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It was an unsuccessful World Cup campaign for the Indians, but not one without any pluses
The last time the World Cup was played in England, Kapil's Devils defied great odds to do India proud and capture cricket's greatest prize. The World Cup returned to England in 1999 and a billion Indians prayed for an encore.
But it was not to be ...
Mohammad Azharuddin's men failed to produce the magic of '83 as they bowed out before the semi finals, with just four wins from eight matches. What hurt most is that the Indians produced some of the great individual performances of the event . . . Sachin's thundering knock against Kenya, Dravid's superb strokeplay throughout, Ganguly's record breaking score against the Lankans, Prasad's and Robin's five wicket hauls ... But vital ingredients like consistency and teamwork were missing and the Indians were forced to take an early flight home.
In defeat, however, we must not plunge into despair. Though England '99 was unsuccessful and forgettable, it would be wrong to say that there were no gains. The top order re-established itself as amongst the most formidable in the world, and even the bowling -- which was largely mediocre -- gave uss something to smile about, with Debasis Mohanty justifying his inclusion by some penetrative bowling and Prasad living up to his reputation in English conditions.
Our weaknesses, which we have tried to hide over the last many months, were sorely exposed in this tournament. The absence of a genuine fifth bowler was felt terribly and it is now evident that if we are to succeed against the top teams we must bid good bye to the fill in bowlers and search for a genuine fifth bowler. This is easier said than done, because another specialist bowler means compromising on one batting slot which is not too wise considering the lack of depth in our batting. Clearly, either the fifth bowler must be capable of wielding the willow to good effect or the wicket keeper must chip in with the bat regularly. This brings us to our second weakness -- a keeper, unreliable with the bat. Nayan Mongia might be terrific behind the stumps, but in front of them his contibutions are nothing to write home about. Other teams in the fray all had wicket keepers who were regular batsman ... Moin Khan of Pakistan, Australia's Adam Gilchrist, Ridley Jacobs of the Windies, England skipper Alec Stewart, Mark Boucher of South Africa, Zimbabwe's Andy Flower and even Kennedy Otieno of Kenya. It's time now for our selectors to get weaving and launch a serious search for a keeper who is as proficient with the bat as he is with the gloves.
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at World Cup 1999 |
India vs South Africa
at Hove
India : 253/5 (50
overs)
South Africa : 254/6
(47.2 overs)
|
India vs Zimabwe at Leicester
Zimbabwe : 252/9 (50
overs)
India : 249/10 (45
overs)
|
||
India vs Kenya at Bristol
India : 329/2 (50
overs)
Kenya : 235/7 (50
overs)
|
India vs Sri Lanka at
Taunton
India : 373/6 (50
overs)
Sri Lanka : 216/10
(42.3 overs)
|
||
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India vs England at Birmingham
India : 232/8 (50
overs)
England : 169/10 (45.2)
|
India vs Australia at
London (The Oval)
Australia : 282/6
(50 overs)
India : 205/10 (48.2
overs)
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||
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India vs Pakistan at Manchester
India : 227/6
(50 overs)
Pakistan : 180/10
(45.3 overs)
|
India
vs New Zealand at Trent Bridge
India : 251/6 (50
overs)
New Zealand : 253-5
(48.2 overs)
|
