India’s confidence will have been boosted by the margin of its win over hosts, Zimbabwe, at the pretty ground in Harare, where the rest of the Tri- Series is scheduled to be played. They have come to Zimbabwe with great expectations and have not been helped by the travel arrangements, which have had them landing in Bulawayo less than 24 hours before their first game against New Zealand and then travel back to Harare, the morning before they took on Zimbabwe. Whoever made those arrangements or even sanctioned them, has no idea of what players need, and what they don’t need is to have the tension of arriving at the city they are to play, the day before they actually play the One-Dayer.
Luckily for them, their opponents here were Zimbabwe, who are not in the best of form and are certainly, not as bad as their recent scores suggest. Sure they are not the most competitive of teams but at the moment there’s a crisis of confidence, which is affecting their cricket and unless they get in new faces, who haven’t had the trauma of the recent heavy losses, they will continue to struggle at this level against opposition like New Zealand and India.
With Sehwag being unwell, the folly of bringing two extra middle order batsmen, instead of one other opening batman was seen, as they had to ask Venugopal Rao to open the batting. Having said that, it was also a great chance to the young man, to play an innings that would establish him in the team, but quite clearly he is at sea against the moving ball, as was seen by his first ball duck against New Zealand and here he lasted a few more balls against the experienced Streak, who might not have the added pace of Shane Bond but has the movement both ways. It was also an opportunity for Ganguly to bat himself into form but he is battling with his own demons and so, struggling. India need the solidity of Dravid, if they are to get good totals and he too, is looking out of sorts, which is not making the Indian task any easier.
Mohd Kaif, who got yet another promotion, got a half-century but it was such a big effort, that it took a big chunk of overs. His struggle, seemed to have affected the normally free scoring Yuvraj and he too took a long time, till he seemed to free himself of the shackles in the company of Dhoni. The wicket keeper should have been the logical choice to open the batting, especially since India were batting first, but down the order, he played a blistering innings, to take India to a total of some respectability. Against any other team, that total would not have given any crumbs of comfort but against Zimbabwe, it was more than enough.
Pathan and Agarkar, getting the ball to swing late, had all the batsmen in trouble and both recorded their best figures for a long long time. More than anything, to see Pathan get his nip dip and zip back was good from the Indian point of view, for he seemed to have lost it last season, when he was looking for speed than swing.
Agarkar too, got over his comeback anxiety, and if he can get the backing that Kaif has, then he can be the kind of third seamer that India needs. Why he was sent-in ahead of Yadav and Pathan is also baffling, for it was that duo, that got the runs in the match against New Zealand and so would have been high on confidence.
Whatever, it was a most impressive win but everybody knows that the real test is going to be against New Zealand and so the next game against them will be crucial.
The Indians have two days break before they take on the Kiwis and hopefully they will remove the cobwebs in their mind, before they play the Kiwis.
