Azharuddin has the last laugh
Cricket, the game of glorious uncertainties, has a habit of settling issues and ensuring that even the greatest of players remain a notch lower than itself
Woorkheri Raman
06-Mar-2000
Cricket, the game of glorious uncertainties, has a habit of settling
issues and ensuring that even the greatest of players remain a notch
lower than itself. The way it goes about doing this may vary depending
on the recipient and sometimes lessons are taught almost with an
impish sense of humour. Azharuddin, the man who was deliberately kept
out of the side has had the last laugh and his detractors must be
running for cover after his classy ton.
Kapil Dev, the Indian coach, must be choking on his own words and must
be kicking himself for speaking too soon with regard to
Azharuddin. When the latter walked in to bat in the second innings at
the Chinnaswamy stadium, he must have realised how Atlas would have
felt. There must have been at least one half of the country waiting to
add on to their earlier prophecies if he failed. One false stroke
would have not only signaled the end of a long career but also set off
a lot of tongues wagging.
An uppish on drive through mid-wicket proved to be the start of a
glorious innings and once the half century was completed, Azharuddin's
confidence level was so high he unleashed shots which were
breathtaking. Boje, the left arm spinner, was marked out for achieving
or galloping to the personal landmarks. Azharuddin clouted him over
the long-off fence to reach his half-century and then was mauled on
the final day to get closer to his hundred. A couple of cover drives
off Allan Donald with the second new ball were an indication of
Azharuddin's class. Those shots also underlined that he might be aging
but his reflexes and his fizz for international cricket has not
diminished yet.
The magnificent century of Azharuddin was not enough in the end for
the hosts to pull off a draw. One surprising aspect was the success of
Boje against the Indian top order. Agreed that he was steady and that
too on a helpful pitch, but succumbing to a lone spinner is definitely
not what is expected of the Indians. The hosts were also guilty of
playing loose shots to be dismissed, which gradually seems to have
become a habit.
Kumble's remarkable marathon effort was due to the inefficiency of his
colleagues in the spin department. Karthik was strong enough to come
back later on in the match and Chopra was a major disappointment. His
inability to bowl a few steady overs even on a helpful track was the
limit and he has to do a lot of introspection. Talking of it, the
entire team has to do the same in order to perform better which they
are capable of doing.
One should not forget the disciplined effort of the South Africans
under alien conditions. The fact that Kluesner sacrificed his natural
stroke making instinct for the sake of his side reflects the
collective grit and dedication of the South African team. Full credit
should be given to Cronje as he kept the team going despite his
batting form letting him down again. Even the fast bowlers never gave
up considering there was hardly any pace or bounce they are accustomed
to on their home grounds. In a nutshell, the side with the fiercest
resolve won the test series and quite deservedly so.