There is an old saying in cricket that when you win the toss, you bat first. If the wicket looks to have a bit more grass, then you think a bit more and still opt to bat first, and if there is a heavy cloud cover and lots of grass on the pitch, you think a lot longer but still bat first.
That kind of thinking doesn’t always apply to one-day games, and especially if a match is being played in the subcontinent in the winter, where the sun goes down early and there is a fair bit of dampness on the pitch with the early starts.
Shoaib Malik’s decision to ask India to bat would have been based on the ‘winter effect’ as well as the way his team chased down a stiff target at Mohali and won the game. If Kamran Akmal had latched on to a simple catch off the first ball of the game, then Malik would have been hailed as a genius. There were a couple of lucky escapes too for Tendulkar and Ganguly, where the ball didn’t quite carry to the fielders and so the advantage of bowling first was not quite utilized. Still, what those early overs did was to create a doubt in the minds of the batsmen, and so there was a more sedate approach than in the previous game. Both Ganguly and Tendulkar did not capitalize on their escapes and got out after getting themselves in. Gambhir was beaten by the extra turn and bounce from Rehman, which would have gladdened Harbhajan and Murali Kartik and given Dhoni an idea of how to ‘space’ his bowlers out. Yuvraj has been in sparkling form and he obviously loves this attack, for he got stuck into them again and along with his captain, gave plenty of cheer to the spectators.
Pakistan have been using Afridi as a floater, and this time, he was floated up the order to get after the bowling. There is quite clearly some bad blood between Afridi and Irfan Pathan, for the Pathan from Pakistan seems to want to hit the Pathan from India out of the ground just about every delivery. Irfan is a clever bowler, as could be seen by the way he mixes it up and Afridi, in an attempt to show that he regards Pathan as a spinner, was yards down the pitch, trying to hit the left-hander into orbit, only to find that he missed, and Pathan hit the stumps. Salman Butt is more cautious and is more of a bottom-hand player, and so a lot of his drives go to the point area than straight, but he has got good temperament and is willing to stick it out there and stay there, even if he is not middling every ball. In that way, he is the ideal anchor in a team that is full of right-handed batsmen. R.P. Singh’s swing defeated the century-maker of the previous game, and Yousuf has slowed down in the field as well as in running between the wickets. The turn that even Yuvraj was getting meant that it was not going to be easy for the batsmen to get after them. The pace also was not there to be used by the batsmen, and it meant that more risks had to be taken and big shots attempted. These may come off occasionally, but on a pitch where the ball is turning, there is more of a chance of the ball being mishit and edged. Misbah looks dangerous, but as yet, he hasn’t been a finisher, and again in this game too, he left when Butt needed his company to take his team through. The young left-handed opener played a top innings, but unlike in the Mohali game, Pakistan didn’t have partnerships that are so important in chasing a near 300 total. India have come back well after a defeat. There is plenty of scope for improvement though in the fielding and the controlling of the wides. Hopefully, the longish rest before the next game will be utilized to improve the same.
