Chika Talk
Kris Srikkanth
Attitude of young guns stood out
February 25, 2008
The result hardly mattered. It was the attitude of this young Indian side that stood out. Playing some brave and attacking cricket, the Indians made a match of what looked like a lost battle halfway through. The fearlessness of youth was seen in the modern and robust approach. A set of youngsters paid no attention to reputation.
As I have been mentioning through this series, this Indian side has it in them to challenge Australia but the continued failure of the top order is making life difficult for the rest. When a batsman like Sachin Tendulkar fails it can bring the entire team down. Such is his importance to this side.
Gautam Gambhir has come along nicely in this trip and he can only move forward from here. The secret lies in giving the number three slot to him for good. He is very strong square of the wicket. If he can learn to play a little straight, he will be an even better batsman.
Now that the selection committee has decided to invest in youth, it is also important to persist with them. Rohit Sharma is another batsman who has made some progress but there is too much that has been said and written about him. It is the bane of Indian cricket to get carried away after just a few knocks from a new player.
It had been the same with a young Yuvraj Singh. The pressure he has had to endure after that knock against Australia in Nairobi (2000) pulled him down to such an extent that he went into oblivion for a while.
The Australian win has given Sri Lanka a chance to keep their foot in the door. The next game at Hobart will be a high-pressure contest. Dhoni and his boys will have to learn to be more consistent. This is one area that separates Australia from the rest. The intensity they maintain whatever be the situation. India can learn a lot from the Aussies. Consistency is vital since they find chasing 200 plus a tough enough exercise one day and then they run fairly close to 317 effortlessly. The top order has contributed to the many failures no doubt but it is important to continue with the same batting order. Any change at this stage of the tournament will only add to the chaos.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
As I have been mentioning through this series, this Indian side has it in them to challenge Australia but the continued failure of the top order is making life difficult for the rest. When a batsman like Sachin Tendulkar fails it can bring the entire team down. Such is his importance to this side.
Gautam Gambhir has come along nicely in this trip and he can only move forward from here. The secret lies in giving the number three slot to him for good. He is very strong square of the wicket. If he can learn to play a little straight, he will be an even better batsman.
Now that the selection committee has decided to invest in youth, it is also important to persist with them. Rohit Sharma is another batsman who has made some progress but there is too much that has been said and written about him. It is the bane of Indian cricket to get carried away after just a few knocks from a new player.
It had been the same with a young Yuvraj Singh. The pressure he has had to endure after that knock against Australia in Nairobi (2000) pulled him down to such an extent that he went into oblivion for a while.
The Australian win has given Sri Lanka a chance to keep their foot in the door. The next game at Hobart will be a high-pressure contest. Dhoni and his boys will have to learn to be more consistent. This is one area that separates Australia from the rest. The intensity they maintain whatever be the situation. India can learn a lot from the Aussies. Consistency is vital since they find chasing 200 plus a tough enough exercise one day and then they run fairly close to 317 effortlessly. The top order has contributed to the many failures no doubt but it is important to continue with the same batting order. Any change at this stage of the tournament will only add to the chaos.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
