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Friday, Dec 07, 2007
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Injuries to pace bowlers is worrying

We have to really work on our fielding and catching, writes Anil Kumble

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

PRACTICE TIME: With India’s fielding letting it down badly in the second Test, the players seem to be putting in extra effort during the training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Thursday.

There was a fair bit of interest in the announcements of Wednesday. Yes, the injuries to the pace department definitely are worrying. Yet, I am hopeful that the players who have some minor injuries will be better in quick time.

I expect Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and RP Singh to be fit. Sreesanth, of course, will obviously be missed but these things happen in hectic modern-day cricket. There’s not really enough time to recover, you’re getting a two-day break and then, another big game.

For a pacer, that’s pretty tough. Zaheer, for instance, has been playing continuously for really long now, his only break coming during the Twenty20 championship.

It’s a bit of a tough situation to be in, but you just have to try and get the best out of whatever players you have and that’s how I’d always like to look at things.

Fielding blues

Having said that means we also have to really work on our fielding. Not fielding per se — you can’t become a Jonty Rhodes overnight — but definitely on the catching. The Eden Gardens, with nearly a 1,00,000 people, was not the best of places to sight the ball. Still, we’ve always had a good catching record in Test cricket, so a dip in that will not do.

This will be an immediate focus in the Test beginning on Saturday, this and to staying focussed on the game. We cannot afford to lose sight of the present in the talk about the future.

At the same time, a few players will be feeling the pressure keeping the next series in mind. My advice is, concentrate on taking this one step at a time. It is essential to take the selection out of your heads and that is what these young players need to learn — don’t worry about things beyond your control.

It’s not easy at all. There’s a very thin line between thinking about it enough to keep you on your toes and not thinking about it too much and letting it get to you. What counts here is self-confidence and self-belief. Some players take less time to snap out of a bad patch, some take a bit more time, it just depends on their individual traits.

I can only give my example when I say that the only sure way of getting through the pressure is controlling your mind, best done through physical activity. Training for example: Nobody likes the routine of getting up and gymming, but it disciplines you, helps you focus, makes your mind stronger.

Again, I’ve always thought that a player can always improve and the only way you can improve is by creating a chart, and then sticking to it. As long as you do that consistently, that’s all the preparation required. If you train your mind, you can cope.

Grab the opportunities

Anyone can cope, even the really young players in the team — though I don’t want to name anyone here. Ideally, everyone should be part of focussed plan that will leave us with a bench that will look at the future and will take over from us and lead India in every department eventually.

Sometimes you might have to throw them in the deep end, or nurture them, depending on the situation and individual personas. But again, when they are thrown in the deep, I believe they should treat it as an opportunity.

Chances are rare, it doesn’t matter when they come, how they come, why they come. You just need to use them as best as possible.

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