First and foremost, one has to doff one’s hat to Murali Kartik for showing what a great heart he has. Knowing that he wouldn’t get to play in the Test, he opted to play for his team Railways in the Ranji Trophy and kudos also to the authorities for letting him go. It is such kind of cricketers that India needs and not those who just want to stay in the dressing room and enjoy five star comforts and do nothing else but pick up the perks of being part of the Indian team. Remember, that Railway players hardly ever get to stay in hotels but have to make do often staying in railway bogeys because railways don’t get the grants from the BCCI and so aren’t able to afford the budgets for hotels. When you look at those associations that get these grants from BCCI but still send their Ranji players by second-class trains and submit first class bills, one knows that the new board has to look at it seriously. The Railways team has been the leading team for a number of years in domestic cricket and they have had none of the rewards that other teams get for being the Ranji champions. So, it’s good to know that there is a move to give big prize money for the winners of domestic events. The Railways coach, Vinod Sharma also deserves more credit for getting players from all parts of the country to work as a team and without the facilities that other teams have. Kartik has shown his loyalty toward his Ranji team and that is most laudable indeed.
Laudable also, is Anil Kumble playing in his 100th Test match. He has been the unsung hero of Indian cricket winning innumerable Tests with his bowling and while others have reaped the commercials, Kumble has reaped the wickets in his quiet unobtrusive manner. He still has the hunger and looking at how he wins games for India, he still has a long time to go. There was turn seen already on this pitch and by the time the fourth innings comes the ball will also keep low which will suit him perfectly, so one can be certain that he will pick up his usual quota of victims here as well.
Rahul Dravid’s absence was certainly felt at the top, as India tottered after winning the toss. His presence lends a calm to the dressing room and so long as he is at the wicket, the opposition know that they have a fight on their hands. It’s a pity that an ailment has made him miss his first Test since he made his debut in 1996, for he is incredibly fit otherwise and takes his fitness regime very seriously. VVS Laxman batting at No. 3 instead of Dravid, showed the same sense of responsibility as he shepherded India’s innings to a total of safety. He did not play the flamboyant stroke player that he is otherwise but batted with determination and is still at the crease with Pathan, which gives India hopes that they will be able to add another 100 runs to the total at least. Pathan and Dhoni also batted with responsibility and ensured that Muralitharan was stopped, for the wily spinner was getting the ball to do lots of tricky things. Dhoni didn’t curb his natural instinct and selected the right balls to play his shots, as did Pathan at the end of the days play.
That however can’t be said about Gautam Gambhir, who showed a streak of irresponsibility in his innings. The manner in which he got out and the way he kept on chasing wide deliveries doesn’t augur well. He was lucky to hold his place, for with the Pakistan tour on in a few days it was as good a time as any to try out Jaffer who has been in prolific form for the past couple of seasons.
Gambhir’s poor form from the ODIs against South Africa continues to be ignored by the authorities and he would have been better off playing in Ranji and getting his confidence back. But performance is the buzzword only for certain people and not for the favorites as we all know, don’t we? India will only dream of bench strength in this way and never actually build it.
