May 3, 1999
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PAVILION END Dropping Anchor Changing approach to batting will aid India's Cup campaign. By Anshuman Gaekwad On reaching Sharjah the virus and physical injuries took their toll. When the organisers asked me for a final 15, I had to decide between those who had the flu and those who were injured. The hotel was like a hospital ward and Dr Ravinder Chaddha must have gone nights without sleep. Coming to Sharjah after our losses to Pakistan back home, we wanted to clear our image. Except we started in the same way. But don't forget how we came back against England. They are a strong side on paper but in Sharjah they looked very ordinary. Still I worried about the batting, for we had a succession of low scores. The bowlers managed well, even Ajay Jadeja now called the man with the golden arm. I told him he should bowl more but perhaps he doesn't believe he can bowl at any stage in the game. At least I make sure he bowls regularly at the nets. Ajay did extremely well as captain against England. The boys fielded well too and realised how much pressure they were putting on batsmen. Ajay also changed the bowlers well and kept the boys on their toes. But all the talk about changing the captain for the World Cup was not warranted. The team is set, and endless speculation does not help. Nevertheless, we were in a happy position going into the finals. We could see the Pakistan team was a little tense, yet wanting to take revenge for the last game. But for us the final turned out to be a nightmare, as the batting failed again. The only heartening thing from this tournament was our wins against England because they are in the same group as us at the World Cup. Yet we have to learn a lot (and quickly too) and improve our batting approach. We need to learn how to build partnerships and not lose too many wickets in the early overs. And if we lose wickets we have to try and consolidate. In the finals when we lost quick wickets, there were still lots of overs to go, Ajay and Saurav should have batted through. Unfortunately we kept losing wickets. The bright side is the bowlers are bowling well. They have given few extras, the fielding is better, though the throwing requires improvement. By the time you read this, of course, we will be in England. We arrive there 20 days or so before the Cup begins -- perhaps earlier than any other team. Acclimatisation is our biggest challenge -- after the heat of Sharjah it promises to be much colder. And after the hard batting pitches we now have to play on the softer ones. Bobby Simpson is already in England checking out the practice facilities -- we will be based in Leicester and will have warm up matches against Leicestershire, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. Food is another factor that is being looked at -- no one likes being without Indian food for too long. Finally, Brijesh Patel is a welcome addition to the squad as manager -- I'm thrilled because he's a cricketer, and will be aware of the players' needs. I may be sounding repetitive, but I must emphasise once again that this team has the potential. Look at the names, look at the records, and on paper we are a well-balanced side. We just have to get our act together when it counts. If the batsmen apply themselves, and graft instead of being in a hurry for runs, anything is possible. (Anshuman Gaekwad, coach of the Indian
cricket team, will be writing a weekly column |
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