Anil Kumble’s first day as chief of India was exactly as he would have wanted it to be, despite him having not got the spin of the coin his way. Of course, a home team skipper never wins or loses the toss, as it’s his counterpart who calls which way the coin is going to fall. A clever skipper remembers what the favorite call of his opposite number is, and can toss the coin to try and defeat that call. It’s not foolproof though, as it depends on how the coin lands, and if it rolls, then it’s anybody guess which way it is going to end up. Still, at the end of the day’s play, he would be happy that his bowlers had restricted Pakistan and dominated the first day’s play.
There have been many instances in the past where Pakistan, having been bowled out cheaply have come back strongly to win the game, and that’s why it is important for India to guard against any complacency and keep their energy at high levels. In an Indo-Pak encounter, the trend can and does change in a jiffy, and since India are likely to bat last, unless they pile up a really huge reply, they should be looking to have to chase as little as possible in the second innings.
Zaheer Khan has been India’s spearhead for the last season or two, and he once again started the rot by getting the in-form Salman Butt and Younis Khan out.
Younis, who loves to play against the Indians, was a big fish in the net and throughout the day, Zaheer’s bowling was top-class. He obviously relished the rest from playing the Jaipur game and the party there, which has attracted such silly attention. Zaheer wasn’t playing in the game the next day anyway, and the one who was playing and also was at the party, batted superbly till he was given out to a debatable decision.
In any case, it was a day-night game, which began in the afternoon, so what was the harm in players relaxing the night before?
When are we going to grow up and let players decide what’s good for them and stop treating them like schoolboys? If what they do off the field affects their game on the field, they will be dropped and they know it. Just because we lost the last one-dayer, let’s not look for other excuses and hang our players.
Kumble’s bowling changes were impressive, and he quickly realized that Ganguly’s seam-up style would come in handy, and so gave him a fairly long spell and Ganguly got the important wicket of Mohammad Yousuf, who had earlier survived some really close calls off him.
Yousuf was the most prolific batsman last year, and though he hasn’t had the same success this year, his is a wicket that the Indians will want early every time if they want to win the series.
India will have to find an answer to Kamran Akmal, who makes it a habit to deny them when Pakistan is in trouble, and though he didn’t score too many, he still ensured that he stayed long enough to do a repair job with Misbah-ul-Haq.
Misbah is batting really well and the confidence he showed in Mohammad Sami rubbed off on the pacer, who displayed a calm temperament, and is still there. India have taken the second new ball as soon as it was due, which again shows Kumble’s awareness of where he might get a wicket after a stand.
It’s been a good day for him and his team, but they mustn’t forget the past battles and see that the tail doesn’t wag too much.
