The Hindu : Positive approach need of the hour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

Positive approach need of the hour

It will be a huge test of character for India in the vital game against England. A victory here could put the Indians in the Super Six, and they do have to go all out.

I have heard that the Kingsmead surface in Durban assists pacemen quite a bit, and chasing in this venue can be hazardous, especially under the lights. The toss, I dare say, is going to be a crucial factor.

Whichever captain calls right will provide a significant advantage to his side, but, even in the event of the Indians losing the toss, they will have to approach the match positively.

That is to bowl England out for a score of around 200. Javagal Srinath has a significant role to play in this match, so has Zaheer Khan, and if they achieve the early breakthroughs, the pressure would be on the Englishmen.

More so because the English batting is top-heavy, with the two best players in the side being opener Marcus Trescothick and No. 3 Micahel Vaughan. If these two depart early, then England might struggle. The English middle-order is not really daunting, and apart from Andrew Flintoff, who is capable of delivering the big hits but is terribly inconsistent, the others like to work the ball around for the ones and the twos. This is where smart saves on the field will create chances for India.

England has the experienced Andrew Caddick and the impressive young paceman James Anderson sharing the new ball. However, once these two are seen off safely, which the Pakistanis failed to do, you would find that the English attack is not really threatening in the middle overs.

The Indians will be better off with a couple of changes to the eleven. As I have already indicated, considering the traditional English weakness against leg-spin, Anil Kumble will have to come in for Ashish Nehra.

India can still field the third paceman by bringing in Ajit Agarkar for Dinesh Mongia, who will be wasted down the order in any case. This, according to me, is the best possible combination for the crunch game, although the team-management might settle for the same side that beat Namibia so convincingly.

The Indians have won two matches in a row, but problems persist in the middle-order. Here, Yuvraj Singh's contribution will be vital. Whenever he has fired, India has gone on to win.

India will have to get the runs at a good clip in the middle overs, when the weaker England bowlers are on. This will also ensure that there is not much pressure on the later batsmen.

The English morale is bound to be high following the side's fine win over Pakistan, but India has the ability to pull it off.

K. SRIKKANTH

www.kris-srikkanth.com

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