Sachin Tendulkar’s current form is the stuff nightmares are made of, speaking as a bowler. He is in serious nick, he has an ominously quiet resolve to win this World Cup for his team, and he has been playing so well, that his hitherto off-color, out-of-form colleagues have also started coming into their own. So how does one get Tendulkar out, apart from hoping for an error from the little master himself?
Whenever the South African team strategized for Tendulkar, we would emphasize that the first 20 balls are crucial. That remains the case even during this World Cup. The new ball and how well you use it is the key to getting him out. In typical South African conditions, we would rely on the ball that nipped back, from back of the length to get through the defenses of Tendulkar, either early in his innings, or immediately after a break. That was our theory, and it did work when the bowler extracted some movement from the wicket.
The wickets in this World Cup are pretty different from traditional South African wickets. They are very, very good for batting and there is very little sideways movement. In these conditions, it would be difficult to get the kind of movement that would baffle Tendulkar, so the bowlers will have to adopt another strategy.
Aggressive short-pitched bowling might be helpful at the start of the innings, but in the competition right now only Australia have the attack to do it successfully. In fact, the first game between India — Australia would hold some clues on how to approach Tendulkar. I thought Brett Lee bowled best to him, because he used two lengths, either short or full. With his pace, he was also able to ensure that the Indians always played him on the back foot from well within the crease. They attacked the batsmen at the other end so that at some point Tendulkar would play an injudicious shot when he ran out of partners. The India-Australia match took place early in the tournament, when India had not yet hit their stride. This time round, I don’t think you will see Virender Sehwag and Saurav Ganguly chase wide balls to gift their wicket. Aggression is a key, but don’t expect to get Tendulkar’s scalp with short-pitched bowling. If he is in a patient mood, he’ll move away, and if he is in a belligerent mood, he’ll swat it for six.
Besides his 500-odd runs so far, Tendulkar has made another great contribution. He has set the tone for his team’s performance. It’s always said that fast bowlers hunt in pairs or in packs. Well, the Indian batsmen are doing the same right now. Sehwag and Ganguly, two batsmen who have batted in the middle with Tendulkar for the longest period of time in this tournament, have fed off his success to find their own form. I would say that in attitude, Sehwag and Tendulkar are not very different from a pair of opening bowlers. They hunt as a pair, look to intimidate the bowler, and don’t take a step back for anyone.
I personally think an India-Australia final would be a fitting culmination of this tournament. Right now, India would be looking to stub out New Zealand’s chances tomorrow, because the Kiwis can be dangerous as semifinalists. Frankly, the way India are playing right now, I don’t think the Kiwis will get the win that will take them to the semifinals.
At the start of the tournament I had predicted that India would make the semifinals. I have never ever seen India bowl so well outside home conditions. They are clinical, they hit the right spots, and Zaheer, Srinath and Nehra complement each other really well. It’s great to see one of cricket’s senior citizens, Srinath, bowl well, and it’s amazing to think that he was contemplating retirement a few months ago.
Arab News Sports 13 March 2003
