da poker： I had expected Harbhajan Singh to be moreeffective on the final day and even run through the West Indiesbatting line-up
Erapalli Prasanna24-Apr-2002A chapter has been extracted from the history of 1971 and rewritten. An inspired Indian team has finally proved to the worldthat they have it in them to win Test matches abroad. The Queen’sPark Oval at Port of Spain will always have a special place inIndian cricket history, more so now since, with this memorableTest win, India have three victories at this picturesque venue.
I had expected Harbhajan Singh to be more effective on the final day and even run through the West Indiesbatting line-up. It was a disappointing show by the young offspinner, and, in the final analysis, it was the fast bowlers whowon the Test for India.
I am forced to conclude that Carl Hooper’s decision to bowl firstwent a long way towards deciding the final outcome. Ideally, onewould want to bowl the opposition out for a score around 200 runsif the most is to be made of such a decision. Hooper simply doesnot have the kind of fast bowlers who can rip through a battingline-up. The fact that India was allowed to score 339 in thefirst innings really exposed the limitations of the Windiesbowling department.Even though the West Indian bowlers had some success in removingthe Indian opening batsmen on the first morning, Rahul Dravidcame to the rescue and played yet another important knock. I wasvery impressed by the way in which Dravid handled the thirdorfourth-string West Indies attack. Even on a wicket that promisedlife and bounce, Dravid played some exquisite cover drives andthe flick through mid-wicket with élan.A shaky start from Sachin Tendulkar is a very unusual sight, butthe master batsman came into his own after he got the measure ofthe track and the insipid attack. One must pay glowing tribute tothe Mumbai maestro for his sheer appetite for runs and the mannerin which he scores them. Tendulkar was the mainstay of India’sfirst innings, and his 29th Test hundred, which equalled SirDonald Bradman’s record of Test centuries, helped India put up adecent first-innings total.It is also very heartening to see VVS Laxman play with so muchresponsibility. The stylish batsman applied himself very well,and the determination to excel was there for all to see. Thereshould be no doubts regarding talent, which he has in abundance.I believe that Laxman has finally sorted out his flings withcomplacency to adopt a more professional approach. He is a classplayer, and he proved that with a fifty in each innings at Portof Spain; he really deserved the Man of the Match award.The Indian pacers Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khanbowled well, proving that they have it in them to win Tests forIndia away from home. I must particularly commend Srinath for hislion-hearted effort in this match. I was also impressed by ZaheerKhan’s bowling; the delivery he produced to get rid of Brian Larain the first innings was a beauty. It is a rare sight these daysin Test cricket to see a bowler willing to attack to take awicket.It was Nehra who turned things around in the second innings,picking up the valuable wickets of Lara and Hooper. The youngsterhas a lot of talent, and it augurs well for Indian cricket that agenuine group of fast bowlers are coming to the fore.Appropriately enough, the West Indies is the ideal place for sucha pace attack to blossom.There was not much to cheer about in the West Indian battingdepartment. The batsmen did not apply themselves enough toconvert starts into big scores; such efforts may have changed thefinal result of this Test match. Looking at their bowling, twobowlers caught my eye – Adam Sanford and Marlon Black. Sanfordhas it in him to be a class act if he can concentrate on line andlength; if he can add some discipline to the whippy action, hecan surprise a few leading batsmen. Black is one bowler who lookslike never giving up, and it is a quality that will help him inthe long run.I had expected Harbhajan Singh to be more effective on the finalday and even run through the West Indies batting line-up. It wasa disappointing show by the young off-spinner, and, in the finalanalysis, it was the fast bowlers who won the Test for India. Intalking about the game, though, it must be said that the numberof umpiring mistakes in the match baffled me, and I hope theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) will ensure that such blatantmistakes are not repeated at the highest level of the game.Finally, I must congratulate Sourav Ganguly for this memorableTest win. There was an extra edge to his captaincy in this match,and Port of Spain witnessed some inspiring work in the field fromthe Indian skipper; the field placements, especially, weresuperb. A lot of thinking went into formulating the strategy forthis Test. Ganguly ensured that the plan was well-executed, andthis memorable Test win should hold Indian cricket in good steadin future endeavours.