da imperador bet： The body language of the Indian team in the last five overs of the match was that of a team trying to defend, whenall they really had to was pick up two tail-end wickets to finish the game
da realbet： Erapalli Prasanna08-Mar-2002India’s loss against Zimbabwe at Faridabad was not the first timethat they snatched defeat from the very jaws of victory. India’spoor one-day record at the Nahar Singh Stadium now looks evenworse after the stunning win that Zimbabwe pulled off in thefirst match of the five-game series on Thursday.
The body language of the Indian team in the lastfive overs of the match was that of a team trying to defend, whenall they really had to was pick up two tail-end wickets to finishthe game. The pressure also got to the umpires, one of whomhanded out a poor decision against Tatenda Taibu.
It must be stressed, however, that the record has nothing to dowith the ground, the weather or any external factors. India’sfailure to close the match in their favour was caused by someabject fielding and incompetent bowling that came to the forewhen it mattered most.The Indian captain did not do his team any favours through poorlythought out field placements and bowling changes. Sourav Gangulyneeds to readjust his thinking cap and seriously think about onfield strategy. Such matters will go a long way in determiningIndia’s fortunes in the 2003 World Cup.The real mettle of a player, captain or umpire shows only when heis under tremendous pressure. We saw, in the recent Delhi Testmatch, how a few individuals wilted under the pressure. It was nodifferent in Faridabad, with number 10 batsman Douglas Marillierplaying a do-or-die innings, even as Ganguly and his boysliterally stood benumbed by the onslaught.The body language of the Indian team in the last five overs ofthe match was that of a team trying to defend, when all theyreally had to was pick up two tail-end wickets to finish thegame. The pressure also got to the umpires, one of whom handedout a poor decision against Tatenda Taibu.Fortune is determinedly partisan to the brave; Marillier playedone of the most stunning one-day knocks in recent memory. I mustsay that the self-belief this Zimbabwe team has shown on the touris simply superb. I had mentioned this crucial element in myprevious column as well.Having said that, I thought Zaheer Khan bowled superbly. He wasby far the best bowler on the day, although he completely lostthe thread in his final two overs. In spite of the Marilliermiracle, I single out the 111-run partnership between Andy Flowerand Alistair Campbell as the one that laid the foundation of thesensational victory.Chasing a target of 275 was never going to be easy, especiallyafter Zaheer Khan had made early inroads by picking a couple ofwickets. The senior Zimbabwe batsmen, however, played with a lotof determination against the double-spin attack of HarbhajanSingh and Anil Kumble. If Andy Flower had not fallen to Kumble,attempting an ambitious shot, those two would have made it lookmuch easier for the visitors. Campbell also played an innings ofcharacter – the hallmark of the Zimbabwe team.I thought the Indian batting plan almost worked to perfection. Itwas a good idea to open with Dinesh Mongia, and the Indianbatting line-up had remarkable depth to it even without theservices of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. It wasparticularly pleasing to see Ganguly and Mongia make usefulcontributions, as also the responsible manner in which VVS Laxmanplayed.Ajit Agarkar seems to relish the slog overs, and the quick-firepartnership of 63 runs with Mohammad Kaif helped India to post animposing score of 274. Zimbabwe’s bowling looked a bit overenthusiastic, and it was, on the whole, a disappointing show bythe visiting bowlers. Instead of attacking on just one side ofthe wicket, they bowled on both sides and gave away many runs inthe process. Zimbabwe’s fielding was, as always, very good, butthey were made to look ineffective as the Indian batsmen calmlyexploited the gaps in the field.All credit to Zimbabwe, therefore, for a remarkable victory.India’s pride has been damaged with this loss at home, and theresult will make the next encounter at Mohali a truly engrossingaffair.
