The maturity that is becoming the hallmark of India’s young brigade was evident as India coasted to an easy win in the first one-dayer against Pakistan. The skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his deputy Yuvraj were the main protagonists of this maturity, as they ensured that there was no relaxing because of the smallish total that Pakistan had posted, and no alarms whatsoever.
Both must have been disappointed to have got out, especially Yuvraj, as it always makes sense in a series to begin by winning with a huge margin and make the opposition look inadequate. The Pakistanis started well with a good partnership building up, but a run-out spoilt any aims they may have had of putting up a 250-plus total. That they got close was because as usual, Mohammad Yousuf played a capital innings and gave the score some substance. He was lucky that he escaped when an attempted hoick off Murali Karthik went up in the air and nobody called for the catch, and Ganguly made a valiant attempt to get to it. India’s fielding still misses out on basic aspects like knowing when the ball is going to curve away after a sweep shot or a cut shot, and fielders are left grabbing at thin air as the ball eludes them and makes them look quite silly. It is not Robin Singh’s fault, as these things are to be taught at the school level, just as dragging the bat in when completing a run and not just putting it over the crease, which is another failing with most Indian first-class cricketers.
Shoaib Malik has fallen a victim to the disease that captains suffer from when they begin to drop themselves down the order and not bat at the position that has got them runs earlier and with it, the captaincy. Batting so low down the order made one wonder if he is playing in the team as a fielder. Luckily, Dhoni did the opposite and batted ahead of Yuvraj, and so led from the front. Malik has scored a great century against India batting at number three, and though Younis and Yousuf are the men in form, the skipper isn’t doing himself or his team any favors by batting lower down the order.
Once again, India’s spinners wove a web around the batsmen, and even Tendulkar, used smartly by Dhoni, picked up two wickets. The variety that Harbhajan and Karthik brought to the attack left Pakistan gasping for answers, though Afridi, as is his wont, played a terrific cameo, and Yousuf was composure personified.
Pakistan’s hopes rested on Akhtar, as they had an inexperienced spin attack, and though he gave the early breakthrough, it was clear that he is not yet match-fit, and is struggling to run in at full tilt. Gul bowled well, enhancing his reputation as the new-ball bowler to watch out for, and ‘the-stronger-than-Indian-bowlers’ ‘commentwalla,’ Rao Iftikar, bowling barely a kilometer or so quicker than the Indian new-ball bowlers, ended up with figures that were strongly in India’s favor.
India looked much more organized than Pakistan, and though it is only the first game of the five-match series, unless Pakistan do something special with both bat and ball, they are likely to find that India will not be beaten.
