Will India repeat triumph of 1985?
No fantasy this
AC Ganesh
14-Oct-2000
No fantasy this. India meet the other underdogs of the tournament, New
Zealand, who have made a silent march into the ICC KnockOut final with
a thrilling victory over Pakistan in the other semi-final, after
having brushed aside the challenge from Zimbabwe in the previous
round. Asked to comment on the unlikely pairing of the two teams in
the title clash, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly's reply was "that is
why people say you should never comment in this game."
The Indian side, for long termed as paper tigers, have played to its
potential throughout the competition. They have shown professionalism
in their approach and some fire, which was lacking earlier. However,
the fact remains that the team again depends on Sachin Tendulkar and
Ganguly to provide an explosive start. Tendulkar looked well set to
play a long innings on Friday but was out to a beauty by Kallis.
Ganguly said "I wanted runs from him (Tendulkar) against South Africa.
Now I hope he has been saving it for the final". Going by the law of
averages, Tendulkar is set for a big knock and this augurs well for
the Indians.
If Tendulkar scores 15 runs in Sunday's final at Nairobi, he will
reach yet another milestone in his career. He will surpass former
Indian captain Mohd. Azharuddin to become the world's highest run
getter in one-day internationals. Tendulkar has so far made 9364 runs
in 252 games at an impressive average of 41.99 including 25 centuries.
Azharuddin has made 9378 runs in 334 matches at an average of 36.92.
One hopes that Ganguly continues from where he left off against the
Proteas. After his amazing innings of 141 not out yesterday, Ganguly
has made the transition from Prince to King of Calcutta while Yuvraj
Singh looks to be a worthy successor. With each game, Yuvraj Singh is
looking better and better and this is a good sign for the side. `Mr.
Reliable' Rahul Dravid as usual has been solid. Vinod Kambli, Robin
Singh and Vijay Dahiya, who have generally made an entry during the
slog overs, have not been tested much but for a brief spell against
the Australians.
Ganguly, after the side's victory on Friday, said "Everything was
falling in place for us today. This was not the best pitch of the
tournament but I knew one of the three top order batsmen had to bat
right through the innings to post a big total." He added at the post
match conference that the strip used for Friday's semi-final was the
worst of the three played on by India during the tournament.
The bowling yesterday was again pepped up by Zaheer Khan who looks
impressive with every game. He has played a major part in India
progressing this far. He has been ably supported by Venkatesh Prasad
and Anil Kumble while Ajit Agarkar surprisingly bowled second change
against South Africa. For tomorrow's game, India needs to include
Sunil Joshi and may examine this option closely. With the matches
having been played on the same pitches for over the last ten days,
Joshi will be a better bet on a wicket which spun yesterday. The
Indian think tank may even be forced to finally make a change in the
side for Robin Singh is a doubtful starter. The gutsy allrounder has
dislocated a finger in his left hand and his replacement could be
either Joshi or Sridharan Sriram.
Giving the New Zealanders their due, it must be said that it looks
like a well-knit team. They have fine strikers of the ball in Nathan
Astle, Stephen Fleming, Roger Twose and Craig McMillan. Twose has
played two match winning knocks and looks to be a threat while
McMillan has shown a glimpse of what he is capable of.
New Zealand have been without the services of ace allrounder Chris
Cairns who has missed the matches so far due to an injury and is
expected to undergo a fitness test. If he passes the test, he will add
fillip to the side to try and help them lift their first major
international title. Chris Harris is also another player who can be
expected to give a threat to the Indians with his vast experience and
cool temperament.
Though the Kiwis may not have strike bowlers in the mould of McGrath,
Akram, Donald or Brett Lee, they have in their side some quality
bowlers like Shayne O'Connor, man-of-the-match against Pakistan after
picking five wickets. He has been ably assisted with the new ball by
Geoff Allot. In support they have Harris, Styris and Astle while Paul
Wiseman too has played his part admirably with his offspinners. Though
the Kiwis may not look a formidable outfit, the Indians may have to be
careful on a wicket which is playing slow and low for one can expect
them to restrict the Indians from posting a big total with their
steady attack.
The New Zealanders, who are in the final of a major tournament for the
first time, will go all out and give more than 100 percent on the
field to win. Speaking of fielding, New Zealand have traditionally
been a very good side but the Indians have shown during this
tournament that they can match the Kiwis in this department. With an
overall prize money of over $1 million at stake for the tournament,
India does seem to have a realistic chance of earning $370,000 as the
winners cheque having won all their three games while New Zealand,
having played a game less will earn $340,000 if they win the final.
The losers will earn $110,000 less than the winners, who will pocket
$250,000.
Going by the last few games, one can expect Sunday's final to be a
cracker of a game with India trying to redeem its pride. The team will
be eager to showcase their talent before the BCCI president AC
Muthiah, secretary JY Lele and former president Raj Singh Dungarpur,
who are all present at the venue. After all, India last won a major
tournament in 1985 when they lifted the World Championship of Cricket
title in Australia. And if the Indians go on to take the trophy under
stand-in coach Anshuman Gaekwad, it could even lead to a debate on the
issue of hiring a foreign coach. But for that, India have to win the
game first. Will they?