Vidyut: I never knew it would be this good

By Anand Vasu

January 14, 2001

The touring young England side is a very careful one. They take no chances with food or water that comes from less than completely reliable sources. They have an elaborate routine that ensures that no one pulls a muscle or develops an injury that is avoidable. They are prepared for every situation that can crop up. Well, almost every situation anyway. They certainly had no answer to the left arm spin that Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan dished out on a fourth day wicket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ending with the remarkable figures of 8/38, Vidyut powered India Under-19s to victory. The last spell he bowled, was easily the most lethal of the match and read 18.3-15-6-7.

"I never knew it would be this good," said an excited Vidyut in a chat with CricInfo shortly after his match winning haul. "I always believed that on a fourth day wicket I could take five wickets and help my team win if I bowled well. But I didn't even dream about 8/38 before the match," he added unable to contain his joy at propelling India to a 1-0 lead in the three Test series.

However, it wasn't all rosy for the left arm spinner. At 160/1 England were well on the way to saving the game. Skipper Ian Bell and southpaw opener Gary Pratt were getting comfortable against the spinners. Did this worry Vidyut? Hardly. "All we needed at that stage was one breakthrough. They were going along very nicely, scoring a boundary almost every over," he said.

Fortunately for India, Vidyut's confidence was not misplaced. Off spinner Mulewa Dharmichand provided the breakthrough they badly needed and then the floodgates opened. Even on a fourth day wicket that is turning square, an eight wicket haul stands out as a phenomenal effort. So what was special about Vidyut on the day? "I just stuck to my basics and let the wicket do the rest," he says humbly.

If Vidyut just stuck to the basics, then the England batsmen must have contributed heavily to their downfall."The biggest mistake the England players committed was adopting an excessively defensive approach. They were not trying to hit a single ball. They wanted to defend every single ball. On a wicket that is spinning, with men around the bat, you just can't do that for any length of time," concluded Vidyut. That analysis just about summed up the game.

Anyone who takes eight wickets in an innings is bound to have a huge psychological advantage. For Vidyut this edge is further sharpened by the fact that the second `Test' will be played in Chennai, his hometown. Having grown up playing on Chennai wickets, the son of former Tamil Nadu and South Zone opening batsman V Sivaramakrishnan should know exactly what to do. While he is confident, Vidyut's head remains firmly on his shoulders. "Every game is a fresh game. I have to put my head down and bowl well once more. It is nice to get a lot of wickets, but to me it is more important to bowl well. If I can trouble the batsmen all day, I would consider my day a satisfactory one," he said contentedly. The Indians will certainly hope he has more satisfactory days. If he does, life is bound to become increasingly hard for the tourists.

© Cricinfo

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