Master Class
Imran Khan
India looks to be in better form
July 05, 2008
It's no surprise that India and Sri Lanka face off for the finals tomorrow. Everybody had predicted that it would be difficult for Pakistan to make the finals, and that is exactly what happened. A fine win against India notwithstanding, the team lacked bowling power, decisive leadership and their batting looked good because the conditions are completely loaded against the bowlers.
Full credit to India for beating Sri Lanka and qualifying for the finals. They looked a very good batting side on Thursday, and I was impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni'a composure during a pressure match. There were some voices of skepticism that suggested that Sri Lanka played under par because they wanted to play against India in the finals, but that is utter nonsense. A team that wants to lose does not score 309, and if they fielded a little below their best it was because the game was not a must-win one for them and quite often that does rob a team of some intensity. Such allegations take the sheen away from India's tremendous run chase, and from the fact that they chased down 300-plus totals twice in the tournament.
Coming back to Dhoni, he is not only a fine batsman and keeper, he is also emerging as an excellent leader. There are some captains who remain captains, and there are some who grow into the role of a leader. Dhoni belongs to the latter category. I was impressed that he has started coming up the order, playing sensibly rather than explosively, and is able to set an example for his team to emulate. When Inzamam ul Huq was captain, it was really mystifying to see him drop himself down the order. This way he was always sending someone else out to avert a crisis. Inzamam was a far more accomplished batsman than Dhoni, but young Dhoni has the makings of a far better captain than Inzamam.
Looking ahead at the finals, India look like they are in better form. Their batting looking in good touch, and on these completely flat surfaces they have the ability to chase down any total. The Sri Lankans would have liked to enter the finals with an all-win record, because no team wants to break a winning momentum. They too have some fine in-form batsmen and class bowlers like Muthiah Muralitharan.
Pakistan will be spectators to the final encounter, but they will take some heart from the last two wins, particularly the one against India. Misbah ul Huq looked good as the captain of the team in Shoaib Malik's absence, thereby underlining the folly of appointing the latter as captain for two years. Misbah has been playing wonderfully in crisis situations for the whole season and led with the authority of a man who is sure of his place in the side. Younis Khan also looked very good in the middle, and once again proved that his good form is critical to the team's chances.
The tournament has been marred by the completely placid nature of the wickets. They remind me of the surfaces we used to play on in Sharjah-completely devoid of any pace or movement. It might be a good idea to play six bowling options tomorrow, because in such conditions, you need as many bowlers as possible and chances are, only a couple of your batsmen will get out, no matter how big the target is. (Gameplan)
Full credit to India for beating Sri Lanka and qualifying for the finals. They looked a very good batting side on Thursday, and I was impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni'a composure during a pressure match. There were some voices of skepticism that suggested that Sri Lanka played under par because they wanted to play against India in the finals, but that is utter nonsense. A team that wants to lose does not score 309, and if they fielded a little below their best it was because the game was not a must-win one for them and quite often that does rob a team of some intensity. Such allegations take the sheen away from India's tremendous run chase, and from the fact that they chased down 300-plus totals twice in the tournament.
Coming back to Dhoni, he is not only a fine batsman and keeper, he is also emerging as an excellent leader. There are some captains who remain captains, and there are some who grow into the role of a leader. Dhoni belongs to the latter category. I was impressed that he has started coming up the order, playing sensibly rather than explosively, and is able to set an example for his team to emulate. When Inzamam ul Huq was captain, it was really mystifying to see him drop himself down the order. This way he was always sending someone else out to avert a crisis. Inzamam was a far more accomplished batsman than Dhoni, but young Dhoni has the makings of a far better captain than Inzamam.
Looking ahead at the finals, India look like they are in better form. Their batting looking in good touch, and on these completely flat surfaces they have the ability to chase down any total. The Sri Lankans would have liked to enter the finals with an all-win record, because no team wants to break a winning momentum. They too have some fine in-form batsmen and class bowlers like Muthiah Muralitharan.
Pakistan will be spectators to the final encounter, but they will take some heart from the last two wins, particularly the one against India. Misbah ul Huq looked good as the captain of the team in Shoaib Malik's absence, thereby underlining the folly of appointing the latter as captain for two years. Misbah has been playing wonderfully in crisis situations for the whole season and led with the authority of a man who is sure of his place in the side. Younis Khan also looked very good in the middle, and once again proved that his good form is critical to the team's chances.
The tournament has been marred by the completely placid nature of the wickets. They remind me of the surfaces we used to play on in Sharjah-completely devoid of any pace or movement. It might be a good idea to play six bowling options tomorrow, because in such conditions, you need as many bowlers as possible and chances are, only a couple of your batsmen will get out, no matter how big the target is. (Gameplan)
