From the sublime to the ridiculous
A Mahadevan -07 May 2002

There was much celebration when India won the previous Test match at Port of Spain. People were quick to point out that this was the fourth win by Sourav Ganguly's boys abroad (the others coming against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka). Even at the time, I felt that while the achievement was a significant one, there were still too many basic problems with the Indian team's composition and ability that would make it difficult to sustain a winning streak. The events at Barbados were, unfortunately, an all-too-soon reminder of that.

It would be appropriate, then, for us to focus more on the problems and less on results, for if we do, the results should automatically follow.

India, in spite of much media hype to the contrary, do not have a strong batting lineup. Two batsmen, at best, go on to make 50s or 60s in an innings. This was clear even in India against an average England side, when we struggled in that department. This constant talk of being one of the best batting sides in the world is an insult to the intelligence of the Indian cricket enthusiasts, who are a lot more knowledgeable than they are given credit for.

India do not yet have an opening pair who have played together for any length of time. At least, in this match, we played Shiv Sunder Das and Wasim Jaffer - two specialist opening batsmen. That they failed in the first innings was unfortunate, but they were successul in the second innings. Hopefully, then, we will continue with this combination. The middle order is also problematic and inconsistent; they need to be able to put together innings of some substance time and again

The lower order, which starts at number seven, are getting progressively worse at batting. Most of the time they cannot be counted on for a few runs, or even to lend support to a top-order batsman. The bowlers definitely need to be given a few lessons in batting, and it is sad that the days of the 1980s, when we had Kapil Dev, Roger Binny and Madan Lal forming the lower order, are gone.

India also lack a strike bowler; instead, we have a bunch of game triers who put in a lot of effort but cannot really run through any side. We have seen enough indication of this flaw in the series thus far; our supposedly potent fast-bowling strike force was ineffective on even a conducive wicket. Bring back Anil Kumble - he can do no worse, and he can certainly bat better than our current bowlers, Harbhajan Singh included.

On the fielding front, we have a wicket-keeper who cannot bat and a batsman who cannot keep. Unless something miraculous can be done in the world of medicine, we are stuck either with an overexposed tail or poor wicket-keeping. There is a solution, but he is not a popularly accepted one. Nayan Mongia is sitting in Baroda, wondering why nobody has had the guts to ask the right questions.

So India are not stalwarts at yet in any of the departments. Until the above issues (which, mind you, are not those that have immediate solutions) are resolved, India's hopes are only slim. The team can only expect a few peaks in an otherwise uniformly low level of performance.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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