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The return of the batsmen

Erapalli Prasanna

November 7, 2002

It was the levelheaded approach of Ramnaresh Sarwan that helped the West Indies to a thrilling win at Jamshedpur. I must congratulate the tourists team for the resilience they have shown. After losing the first two Test matches, they have shown a positive approach to their game, and that has patently manifested itself in a marked improvement in their fielding standards.

The signs of improvement started showing even during the Kolkata Test, and there is a very definite air of positive confidence to their body language now. After the Jamshedpur one-dayer, the team will now be boosted even more by the performances of their toporder batsmen like Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels. And even though the experienced Carl Hooper may have failed, Sarwan refused to throw away his wicket and, ignoring the mounting pressure, sealed a scintillating win.

For India, promoting Ajit Agarkar to number three must be rated as a big gamble. Fortunately for the team management, the gamble paid off. Agarkar played very well for his 95 runs, and it was good to see him involved in two big partnerships, with VVS Laxman and then with Rahul Dravid.

Mohammad Kaif played yet another brilliant cameo towards the end. Surely India have now found their own version of Michael Bevan, a late-order player who can hit up quick runs, consolidate when needed, and pace a one-day chase well. Kaif has shown glimpses of all three skills, and the first of the three helped India to ta total of 283 - a good score, especially in the absence of an injured Sachin Tendulkar.

But Agarkar's success with the bat may pose a few problems. With Kaif then coming in at number eight, the batting line-up looks rather over-crowded, and when Tendulkar returns, either Agarkar will have to move back to his slot in the tail or one of the regular batsmen will have to make way.

Then again, going by their display at Jamshedpur, the surfeit of riches in the batting department is the least of India's worries in one-day cricket. The fact that they failed to defend a score of 283, on a placid Indian pitch, must be a worrying factor for the team management. As the tour progresses, the West Indians are also getting used to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh; notably, Samuels, Hinds and Sarwan are finding their feet against both spinners. The pitch was a touch on the slower side and should have helped Kumble and Harbhajan, yet both were completely outplayed.

Virender Sehwag was the only bowler to create an impact on the West Indies. I thought he bowled intelligently and was crucial in the Windies almost choking towards the end. It is this lack of depth in the Indian bowling that causes worry.

The two teams look very evenly matched at the moment, and the remaining games of this one-day series might continue in the same pattern. It is the change in batting fortunes of the West Indies that has made all the difference, and the likes of Sarwan, Samuels and Hinds have the right attitude towards the game. If they can concentrate on the job a touch harder and score heavily, the West Indies might give this experienced Indian team a real scare.