Side lines

India down rickety Australia.

NADEEM A. KHAN

Mohali, November 2.

A blissful 94 (104; 4x4; 2x6) from Mohammed Azharuddin and desperado captaincy by Sachin Tendulkar pointed India into the finals of the Titan Cup. It was a gut wrenching, erratic, contest that changed hands and sides without remorse. When the Indians sat on it in the last over, fire crackers went off all over the nation.

Australian captain Mark Taylor was startled by a huge fireball in one of the stands--a hand held paper torch gone awry, but was quickly assured that all present were in good spirit. It was a flashback to the 1993 Hero Cup finals and the 102 run victory over the Windies that ushered in the Golden Period of Indian Cricket.

The Australians would like to forget this game specifically, and the expedition, in general, in a hurry. Guided by strange voices from within his head, Mark Taylor hasn't set a foot right and his litter followed him faithfully into every V-shaped depression.

Come Sydney, he will face pointed questions and the toss, which he won, will be the paramount focus. Waiving first use of the wicket made little sense, both from a technical and a cosmic perspective. Eight months ago, batting first, they had won the semi-finals of the World Cup on this surface, beating the Windies by five runs. Taylor drew misplaced conclusions from that impossibly close match and decided to bat second if ever faced with the same environment. India's display against South Africa, when they mustered an unpretentious 185, was all he should have considered. Losing by five runs on his return to Mohali is bound to make Taylor a superstitious man. Indeed, this game will have made everybody a little religious.

Even corpses were revved up to see this significant clash. There were so many possibilities. The winner, by a suitable margin, would chew the fat with South Africa. This was also the last chance to salvage a shred of dignity. Both teams have been on the receiving end against RSA, but today's winner would have the distinction of being second best--an ambition that is better appreciated by those who have watched the South Africans operate.

What impressed most about the Indians' strategy was that they had one. They didn't make things up as they went along. They had ideas; some stuck, others misfired but everyone, well, almost everyone or this would have been a perfect world, contributed.

Tendulkar knew he had to play a major innings and did. Azharuddin left the umpires alone and went back to printing runs. Dravid parted the wool and batted with vision. Robin Singh took two critical wickets. And Sidhu didn't field.

India Innings

Tendulkar conducted much of the early business, scoring as many as 50 of the first 75 runs. Navjoth's run out, and then Javagal's stumping were pointless in the finest Indian tradition. When Azharuddin ventured in, India were earnestly preparing to be up against it.

The side's best batsmen appeared to have evacuated it to safety when Tendulkar moved on with life. He had played freely for his 62 (60; 8x4) before aiming for a chimerical boundary. Towards the end of his innings, Sachin appeared almost dissipated with pleasure. How he inveigles himself, time and again, to throw it all away will remain a mystery.

Rahul Dravid makes no secret of imitating Azhar's patented jabs and whips and this was a tailor made opportunity for the disciple and the master to waggle at each other. They needled the enemy's positions by skidding the ball between gaps. Then, when the troops were led away from their watch, they swung over the barricades and ran with urgency and synchronized perfection, as if on a do or die mission. They laughed, they hugged; squawked and toasted each other's happiness and shortly after he had completed his fifty (56/67; 3x4), young Dravid was felled.

It shook Azharuddin but he plugged on intrepidly and found comfort in Jadeja. Mohammed's innings was brilliantly paced. He missed a worthy hundred, but his sacrifice was rewarded with a standing ovation. Following two failures that may be ascribed to culpable refereeing rather than faulty technique, this was a career-goosing knock for him. Hopefully, he has pushed, to the furthest corners of his mind, notions that Indian umpires have it in for him.

Late order reinforcements hauled it to 289. The Australians questioned if that was 20 runs too many; the Indians wondered if they could have done better; but there was little doubt that the Azharuddin-Dravid coalition made things interesting.

Australia Innings

Taylor had anything but admiration for the Srinath/Prasad combo and described his thoughts through crunching blows. Mark Waugh noticed the Indians' reluctance to bring off half-catches when his shots fell clear of trouble--like expertly teed golf drives. Fielders kept indicating that the ball was difficult to pick owing to the thousands bouncing, jiggling, and waving in the background. That reasoning did not go well with the sensible India Captain.

A fleeting first wicket stand of 84 wasn't an overly cruel exposure of India's limited resources but when the trend continued through the middle overs, it had Tendulkar wringing the fingers.

The breakthrough was provided, surprisingly, by 33 year old Robin Singh who was feeling left out until Mark Waugh played all over him. A run later, Law hit him to Azharuddin. If there is a record for the longest latency period between international appearances then Singh has dibs on it. And if there is one for an interval between wickets, he has that in the bag too. Waugh and Law have the unhappy accolade of becoming Robin's first international victims in seven years.

Steve Waugh and Taylor floated the innings past the 150 mark. Like the people involved, it was a detached, staid effort devoid of drama until Waugh's dismissal, stumped off Joshi. Seconds later, Kumble, working wide of the crease, roped in Taylor with a flipper that addressed the pads with a discouraging 'thud'. With four dismissed for 155, it appeared to be India's game.

And would have been had not Bevan and Slater furiously gunned away much of the target. Tendulkar could only look as the blur of yellow accumulated 86 runs. Slater was the speedier half of the sketch (52/38; 5x4), and the tri-color wavers found each of his five boundaries to be despicable.

Then the sands shifted; in the space of nine runs, lunacy besieged the Australian garrison. Michael B. succumbed to an irrelevant slog; Slater heaved across the line, Srinath got away with an optimistic lbw appeal, and Healy's run out made Sidhu's look athletic.

The tail would not go away quietly. Reiffel swatted two quality boundaries and pulled the chips back. Gillespie couldn't get bat on a couple and that moved it back to the Indians. Kumble packed off both Aussies. McGrath smacked Prasad into the long-on fence and intensified Tendulkar's scowl. Their inability to tie up the loose ends clearly frustrated the captain.

Go ahead, make my day....

Hogg and McGrath were left the dirty work of getting six from the last over. The Indians went off into a corner to ponder, knowing that if they didn't come up with something concrete, it could be their last huddle for the competition. Tendulkar gushed out of the meeting with the ball in hand. He spit a couple of times, rolled the sleeves up and turned in his cap. Evidently, he was going to have a bowl.

For the second time in three years, Lady Luck couldn't help but grin, if a little crookedly, at Tendulkar's misplaced chivalry. In the semi-finals of the Hero Cup against South Africa, under the stern gaze of 120,000 Eden Garden spectators, he had bowled an unforgettable last over. The Springboks needed six runs for a place in the finals. They managed three. Azharuddin, who made that controversial call, said at the time, "I knew only Sachin could do it. I wanted to win the match..."

Leading up to this over, it hadn't been an exceptional tournament for Tendulkar the bowler. And with defeat potentially a stroke away, there wasn't an unchewed nail in Mohali. Or an unasked question. Queries ranged from what to why. What will he bowl? Under-arms? Six of them? The whys were more interesting because there were no easy answers.

Maybe Tendulkar bowled because he was disgusted with his bowlers and no longer trusted them. His face mirrored it as he measured his tiny run up. Maybe he couldn't stand the endless vacillating and wished to get it over with. Maybe, like any good leader, he wanted to assume the responsibility for taking the team down. Not many would have remembered the incompetence of Srinath, Prasad or Robin Singh. But, nobody would forget the moment of defeat and the man who inflicted the final blow.

Or maybe he bowled because he wanted to win the match.

It was a brave decision. It was also a foolish decision. But it was one for the ages.

Hogg edged the first ball he faced, not an under-arm, and it was intercepted by Mongia. McGrath pressed for one and made it. The resourceful wicket keeper threw it to Tendulkar. A shade before midnight, among the fusillade of fireworks, George Bradley Hogg was run out at the bowler's end.

Australia all out for 285.

Diwali came early to Chandigarh.

The road ahead

In all the excitement it is easy to forget that this wasn't a convincing performance by India. Pleased back slapping and Dom Perignon has worked against them in the past when the basic errors were overshadowed by the glow of the victory.

By winning under extenuating circumstances the unit has emerged mentally stronger. Beyond that, there are few consolations.

First, the bowling lacked teeth. 289 was barely enough. There is no guarantee that there will be a similar total to defend on Nov. 6. Mumbai's track is no one's friend and India's pacers will have to bank on more than their good looks.

Second, the Srinath at #3 experiment flopped. Before the game Madan Lal talked of "setting up a platform", a partnership between Azharuddin and Sachin. So, why was Srinath bunged in? Azhar is the best one-day batter in the side and should get in and get it on with Tendulkar before things get too volatile.

Third, Tendulkar used Kumble inefficiently; after an initial spell, he was shoved out sight until the 40th over when the Aussies were going for broke. The leg-spinner nipped India back with two premium wickets. Kumble is their best strike bowler and one who is difficult to hit at will. He should open and bowl ten on the trot. Azharuddin often kicked off with Anil and met with great success. Getting Kumble in early plugs the flow in a manner Prasad and Srinath cannot.

Fourth, Navjot Sidhu's role is foggy; he wasn't on the field during the Australian innings; "injured"-- which means they didn't trust him to catch or stop too many. Is he then, in the side to make runs slowly (11 from 25 out of the first wicket's 54) and entertain with his unique rendition of the quick single?

A final look then:

Venkatesh Prasad: Must decide if he is a spinner or a fast bowler. He can be either but not both. Slow off-spin mingled with his regulation faster off-spin irked batsmen and got wickets, but not when it mattered--Aussie #10 dug into him and he looked helpless.

Javagal Srinath: Not many will accuse Javagal of being over aggressive. Strike bowler is less hostile than certain Mumbai Customs officials. Took his first wicket of the tournament after been handled in an inauspicious manner. Had a better time with the bat.

Ashish Kapoor: Needs to do more than run messages and refreshments or substitute for Sidhu on the field. He is almost benign on disinclined surfaces and no Venkatapathy Raju on turners--which isn't saying much. It requires more than a cheerful outlook to make it at this level.

Sunil Joshi: Two wickets here, one there; never threatened to run through a side; checks into a vacuum when tonked. Throws have a tendency to go for byes, frequently four.

Robin Singh: Baffling selection is claimed to be an all-rounder. Two Australians fell for his didlydods and extended his shelf-life by at least one more game.

Navjoth Singh Sidhu: A poor fielder. Any shot to him is worth two runs, but one by him is valued at half. Was run out by embarassing proportions in both games. Deserves one last chance failing which he should be stomped out like a bad habit.

On the plus side, there are:

Sachin Tendulkar: Bulwark of the batting line-up is back in near peak form--although he claims he was never out of it. More bullish talk than results from the Captain off late; redeemed himself by bowling the (last) over that ran Australia out of contention. Lives and bats for the moment. Bowles, sadly, a lot. Needs to put a cap on the Dirty Harry mentality.

Mohammed Azharuddin: Now in full and glorious spate. A major player if the umpires don't butt in; India's most experienced batsman will look to get himself involved in a serious partnership with Sachin or Dravid. Best fielder on view.

Rahul Dravid: Burst through the funk with a solid 50. Needs to ignore Woolmer's rubbish and build on good starts.

Anil Kumble: Has the air of a magician denied the trusty props. Not the force he was two years ago. Snapping tracks gave him his quota, but India needs his multiple wicket orgies of '93-'94.

In between:

Ajay Jadeja: Toronto broke him and now he's a man without a country. Never knows when he's going to play; has no fixed slot; bats to fill the day's prescription. Not a thoroughbred match winner and perhaps never will be. More effective when he comes down the order or minutes before close. Passable utility player is an outstanding fielder.

Nayan Mongia: Has reason to wonder if the Delhi Test hundred is forgotten. Hasn't opened since Wasim Akram took him out in Toronto, but has kept indifferently and dropped a couple of meaningful catches. Must work on the slog.

Saurav Ganguly: Attractive player owns a game not fabricated to one-day specs; picks out fielders with needless precision. Rajkot knock brought back memories of Ravi Shastri.