Pressure took toll of `world class' Indian batsmen

Pressure took toll of `world class' Indian batsmen
Vinay Nayudu

MUMBAI, MARCH 2: An abject surrender by the Indian middle-order with the usual exception of Sachin Tendulkar, twice in just three days against the formidable Australians at the Mecca of Cricket should once again put a question mark on the much vaunted Indian batting line-up -- whether they deserve the ``world class'' tag. An animated debate has renewed with experts speaking in different voices.

The embers of the debate may rage on, but the fact remains that Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, not to mention openers Sadagoppan Ramesh and Shiv Sunder Das, had no answer to the rivals' repertoire and the surrendered meekly although Tendulkar had provided them with the foundation they could have built upon.

Dravid in particular just refused to chance his arms and was guilty of hovering around for 261 excruciating minutes facing 196 balls for a mere 39 runs. Ganguly looked totally at sea against pace and spin alike. Even the basics were forgotten. There was no thought for rotating the strike that could have fetched valuable singles and the scoreboard ticked only through the blade of Tendulkar.

Experts share the lowest common denominator that the Indian batsmen need to play their shots. Unless you try and score, the pressure would only pile up, they feel.

Former India skipper Ajit Wadekar has the mindset of Ian Chappel. The batting order needs to be changed and fortified with an attacking batsman at the pivotal No 3 position. ``Only an attacking player in this slot can ease the pressure players seem to be finding themselves in,'' he says.

``The trouble with Dravid is he retreats into his shell. He should swap the slot with Ganguly, who is a natural stroke-maker. Sachin Tendulkar at No 4 is rightly placed, I feel.''

Another former captain Dilip Vengsarkar has faith in the batsmen but says the're playing below their potential. ``They need to be more focussed on the job and most importantly, they need to play their shots.''

A dazzling No 3 batsman of his time Dilip Sardesai, however has thrown his lot with the youngsters and says they'll eventually click. ``It's just one of those things when you don't click. Our players are good and we must allow them to settle down. In the first Test, Rahul Dravid did well supporting Tendulkar but couldn't open up later because a hostile spell from Gillespie seemingly unnerved him. But that's cricket and I am sure the batsmen will fight back.''

Cricket columnist and commentator Harsha Bhogle doubts whether anyone in the present team is world class (Tendulkar of course excluded). ``We need to ask ourselves whether India's middle-order batsmen are really world class,'' he opines.

``Can they handle the heat? I think we are creating a complacency in these batsmen and the difference in the standards between India and Australia is much too high. Our domestic cricket holds little meaning. The more we play domestic cricket, the less suitable we become for Test cricket.''

But even as the debate rages on, the chairman of selectors Chandu Borde seems happy blaming it on the pitch. He has made his displeasure known over the ``inconsistent'' wicket, terming it as `not good for Test cricket'.

``It was difficult to play shot on this track,'' he said, but then Mr Chairman, aren't world class players supposed to perform on all tracks? Didn't Javed Miandad do so? And wasn't Sunil Gavaskar's battle against Pakistan in 1996 at Bangalore on a minefield a class act, Raj Singh Dungarpur's fulminations notwithstanding?