Beyond the boundary - Mind over matter (well, almost) (16 May 1999)

16 May 1999

Beyond the boundary - Mind over matter (well, almost)

Shakil Kasem

India came close to pulling off the impossible. In the end the all too familiar trait of choking when the chips are down flushed Indian pretensions down the drain. For Azharuddin this match is likely to haunt him for the rest of his stay in England. India had the South Africans on the run for a substantial portion of the match, that is before a series of blunders by the Indian captain and shoddy bowling by the senior pro handed back the match to SA, on a platter.

It was always on the cards that with a batting lineup that really has no indication of a tail, the South Africans could chase any target till the cows came home. Why the Indians chose to attack rather than defend their not so inconsequential total baffles even the layman. Ringing bowling changes after holding referendums in the middle showed up Azharuddin in very poor light. The Indians played well in the field, raising their fielding to heights they themselves had been unfamiliar with. In the end their captain's inept handling of the situation in the end overs left them bruised and battered for no reason at all.

India had got off to a very good start. Tendulkar played himself in, playing a lot of his customary shots in the process. Just after he had done all the donkey work he chose to give Klusener a totally undeserved wicket. The next wicket that Klusesner got was about 130 odd runs later, when Dravid played the only uncultured shot of his innings. By then life after Tendulkar had been fairly rosy for India. Ganguly played with assurance and panache and the Indian total looked to be good enough to test the considerable batting strengths of South Africa. The brilliance of Jonty Rhodes deprived Ganguly from reaching his hundred and some valuable runs thereafter. Some loose shots and very tight outcricket by the South Africans did not allow the Indians to run away with the match. The difference between the two teams was starkly obvious in the last ten overs. Whereas the Indians curled up and died, the South Africans prospered at the death.

South Africa is a very mechanical side, at times bordering on the robotic. They are programmed to perform, each player in his own special way. Their programmed software ran the risk of a collapse as India threatened to match them ball for ball, hit for hit. It was heady stuff but really too good to be true. Two early wickets had rocked them on their heels but Jacques Kallis held the innings together with a very clinical 94. Jonty Rhodes then put the issue beyond doubt with some sharp running between the wickets and typically unconventional batting. The kind that wins matches.

India, as per the form book were expected to lose, but they did have the chance to throw the form book out the window. That they could not should not worry them too much. They have found reserves of fighting qualities in some of the key players and that should serve well during the rest of the month. If Azharuddin can recover from the trauma by the time the next match comes around, the Indians could still have their say on the outcome of this competition.

The Kenyans in the meanwhile succumbed tamely to no one's surprise. Zimbabwe can take heart from the fact that they have two easy points in the bag. They are a team that could be lying in ambush for some of the big boys in this group. After two days this group is wide open and waiting for any kind of script to be written about it.

Source :: The Daily Star