da dobrowin： The real mystery could lie in the choice of bowlers for the next Test.If the wicket is grassy and seemingly quick, the Indians could beforced to make a choice between the two regular spinners on this tour- Harbhajan or Kumble.
Ashish Shukla13-Nov-2001Puddles of boredom form at East London
©AFPThe Indian players are literally bored to death. They are waiting invain for the four-day match against South Africa ‘A’ to start afterthe first two days were washed down the drain by the incessant rain.Captain Sourav Ganguly is probably ruing the fact that he did not goto Kolkata to be with his wife and new-born daughter after all, whileConnor Williams and Harbhajan Singh cannot wait to see some action.Wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta has borrowed a book on Edmund Hillary fromRahul Dravid; by the looks of it, it must be inspiring stuff.The Indians still routinely go to the ground, partly to have a feel ofthe surroundings and partly to avail themselves of the lunch, which,thoughtfully, is Indian in every sense of the word. The visitingjournalists too do not mind helping themselves to dishes that they areso used to back home.Even though there is no activity, the Indians are a bit edgy about thethree back-to-back Tests that they are being asked to play in the nextthree weeks. After the two remaining Tests of the current tour, atPort Elizabeth and Centurion Park, they will be heading straight forMohali in Chandigarh, where the first Test against England isscheduled for December 3.The team’s genial manager, MK Bhargava, has his hands full with theissue of sorting out travel arrangements for the players. It appearsthat the Indians cannot get a flight back home before November 29, twodays after the Centurion Test ends. Thus, literally, the team will bearriving at Mohali just hours before the first Test against Englandgets underway. Even if he can book tickets on an Emirates flight forsome of the players hailing from the north, they will still reach homeonly on the morning of the 30th because of the timing of theconnecting flight from Dubai to Delhi.
©AFPBhargava’s problems, thus, are echoed by the gloomy conditions at EastLondon. The rain-ruined game, which has kept the Indians hostage intheir hotel, is a missed opportunity for many of the players, in moresense than one. Sachin Tendulkar, who has been joined by his wife andtwo lovely kids, Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble were in any casegoing to sit out this four-day match. But Williams, Harbhajan and themedium-pacers would have loved to stake their claims for Test berths,while vice-captain Rahul Dravid could have obtained some valuablepractice at the very top of the order.There seems to be little doubt at the moment that Dravid will beopening the innings for the remaining Test matches. The middle-orderis overflowing with talent at this stage, and one of them has to moveup the order. Hence the choice of Dravid to shoulder the burden of anopener.
©CricInfoThe real mystery could lie in the choice of bowlers for the next Test.If the wicket is grassy and seemingly quick, the Indians could beforced to make a choice between the two regular spinners on this tour- Harbhajan or Kumble. Kumble bowled for long hours – 50 overs in all- during South Africa’s mammoth first innings in the BloemfonteinTest, but his returns were not quite encouraging. He did break throughwith Gary Kirsten’s wicket, but, by then, the hosts had already scoredalmost 200 runs. Kumble’s next success came in the form of NeilMcKenzie’s wicket, when the score was well past 300.It will, then, not be an easy choice for the Indians. To drop Kumblewhen the bowling resources of the visitors are already paper-thinmight appear a blasphemy. But then, stranger things have happened inIndian cricket. It is a situation that will be watched keenly by thosewho are following the fortunes of this beleaguered team.