BOMBAY, 25 March 2005 — The current India-Pakistan cricket series has all the makings of a typical Bollywood blockbuster — all the “masala”, ingredient if you will, of a super duper hit.
As on the silver screen, so on the green fields, one has seen so many ups and downs, enough suspense by the day to provide for nail-biting sessions, as much for the players as the spectators and the viewers. Then there have been some superlative performances on both sides. There is also a touch of the cloak-and-dagger, what with Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh being reported again for “chucking.”
And it’s not all over yet.
Pakistan may be down 0-1 in the Test series, but have a match to go at Bangalore to try and level the series. There is no gainsaying the fact that they will have to play out of their skins to save the series and go into the six one-dayers all square. The way they have gone so far, the task is difficult but not impossible.
The media hype has touched a new high. All the leading television networks are setting aside their primetime news programs to bring cricket. Not just as a game, but as a harbinger of the friendliest of relationship ever seen between the two nations. Home supporters sit with the visitors from across the border, waving each other’s flags, as they honestly analyze the game without any prejudice.
As several former Pakistani players asserted, the outcome of the second Test at Calcutta, which India won by 195 runs, was certainly not so one-sided as the margin would suggest. In fact, the game was so tantalizingly poised on the eve of the final day that no one could hazard a guess as to where victory would go. Unfortunately, the Pakistani batting just did not click when it was needed most. In Mohali, they had battled for 144 over to achieve a comfortable draw, but at Calcutta they could not last even 80 overs. It is the Mohali performance that is keeping Pakistan’s hopes alive in the final Test.
Coming to the new that took the wind out of the celebrations in the Indian camp, that of Harbhajan being reported for a doubtful bowling action, one is forced to reflect on the very function of the International cricket Council, when it comes to cricketing matters.
The constant charge of “chucking” leveled against only the Asian bowlers smacks of racism. The watch is being kept only on the “doosra” delivery of bowlers, like Saqlain Mushtaq, the first victim, Muttiah Muralitharan and now Harbhajan Singh.
“Doosra” is an off-spinner’s variation, like the googly of the leg-spinner. No non-Asian off-spinner has been able to bowl this effective delivery. The discerning eye is therefore focused on such bowlers who can bowl the “doosra.” Something similar had happened some years ago when the Pakistani pace bowlers had discovered the art of reverse swing by polishing one side of the ball. At first, the Pakistani bowlers were accused of ball tampering. After sometime, the secret was out and reverse swing has now come to stay. But the other teams cannot swallow the “doosra.” Hence all the noise against its use.
In the case of Harbhajan, he has just returned from a thorough test of his bowling action at the Melbourne University lab for human-body movement under the supervision of specialist Bruce Elliot.
Hardly a month has gone since his action was cleared. But at the very first time of asking, ICC match-referee Chris Broad once again found his action objectionable. This, however, does not prevent Harbhajan from playing at Bangalore, but he will certainly be under tremendous pressure to bowl the “doosra.”
For once, teams from India and Pakistan seem to be enjoying playing against each other, whatever the outcome of the series. Let not the overzealous umpires and match-referees ruin the wonderful atmosphere that the great game of cricket has created where once there was such high tension.
