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Yuvraj’s Day Out, England’s struggle and
Breaking the Goa jinx… |
Apr 3, 2006 (From the
Cricket Journal)
It was one of these matches where it was a
contest between momentum, form, confidence and
weather. Having pulled-off a nail-biter at Delhi
and a comprehensive run chase at Faridabad, the
Indians looked like a side on a roll and it
seemed as though England had to pull out several
tricks out of their kitty to get through this
in-form Indian side. As India powered themselves
to 294/6 in 50 overs, it almost looked as if
England marooned themselves after conceding 98
off the last 10 overs and victory seemed as far
as a trip back home. It was a convincing victory
for India by 49 runs and if I may say, already
have one hand on the TVS One-Day Cup. Here are
some musings about a game took India to their
seventh consecutive ODI win…
Yuvraj’s Day Out
 Dominant
is one word that comes to mind while describing
Yuvraj Singh’s knock of 103 today. As he walked
into bat, it almost looked as if India got back
to their struggling ways as they were nailed
down at 130 for 4. On a pitch that did not quite
accommodate well for the batters, the timing and
strokeplay that Yuvraj Singh showed were nothing
short of exemplary. The knock typifies an ideal
one-day knock, where the first half included a
much required rebuilding act and he found an
able ally in young Suresh Raina to help him in
this endeavour. There were very notable signs of
marked improvement in both the technique and
attitude. As the inning gained momentum, he
stepped on the gas and his other 50 off only 24
balls vindicates the shift in direction. As the
inning approached its carnivalesque stages, Yuvi
was quite happy to power the team to a more-than
competitive score of 294. As an observation,
this was one of the better centuries by Yuvraj
purely because the manner in which he commanded
the situation and the overall maturity he showed
were surely good indications of things to come
for the future. Hopefully this purple patch
would lead to a possible extension in the future
games to come !
England’s Struggle
England might have enjoyed their brief stint at
Goa, but on the cricket field, they looked a
totally silenced unit. Jadedness, mental
fatigue, travel and above all the unforgiving
conditions at Goa might have played their part
in preventing England’s much-strived for
success. Another knock-out punch was delivered
to the England management when they discovered
this morning that Kevin Pietersen was down and
out, thanks to a stomach bug. Added to their
woes, bowlers like Sajid Mahmood did not give an
account of their international belonging as he
was at the receiving end of both the weather and
the rampaging Indian batsmen. They could do
nothing right today, even when playing Irfan
Pathan as it was not his in-dipper but slower
delivery that found four English batsmen wanting
and only Paul Collingwood gave them a semblance
of fading hope, but hope nonetheless. England
will surely have to raise their game if they
have any intensions of competing in this series.
Kochi is not going to get any cooler and it will
be important for England to adjust to the nature
of the different centers. The must-win days have
arrived for England and can Kochi mark their
revival ? Maybe Freddie Flintoff and Duncan
Fletcher might have better answers to that
question !
Breaking the Goa jinx…
Goa will always be known as the Football capital
of India, though it competes with Kolkata and
Kochi for that standing. Cricket has always
played second-fiddle in this picturesque
destination and it was important for India to
win at the Furtoda ground to boost cricket’s
popularity in the state. Ask any Goan to name
some sportsmen and names like Bruno Coutinho,
Alvito D’Cunha and Noel Wilson might supercede
the likes of Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Irfan
Pathan. Only guys like Rahul Dravid and Sachin
Tendulkar might have their popularity sky high
over footballers here. And the results of India
at the Nehru stadium might have played its part
in this selective memory. Today’s victory was
the first ever one by India at the Nehru stadium
and perhaps their previous losses should
hopefully be a thing of the past. One hopes that
apart from winning the 3rd ODI, the cricket and
the cricketers have won over the hearts and
minds of the Goans.
Kochi is also a football city in
many ways, boasting of more football clubs than
cricketers and incidentally, the 4th ODI will
also be played on a football ground ! As long as
India keep winning, the fans won’t mind where
they come, on a football field or a cricket
maidan.
From the Indian perspective, the Kochi ODI might
seem more like a decider. India would be keen to
settle the issue at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi
and get on with their constant eye on the future
and try more youngsters in the last 3 games. It
will surely be a test of physical and well as
mental stamina and with a lot at stake, India
might look the better of the two teams. England
have surely drained themselves, but cannot
afford to drown at Kochi. Incentives of a series
win and a possible series comeback throng the
teams as they head to Kochi, and it will be
interesting to see which of these intentions
prevails.
For now, its over to Kochi for the 4th ODI.
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