The Hindu : Blame it on the batsmen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 23, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Blame it on the batsmen

By K. SRIKKANTH

New Zealand managed to reach the target in Hamilton and win the series 2-0, but let's not blame our bowlers, who have been outstanding in this series. It was the bowlers who fought back magnificently after India was dismissed for 99 in the first innings, and had we batted better in the second innings, the series could have been squared.There was little application from our batsmen, and they were hardly prepared to wait at the crease.

I have been maintaining all along in this column that, against this mediocre New Zealand side, a total of 250 would be a match-winning one. You just have to look at the scores, both in Hamilton and in Wellington, to realise this. In the first Test, had the Indians shown more determination in the second innings, the story could have been different. At Hamilton too, had the Indian batsmen believed more in their own ability, they could have set New Zealand a target of around 225 in the second innings.

In other words, instead of a 0-2 defeat, the Indians could have won, or at least drawn the series in New Zealand. But the batsmen, with the exception of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, were a total let-down. This only shows that averages and statistics do not mean much in cricket. Man to Man, this Indian side would appear far superior to the New Zealand side. But what is the use? In these conditions, we were outplayed, at least the batsmen.

There is something wrong somewhere in our cricket structure, and we have to root out the cause. The time has come for us to take some brave moves. We have to start by preparing pitches with pace and bounce at home, and have domestic cricket played on such surfaces. Only then would we be able to produce batsmen who can score on all conditions.

www.kris-srikkanth.com

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport