After the demoralising Test defeat at Lord’s, I expected India tocome out fighting at Trent Bridge

Erapalli Prasanna13-Aug-2002After the demoralising Test defeat at Lord’s, I expected India tocome out fighting at Trent Bridge. Regaining lost pride issomething that Sourav Ganguly must have deeply desired. Butdespite rain washing out almost a day’s play, India almost contrivedto lose the match.
© CricInfoGanguly’s decision to bat first in conditions favouring swingbowling showed the amount of trust he has in the inexperiencedIndian seam attack.Matthew Hoggard relishes bowling in such circumstances and he was soon making the Indian batsmen dance to his tunes. The prodigious movement that heextracted from the pitch and those wonderful outswingers provedwhy he has strong claims to being the best swing bowler in worldcricket today.Moving on, the manner in which Wasim Jaffer got out, playing awayfrom the body to drag the ball back onto the stumps, is preciselywhat every opening batsman must avoid. Granted that Jaffer’stechnique has a major flaw but even more annoying is his lack ofwill to survive. In comparison, a great opening batsman likeSunil Gavaskar always had both the technique and will to survive. simply hated to lose, and it is precisely this attitude thatthe present cricket team should try to acquire – the sooner, thebetter.One other Indian cricketer whose name and deeds should beremembered by every Indian player is Mohinder Amarnath. was a born fighter; his performances during the greattours of Pakistan and West Indies while making a comeback to thenational side are now part of our cricketing folklore. I do notknow how many people remember the fact that he was the Man of theMatch of the World Cup final in 1983. But, before that famousWorld Cup, amassed runs in Tests against Pakistan and WestIndies – against what should only be called as top-class bowling.Imran Khan was in his prime and so were the Windies pace battery.Why I am mentioning these heroes of yesteryears is because Iwould like the current crop of players to look back andunderstand the legacy these great players left behind. It hurt those great men to lose a Test match – it hurt their pride and they foughthard. I expect our current players too to show the same fierce desire to do well everytime they step out on to the field.Returning to the match, the Indian batsmen, after their dismalperformance at Lord’s, showed greater commitment at Trent Bridge.To score 350-odd runs in the first innings in not-so-suitablebatting conditions is indeed an achievement. The resolve theyshowed in the second innings to save the Test match wasparticularly laudable. I am glad that Sourav Ganguly, RahulDravid and Sachin Tendulkar fought hard to avoid defeat. A drawis far worthier than meek surrender. Now that they have survived,India can plan and play for a win.The Achilles heel of all touring Indian sides up to now has been theirfragile batting against the opposing pace attacks. AtTrent Bridge, however, the willow-wielders were not to be blamed. If there was any let down in the second Test, it came in the failure of the pace bowling attack of Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Agarkar. They were most disappointing in favourable conditions.It shocks me that someone like Agarkar who has the ability to swing the ball couldn’t do anything at Trent Bridge. The two left-arm bowlers were also a big let down, bowling too short and never at full pace. It is not the kind of effort that you expect to see from an Indian player; you need guys who are willing to give more than 100%. It is appalling that they allowed Craig White and Hoggard to add 103 runs for the ninth wicket.
© CricInfoHarbhajan Singh, for his part, had an opportunity to prove that he is the numberone spin bowler in the country. His line and length, though, wasa huge disappointment. I would be surprised if he is played aheadof Anil Kumble in the next Test match – that is if indeed Indiadecide to play a spinner at Headingley.I still have hope for this Indian team. Look at the spirit ofsomeone as young as Parthiv Patel. The kid has loads of talentand I hope that the team management persists with him. He has alsoshown enough skill with the gloves to prove that he is worthy ofhis place in the team. And if there was any doubt about hisbatting skills, watching the last one-hour of the Test match wassimply good enough. Now, if only the bowlers showed the samelevel of application and commitment.