Wanted! Sachin the Shepherd!

Barring the Bangla Desh game where the batting script went as desired, the late innings batting collapse has now occurred thrice. If we managed a tie against England and lost a game where the South Africans could have been batted out of the game, the inexperience and lack of pedigree players in the Windies line-up helped us avoid a loss. There are no guarantees however the collapses won’t get repeated again, which would mean the exit door in the knock-out stage.

Where exactly is the problem and what is the solution? The problem is with losing wickets quickly, and the solution is not to lose wickets. Fairly simple to find a solution, armed with a keyboard. The lineup after Sehwag, Sachin and Gambhir is Yuvraj, Kohli, Dhoni, Pathan and Raina. The most experienced of the lot is Yuvraj for whom the number four slot seems apt. Kohli is best utilized at number three but that is in conflict with the position Gambhir is slotted at. Dhoni, Pathan and Raina over time have played in the lower order as finishers!

Pathan failed in all the collapses attempting to be aggressive, Kohli is clearly not cut out to come in at the end, Raina swiped a catch off a ball that otherwise would have been a wide, and whether Dhoni was playing for the country or for the ‘home’ crowd yesterday is not clear, but on two occasions he has fallen to aggressive shots.

How do we arrest the collapse? Whilst the middle/lower order certainly has talent and match winning abilities, they have tendered to get lost like sheep probably with no one to herd them. Think a little deeper, and one thought that comes is whether these talented guys have the pedigree of a Dravid or Saurav or Laxman. Talented batsmen who also used their mind and read the game situation well. Batsman who were mentally strong and aware of how the game was panning out. The problem with our repeated collapses perhaps is more of not reading the game well and faulty shot selection. Sheep that went astray and got lost. Who can shepherd and guide them?
A line of thinking that was shared with three cricket knowledgeable friends, who didn’t quite agree since they were of the view, ‘why fix something that isn’t broken’, but this thought is more on fixing the repeated lower order collapse towards the end of the game.

The thinking must now be apparent - open with Sehwag and Gambhir. Both know each other, have played a lot and are openers capable of providing a good start. Does it mean your best batsman doesn’t get to bat all 50 overs? Well, the strongest mind in the line-up would serve India better if he were to arrive around the 30th over, when there would also be a harder replaced ball in operation at over number 34, and shepherd the potential match-winners with this presence at the other end. His own run making aside, he can guide the other batsman like no one else can.

It is a known fact that Tendulkar prefers to open, but the situation is that we need some fixing to ensure the potentially strong batting line-up lives up to expectations in a crucial stage of this tournament. Saurav Ganguly dropped himself, breaking a fine successful opening pairing with Sachin, to accommodate Sehwag at the opening slot. It was a self-less act in the interest of the team. Open with Sehwag and Gambhir and pencil in Virat at number three and Yuvraj at number four. Around the 30th over mark, it should be time for Tendulkar to arrive.

Sachin’s 100th hundred will probably get postponed to some other day, but another opportunity for him to be part of a World Cup winning side may probably not come. Probably, since this man looks like he is good enough to be around for the next World Cup.

Originally written for www.cricketcountry.com

World Cup 2011: Where Did India Really Lose The SA Game?

Many a movie, Indian and foreign as well, have portrayed this scene. The protagonist is involved in a fight, either in boxing ring or on the street, and is almost thrashed to death. Just as the end seems near, there is a dramatic change. Either it is the protagonist’s parent egging him to fight or his love lady screaming or some divine intervention. The scene will end with the protagonist miraculously finding the strength needed to demolish his opponent. The script writer is in complete command and ensures he/she plays to the gallery and comes out a winner.

India had gotten off to a dream start. At the end of over 17, the score read 140 without loss at a run-rate of 8.23. More importantly, the South Africans looked completely demoralized. Sehwag had looked more dominant with 72 off 63 balls, but a sublime Tendulkar was at a higher gear having made 59 off just 40 balls, and this against an attack that read Steyn, Morkel and Kallis. When Sehwag departed in the 18th over, the stage appeared to be set for a big Indian total, and the numbers even went as high as 400. A side fancied by the media as favorites had indeed started this game all guns blazing. South Africa, the other favorite to win this WC and with good and better reasons as well, seemed down and out. Graeme Smith looked crestfallen. Some South African twitter friends had even switched off their TV sets in disgust. Why Smith opted for the second bowling Power Play when both batsmen were in a murderous mood was a point of thought at that state.

Much of the blame for the defeat has been laid at the batting collapse starting with the 9 wickets that were lost for 29 runs. Batsmen strode in, fizzled out. Tendulkar, Gambhir, Pathan, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Nehra were out playing attacking or airy shots, and Virat pushed one back gently to the bowler. Patel was clueless to the first ball he got. An utter implosion of the much vaunted batting line-up. More significantly the boxer who had been smashed to pulp, lying bloodied on the floor and gasping for oxygen at over 18 was now up on his feet and dancing with delight and confidence.

While the collapse was a result, what was the cause of that? Steyn’s spell? Probably. His five wickets included Bhajji and then Nehra and Munaf off successive deliveries. What else caused it? The second wicket partnership lasted 22 overs of which 15 overs got 58 runs - a single of two overs, two runs from one over, four runs each off six overs, and five runs each of six overs. Coming in the light of the blistering and demoralizing start, this partnership realized 125 runs off 22 overs at 5.68 rpo.

There have been voices suggesting Gambhir should be replaced by the more agile Suresh Raina, also quick scoring batsmen in the sub-continent who can turn his arm over for a few overs. Gambhir had 128 runs from 4 games coming into this game. For a batsman who generally is positive and aggressive, and also rated as one of the best in the country against spin bowling, Gambhir struggled for the most part of his innings. The fluency was missing as he defended, jabbed, tucked and got the occasional boundary. As the partnership for the second wicket progressed, one pondered if we were losing on the fabulous start provided. The posts on the net forums and the twits are there as proof of this concern. Gambhir clearly looked like a player consolidating his position in the side with a good score. That was the honest impression, which only was reinforced by a conversation with two former first class cricketers who simply expressed disgust over the approach in the middle.

Where is the need for ‘consolidation’ when the opponent was already down and almost out? Why go by the middle-overs with cautious game play, when the opponent was gasping to stay alive? India missed a golden opportunity by not forcing the run rate in that crucial phase. Australia got to 125/2 in the 20th over in the 2003 World Cup finals against India, and there was no looking back as they plundered the Indians for 359 runs. They got 172 for the first wicket in 23 overs and ensured they ran off with the game getting 281 runs off 38 overs in a curtailed game. Those were they ways of true champions, not pretenders to the throne.

Did the lower order fail and made us lose the game? There certainly is a valid point for the utter brain freeze and the resultant failures. Was the batting order being changed a reason? That is another debate altogether.

More than a defeat, which in the ultimate analysis does not matter in as far as qualifying for the last eight is concerned, there were more losses from this game. The psyche of the likes of Kohli and Pathan must be severely dented. They now have a couple of failures against their names. South Africa could have been completely demoralized and been made to fight for the last eight spot but they are on track with a morale boosting win from a point of no hope.

As for India, as things stand, the chances will brighten tremendously if the WC finals were to be preponed by a day from the originally scheduled date of 2nd April!

Originally written for www.cricketcountry.com