1 Month number 1

243 all out against Bangladesh, a team which is exactly at the other end of the rankings table, on a pitch that demanded a little application, made me wonder whether India would be able to retain its number 1 spot in Test Ranking come South Africa next month. It is too early to write India off so early in the series, but questions are being raised. Ian Chappell recently quoted that Indian team doesn’t have the bowling fire power that would keep them on number 1 spot for some time. Considering team’s recent performance, we do see some logic in the statement.

There’s no denying the fact that India does have the best batting line up among all test playing nations. Gautam Gambhir with Virender Sehwag forms the most destructive opening pair of this era followed by greats of the game Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. In Yuvraaj Singh and M.S. Dhoni, we have two explosive batsmen who can change the course of the game in a session. The problem lies with the other two departments fielding and bowling.

Recently, the batting has almost covered up for the lapses in the other two departments. The fielding has been consistently ordinary. It is actually painful to see otherwise brilliant fielders like Rahul Dravid and Yuvraaj Singh, among others, drop sitters. Some say infusing fresh blood is the only solution but their fielding standards are hardly encouraging. In the scenario, the management needs to be spot on with the fielding positions giving fielders their specialized positions. Moreover, the team can very well try the Aussie method of catching instead of usual cup shaped technique. Whatever the solution be, we can not expect a change in standards overnight. This remains continuous evolvement.

More than the fielding, the bowling department should be causing a lot of head ache for the team management. They are still struggling to find the right combination. The bowling has been consistently inconsistent. Some blame it on the flat tracks, some on the opposition batsmen form, but the fact is Indian bowling is struggling. Zaheer Khan has been brilliant but only in patches. He takes time to find the right line and length for the pitch. Being the spearhead of the attack, he has to be spot on from the word go. Ishant Sharma seems to be learning the hard way the rigor required at the International level. He has lost a few yards in pace. More than the pace, I think he has lost the confidence. He is sticking to a different line, just outside the batsman’s reach. This line won’t fetch him a wicket and in limited over cricket, it won’t stop the run flow as well. This player needs to be mentored very carefully and this is where we need a bowling coach. Eric Simmons has some reputation and only time will tell how well he nurtures this bowling talent. With his emotions and temper in control, Sreesanth is a delight to watch. He has just returned to the test team as a swing bowler and has been good since then. With his action and seam position, he has the ability to move the ball in any condition. Aashish Nehra and Sudeep Tyagi have done well in ODIs recently, but I don’t think management would like to push them to test playing eleven in a haste.

History suggests that Indian teams have been largely dependent on spinners for positive outcomes specially in test matches. With Kumble retiring, this is where the team has been hit the most. Harbhajan Singh has lost all his confidence and now seems to be working just to contain the batsmen. He is bowling flatter and faster through the air. The famous loop that demolished the Aussies is gone now. Maybe he is feeling the pressure of leading the attack in Kumble’s absence. In contrast, we see two other vastly improving off spinners Nathan Hauritz and Greame Swann, who have all the confidence in giving ball the flight. They continue to surprise, trouble batsmen and improve match by match. Not only is Harbhajan Singh struggling but the team is yet to find the right spin partner for him. Amit Mishra comes as the obvious choice but the management needs to make sure that he is not short of any match practice. The more he bowls, the better he will get. The worrying aspect is that this domestic season, there was not any spinner in sight who made an impact. Who would have thought that there would be a dearth of spin bowling options in India.

Indians have been slow starters and it is too early to write the team off as one month number 1 team. The team does have some tasks cut out but the momentum is with India.