The second semifinals will be even more predictable and one-sided than the first, and this is certainly a prediction almost all of those who know cricket will be making. I have said it in the past and I say it again, Kenya should not have been in the last six leave alone the last four, and this tournament that was supposed to highlight the best in the game, has been playing out a seemingly unending farce for the last two weeks. India’s only worry comes from the weather. It’s been raining off and on for the last couple of days in Durban, and the blustery conditions can often make the going tough for a game of cricket.
The only chance Kenya have is to bat first, get a 200-ish total and then hope for a Duckworth-Lewis scenario. I sincerely hope all this does not happen, because all of South Africa are praying for a India-Australia finals, so that finally we do get to see a really good game of cricket. The Indians must only guard against thinking that all they have to do is land up. They must be clinical in their approach, and must not change anything. They must keep the winning combination in tact, the batting line-up unaltered and stick to their gameplan.
When a team comes up against a less fancied side, there is always the temptation to start experimenting. However, I’m sure the Indians regard this as a golden opportunity to make the finals of the World Cup, and they will not do anything too drastic or silly. I’m extremely impressed by the way the Indian left-arm seamers have come along. Ashish Nehra always seemed a bowler with potential, but he was hitherto hampered by injuries and breakdowns.
Today, he looks sharper, fitter and a lot more confident. His left-arm twin Zaheer Khan has improved out of sight. He has now got the ball that leaves the right-hander as well as the one that comes in to him. He always had a good yorker and slower delivery, and now his armory is pretty much complete. Whatever happens with India on Sunday, this combination will be good for India in the long run.
India have a tour to Australia later in the year, and it’s at that time that these two young guns will really fire for Indian cricket. As far as the finals is concerned, the only change that the Indians could possibly look into is playing Rahul Dravid at No. 3.
He might be needed to see India through the first spells of McGrath and Lee, if there is an early breakthrough. For me this finals is a tussle between Sachin Tendulkar and the opening bowlers of Australia. That is the battle that could dictate the fate of the game.
Arab News Sports 20 March 2003
