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Kolkata And Beyond
A right handed batsman
whose fluidity of stroke-play temporarily attempts to put even Tendulkar's
shot-making in the shade. An off-spinner who is barely out of his teens
already showing signs of a hunger for spinning greatness. A team coming
back from a Test and three fourths down to win the series. A team that's
been through a lot more than just losses on cricket fields. A series that
was decided in the last session of a final exhausting, draining day. You
could be forgiven if you thought you were dreaming. Australia was at full
strength, unlike the last time they had come to Indian shores. Except for
the brilliantly aggressive Brett Lee. A fitter Warne, a probing McGrath,
an incisive Gillespie, the consistent swing of Fleming, the variety of
Miller. Slater's daring, the brilliance of Ponting, the silken smoothness
of a resurgent Mark Waugh, the bristling aggression of Gilchrist and the
strong, assured man at the helm. The one possible weakness at the top of
the order was the Queenslander built like a tank, Matthew Hayden. He
didn't possess the soft hands and the quick, light footwork that are so
essential on the spinning pitches of the subcontinent, we thought. All
logical, rational conclusions. The South Africans had
caused India much embarrassment on the same pitches. Our batting had
failed us miserably then. We were bound to falter again, the opponents
were a lot tougher. After Mumbai and after two and a half days in Kolkata,
cricket's unpredictability was best left hidden in aphorisms. In Indian
cricket, you could be forgiven if you'd forgotten how to dream. And then, seemingly out of
nowhere, came Laxman. A lot of us had cried ourselves hoarse for him to be
played in the middle order. His opening stints had made him a diffident
young man. There was a prayer on his lips almost every ball when we played
Pakistan two years back at the Kotla. There was that mercurial 167 at the
SCG, but, there was just that. Selectorial whims had cast
him in the Ranji King mould. Such moulds are rarely broken. But when they
are, they carry with them powerful forces. Forces that can strengthen a
man and humble his opponents. How much Waugh's defensive
field placing helped him in that first innings in Kolkata we shall never
know. It was the last few scoring strokes he made in that 59 that set the
tone for that monumental second innings knock. On such fine threads are
cricketing histories woven. For a day and a half,
Laxman dominated the Australian attack like no one had in recent times.
For a day and a half, his expression never changed. A Lara or a Tendulkar
innings would be more flashy. The dominance more overt. Good length balls
would be lofted into the deep, short balls would disappear into the crowd.
But, this was more subtle. When McGrath and Gillespie pitched just short
of a length, he glided on to the back foot. His body arched back just a
bit, the ball was gently coaxed through the covers. It was almost as if he
didn't want to ruffle the Kolkata air a lot. When Warne threw those hugely
spinning leg-breaks up, he took a few light steps down the track, and
caressed them through the offside. That fourth day at the
Eden Gardens, a surgeon's scalpel couldn't have been surer in method. Such
was Laxman's use of his hands. Such artistry inspires. Dravid, who was
beginning to look like he'd never score a run again off Gillespie and
McGrath, finally blossomed. Suddenly, he was off-driving McGrath off the
back foot. He had seen consummate ease at the other end. He was forced to
look outward. Sometimes, that is good for men who dwell on matters a
lot. Harbhajan is another who
had been almost cast away. First, there were doubts raised about his
action. Then, about his temperament. In the latter half of the first day
and then on the crucial fifth, the only questions that were asked were of
the Australian batsmen. Running in like some eagle that had just swooped
down on its prey, his body seemed to twist first one way, then the other.
But importantly, when the ball started on its path down the pitch, the
seam was always perfectly positioned. It was almost as if the raised arms
and the twist and the turn were just signals of intent. They didn't affect
his control over the dynamics of the cricket ball as much as we had
doubted. The line he maintained was the key to his consistent success, the
bounce that he got from the high action his biggest weapon.
Tendulkar was perfection
in Mumbai. Not since Gavaskar in Bangalore on that square turner of a
pitch in '87 have we seen such complete assurance. Generally, Sachin shows
outward signs of a hyperactive mind. He tugs at every possible piece of
clothing. He flexes his toes, he wipes away the sweat from his brow lest
it clouds his vision. At the Wankhade, he did all this, but there was a
definite, tangible calm to his movements. There was an unruffled
inevitability to his run-making that made watching him seem like
meditation. His hundred in Chennai wasn't as assured, but he must have
been glad to make a winning hundred after such a long time. It wasn't just these four.
There was Das at the top of the order. His footwork remained crisp and
decisive. His only problem is the short ball, which he must learn to avoid
rather than play. He is the best opener we have had in a while. And, more
importantly perhaps, he looks the type who won't let success get to him.
Such men are needed at the top. Ramesh looked good in
patches. However, the captain and he need to work hard on their outside
the off stump play. There is the complete absence of footwork and a
horizontal bat. These are not part of a Test batsman's armoury. These are
habits that need to be discarded. Zaheer has all the
essentials in a fast bowler's makeup. A fast bouncer, a good swinging
yorker, very good control. He needs to work on getting more movement from
the ball. Admittedly, these pitches aren't conducive to seam movement.
But, he should add that vital ingredient to his bowling. Otherwise, good
batsmen will just play him out. Dighe showed a lot of
character in that fighting knock in Chennai. He has a few problems keeping
up to spin, but those stumping chances were fairly tough ones. Especially,
that Mark Waugh one in the first innings. A series that was turned
around by extraordinary performances of two men. There were a couple of
equally extraordinary ones from the opposition. Matthew Hayden was sure of
feet and hand and seemed to be unstoppable once in full flight. It was
interesting that two men who have been acclaimed run gatherers in domestic
cricket proved to be pivotal contributors to such an enthralling
series. Surely, no one can doubt
their temperaments and abilities now. Hayden, remarkably, seemed
Australia's best player of spin. His success was his instinct to look for
runs. Gillespie's efforts with
the ball were just as good as Harbhajan's. Except, being a fast bowler he
couldn't produce as many lengthy spells. And, more Indian batsmen played
longer innings than their Aussie counterparts. That really was the key.
That was the difference between the teams. A brilliant comeback by a
team that's known to cave in to pressure. A Test series that twisted first
one way, then turned the other. Three individuals from whom little was
expected producing stunning performances. We have heard it so many times
that we can't be bothered enough to listen – Cricket is a funny old game.
We have witnessed events that have lent new truth to an old adage. Maybe,
it is time we listened more.
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