May 24, 1999
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ON THE BALL Difficult Task India have to overcome the opening hurdle without sufficient match practiced. By Kapil Dev
Nothing can be done about the fickle English weather. What the Indian team management could have taken into account was the scheduling of their practice matches in the midlands and the north where rain and cold are not infrequent during the early part of the English summer. Since the organisers did not leave the Indians with too many options, the best practice for them was at the nets. But is that adequate for the team, particularly when each first round match is important and when Sachin Tendulkar hasn't had enough match practice in recent weeks? South Africa, no doubt, is the best team in the World Cup and only a well-tuned team can beat them. In a departure from usual planning, India were the first team to land for the World Cup, along with a technical expert, coach, manager (with cricket experience), doctor and physio. But sadly all that preparation was undone by the inclement weather. These days nobody can afford to walk into an international match without any previous knowledge of local conditions. That's asking for trouble. India have to be on the winning mode from the very beginning. For, after the match against South Africa, the next opponents are Zimbabwe, a team not to be taken lightly. The mere mention of Zimbabwe sends shudders down most Indian spines. I know it takes me back 16 years to Tunbridge Wells. The whole point about playing Zimbabwe is that you don't know what to expect. They are a highly motivated team and can beat anyone on their day. They do not have any exceptional batsmen or bowlers, their strength lies in fielding. They are a well-knit team and give scant regard to rivals' reputation. The idea is to play percentage cricket against the Zimbabweans. The batting has to be solid and the bowling tight. The running between the wickets has to be exceptionally swift since the Zimbabweans are capable of saving at least 20 to 30 runs in the field. Their bowling is pretty ordinary, though Eddo Brandes can be quite a handful on a seaming pitch. Remember how Tendulkar tore into Henry Olonga in Sharjah. It is the batting that has to be watched carefully. The Flowers, captain Andy Campbell and Neil Johnson can step on the accelerator when required. I only hope the Indians play to their true potential. During the World Cup the odds will keep changing for the teams after each match. India are in a tough pool and can only think of treating Kenya casually. To get into the Super Six, the side has to compete for a place with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and England. Only the three best go through. India have to be highly disciplined if they are to make it. We as a nation are more concerned about the fortunes of our team than most others. I personally get goose pimples every time I think of our Zimbabwe match. I only hope that we win and win comfortably. A victory in any manner is terrific but I would feel much happier with an authoritative win rather than with one where the side has to recover from 17 for 5. Former India captain and allrounder
Kapil Dev will be writing a regular column exclusively for |
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Any
team needs luck to do well in England. Luck in the form of fine weather which can help
teams prepare to play on soft pitches and in seaming conditions. Unfortunately, the Indian
team has got the rough end of it. While the other sides participating in the World Cup
completed at least two warm-up matches each against county teams, two of India's three
practice games were affected by rain. India's top order batsmen at least got a look in but
the bowlers were left high and dry. The only spell they got was against Nottinghamshire.
When you consider that India play favourites South Africa in the first match, that's a big
disadvantage. 
