his success lies the team’s success. Dinesh Mongia, 29, has been brought back from the wilderness. He is a useful allrounder. His performances with Leicestershire are said to have played a role in his being reinducted into the Indian side. A fine batsman and a useful left-hand spinner, he has to perform to silence his detractors. It is difficult to fathom as to why Anil Kumble is being meted out step-motherly treatment. He has taken 329 wickets in one-dayers. He continues to be as sharp at the age of 35 as he was five years ago. In fact, he is more accurate these days. He has won more matches than many more renowned batsmen, including Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Bowlers hunt in pairs. In the historic win on Caribbean soil, Dravid played two meaningful knocks, but it was Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who did the trick. Harbhajan draws his strength from the fact that Kumble is disturbing the rhythm of the batsmen from the other end. Time is ripe for making effective utilisation of Kumble instead of keeping him out for no justifiable reason. Another surprising omission has been young opening batsman Robin Uthappa. Why has he been axed? Shuffling of the batting order of specialist batsmen has been one of the major reasons for India’s undoing in crunch matches. Opening batsmen, like opening bowlers, must always be given priority. Similarly, a pair of spinners are needed. The Indian players have had a different type of physical workout prior to the tri-series. The series in Sri Lanka will reveal how much they have benefited from this novel work-out. Sharp fielding is the key to success in instant cricket in which a lazy fielder cannot remain hidden. A catch dropped or a run-out missed can make all the difference in a crucial match.
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