India in familiar situation - back to the wall
Prem Panicker
One good batting performance. One demonstration of high quality pace bowling. Another instance of the Indian cricket crowd's increasing boorishness. And at the end of it all, the all too familiar sight of the home side having thrown away its advantages and reduced, yet again, to battling for survival.
That, in summary, was the story of day three of the India versus South Africa Test at Ahmedabad - and at the end of it all, what remains is a bad taste in the mouth.
In my early days of following cricket, I've been part of a Madras crowd that rose to its feet, time after time, to cheer to the rafters the Australian Paul Sheahan as he waged a superb, lonely battle against the Indian spinners on a turning track.
Seen other crowds applaud the gamesmanship of a Tony Grieg; the batting brilliance of a Richards; the magnificience of a Marshall...
The personalities changed with time. The crowds, too, changed in composition. Yet one thing remained a constant - the collective ability to enjoy and appreciate cricket for its own sake. To cheer a good performance, irrespective of its author.
How does national character change, and change for the worse, in such a short time? How did the same country that produced those crowds, those examples of sportsmanship, today author a Calcutta, a Bangalore, an Ahmedabad?
Put simply, if this country as a whole does not have sportsmanship in its blood, then what right does it have to look for sporting excellence?
It was a sad sight, to watch Hansie Cronje leading his men off the field an hour before close on the third day. An act spawned by fear of injury to his leading players - for it was stones, not bouquets, the crowd threw at Allan Donald, at Paul Adams...
Donald for producing an exhibition of pace bowling at its very very best?
Adams because he is just 19 years old, and it is time he is taught how to take the hard knocks of life?
Why?
Perhaps because, to paraphrase an oft-cited quote, a crowd has no conscience to appeal to, nor a backside to kick!
There is one solution to this malaise - bring in a rule to the effect that at the first sign of crowd trouble, irrespective of venue or provocation, the match referee is authorised to stop play and award the game to the visiting side.
Do that once, and you will stop this trouble for all time. Fail to take firm steps, and soon there will be no venue in India, or anywhere else in the world, that is immune from this madness.
Meanwhile, what of the game itself?
Day two began with South Africa battling at 202/8. And overnight not outs De Villiers (40) and Donald (2) merely picked up where they had left off, mixing the big hits, the singles and the defensive pushes to such good effect that when Srinath, with the second new ball, finally wrapped up the innings, South Africa was on 244, fully 21 runs ahead of India. Fanie De Villiers was unconquered on 67 off 136 deliveries with a six and 5 fours, his highest score in Tests; Donald had scored 17 runs and faced 64 deliveries; the ninth wicket had added an invaluable 60 runs, this being the second highest partnership of the match after the one between Symcox and De Villiers - and, most important, those watching had been given a lesson in how temperament, allied to elementary technique, could overcome all odds.
Unfortunately, the Indian batsmen appeared to have been cutting class when that lesson was being taught - for barring Dravid, Laxman, and Kumble, none of the others showed the application needed to stay out there and graft for runs.
Manjrekar could, perhaps, be excused - the superfast delivery from Donald that angled into him and, from just short of good length, climbed into his throat would have done for any batsman in the world. In the event, Manjrekar fended it away, and Hudson had no trouble with the looping catch at gully.
Mongia may have a heart as wide as all outdoors - but mere size of heart does not suffice to combat class fast bowling at the beginning of the innings. And Donald underlined the point when he pitched one on off stump, made it climb and move away very late, to take the edge of the reaching bat and present Richardson with the easiest of catches.
Tendulkar appeared determined to hang in there. And as long as his primary mode was defense, his technique looked impregnable, against pace and spin alike. The trouble with the Indian skipper, though, is that he always seeks to dominate, he is never comfortable unless he can play his shots. A cover drive off De Villiers was vintage Tendulkar, but it also produced vintage captaincy from Cronje. The cover fielder was moved squarer and closer, McMillan provided the width outside off, Tendulkar launched into the drive without spotting that the bowler had held the ball back, the ball took the bottom part of the bat and Jonty Rhodes, for once, didn't need acrobatics to pouch the catch.
As with Tendulkar, so with his former boss. Azharuddin looked very, very good as long as he lasted, getting singles off his pads, occasionally venturing down the track to drive MacMillan, Symcox and Adams with power and precision to the fence. And then Donald provided the ball outside off and moving further away, Azhar flung his bat at it, playing well away from his body - and Brian McMillan, who for a man of his height and bulk is astonishingly quick to get down to ground level, pulled off yet another spectacular diving catch in the slips.
Dravid, meanwhile, was his phlegmatic self. In total control at all times, putting the occasional edges and other aberrations behind him, playing each ball on merit and looking good to bat forever. Came the over just before tea. The ring of S'African fielders egged Symcox on with loud yells of "Come on, Simmo, get one for tea, we can feel it!". Dravid decided that he would defend come hell or high water, and where till then he had played consistently forward, kept going back to the first four deliveries, determinedly dropping the ball dead at his feet in very pointed fashion - obviously sending a message to the fielders that he wasn't so easily psyched out. Symcox is too experienced a cricketer to let such an invitation go by - the fifth ball was of full length, Dravid went back in pre-programmed fashion, the ball straightened and hurried through and for once, an LBW decision was asked for, and given, without attendant controversy.
The error was elementary - the batsman forgot to play the ball, and played instead to the fielders. Just that one lapse, but it was enough to nullify a 110-ball vigil of exemplary patience and technique.
At that stage India were 91/5.
Joshi did the best he could to hang around and give debutant Laxman company, but succumbed to the classic bat-pad dismissal at silly point. And not soon thereafter, Srinath went half back to De Villiers and took the ball on the pad.
And shortly thereafter, young Adams, whose bowling on the day was nothing to write eulogies about, walked up to his captain Cronje flourishing a little boulder and rubbing its landing zone on his body. And Cronje, after a brief consultation with his players, led them off the field.
The interruption occupied some 15 minutes, just when Laxman and Kumble were settling into a battle against the fired up SA bowlers. I wonder if this crowd, or any of its fellows, ever realises that the net upshot of such disturbances is that it disturbs the batsman's concentration, while making the fielding side more determined than ever?
Laxman gave proof of this immediately after resumption, when he let a delivery from Symcox crash into his pads without attempting any stroke, or even offering to move his front foot out. The ball had pitched on middle, was curling into leg and when it hit the back pad, was on course to knock the leg stump out of the ground. Umpire Sharp, who till then had been guilty of giving people out LBW when said leg was nowhere near the wicket, this time got the perfect excuse to raise his finger in legitimate accord to an appeal - but kept his hand in his pocket, to wry grins from the South Africans.
That abberation apart, Laxman was the picture of calm confidence - belying the fact that he was playing only his second Test innings. Laxman is a tall lad, but that is the only difference between him and Dravid - both have identical temperament, both are fluent off either foot, both play the on drive to perfection, and both love the hook or pull, and play it with safe assurance.
Dravid, in fact, had earlier provided a little vignette when he stood tall and hooked Donald for a four. Next over, Cronje kept two fielders for the shot, and De Villiers produced the bouncer - and Dravid hooked, again, playing squarer and still finding the boundary. And when McMillan tried a bouncer in his turn, with the same threatening field in place, Dravid again hooked, the ball scorching a trail through the turf from the moment it was hit. Good attitude in taking the fight to the bowler and refusing to be cowed down, perfect technique in avoiding the trap - and Laxman, too, produced two delectable hooks on his own account.
At the end of the day, the story mirrored that of the previous day. Once more, the batting side was in trouble going into the last session of play. And once more, it was the eighth wicket that was proving obdurate - Laxman and Kumble having added 48 runs in the unbroken partnership.
What then of tomorrow?
If Laxman can build on his 50, the first for him in Tests; if Kumble can keep him company; if Prasad and Hirwani also sell their wickets dearly and if, in consequence, India can put up a lead of 225 or thereabouts (which, effectively, means touching the 250 mark), then this game could well see yet another turnaround. The odds could swing yet again, this time back in favour of the home side.
If India set South Africa anything less than that - more to the point, if India also gives South Africa a day and a half, probably more, to get the runs in - then the home side will have squandered the advantage of forcing S'Africa to bat last on a wicket that is turning, and increasingly showing a tendency to variable bounce.
Scoreboard:
India 1st innings R B 4 6
SV Manjrekar b Adams 34 94 4 0
NR Mongia lbw b de Villiers 9 18 2 0
R Dravid lbw b Symcox 24 98 3 0
SR Tendulkar c Rhodes b Symcox 42 64 7 0
MA Azharuddin run out (Rhodes) 35 79 5 0
VVS Laxman lbw b Donald 11 43 1 0
SB Joshi c Hudson b Donald 16 60 1 0
J Srinath c Cullinan b Donald 14 46 1 0
A Kumble c Kirsten b Donald 17 54 3 0
BKV Prasad c Donald b de Villiers 9 37 0 0
ND Hirwani not out 0 3 0 0
Extras (lb 9, nb 3) 12
Total (all out, 98.5 overs) 223
Fall of Wickets: 1-22 (Mongia), 2-63 (Manjrekar), 3-98 (Dravid),
4-129 (Tendulkar), 5-159 (Azharuddin), 6-165 (Laxman),
7-193 (Srinath), 8-196 (Joshi), 9-221 (Prasad),
10-223 (Kumble).
Bowling O M R W
Donald 26.5 13 37 4
de Villiers 18 5 55 2
BM McMillan 11 4 20 0
Cronje 5 3 8 0
Adams 17 2 46 1
Symcox 21 5 48 2
South Africa 1st innings R B 4 6
AC Hudson lbw b Kumble 23 80 3 0
G Kirsten st Mongia b Kumble 17 47 2 0
DJ Cullinan lbw b Joshi 43 75 4 1
WC Cronje lbw b Hirwani 1 8 0 0
JN Rhodes c Manjrekar b Joshi 14 38 0 0
BM McMillan b Joshi 8 23 0 0
DJ Richardson b Hirwani 4 29 0 0
PL Symcox lbw b Joshi 32 80 1 1
PS de Villiers not out 67 136 5 1
AA Donald b Srinath 17 64 2 0
PR Adams c Azharuddin b Srinath 1 7 0 0
Extras (b 7, lb 9, nb 1) 17
Total (all out, 98.1 overs) 244
Fall of Wickets: 1-29 (Kirsten), 2-46 (Hudson), 3-49 (Cronje),
4-95 (Rhodes), 5-102 (Cullinan), 6-113 (Richardson),
7-119 (BM McMillan), 8-182 (Symcox), 9-242 (Donald),
10-244 (Adams).
Bowling O M R W
Srinath 19.1 7 47 2
Prasad 9 2 24 0
Kumble 31 6 76 2
Joshi 24 4 43 4
Hirwani 15 3 38 2
India 2nd innings R B 4 6
SV Manjrekar c Hudson b Donald 5 20 0 0
NR Mongia c Richardson b Donald 5 22 0 0
R Dravid lbw b Symcox 34 110 5 0
SR Tendulkar c Rhodes b McMillan 7 33 1 0
MA Azharuddin c McMillan b Donald 24 42 3 0
VVS Laxman not out 50 112 6 0
SB Joshi c McMillan b Symcox 13 51 1 0
J Srinath lbw b de Villiers 1 6 0 0
A Kumble not out 22 48 3 0
Extras (lb 8, nb 3) 11
Total (7 wickets, 74 overs) 172
Fall of Wickets: 1-10 (Manjrekar), 2-15 (Mongia), 3-38 (Tendulkar),
4-82 (Azharuddin), 5-91 (Dravid), 6-123 (Joshi),
7-124 (Srinath).
Bowling O M R W
Donald 15 3 32 3
de Villiers 17 4 45 1
McMillan 9 4 18 1
Symcox 19 8 37 2
Cronje 7 2 10 0
Adams 7 3 22 0
Score card source : Cricinfo
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