By Ashis Ray, IANS
Birmingham : It befits the post of chairman of national selectors to be occupied by a former cricketer of stature. Indeed, Dilip Vengsarkar occupying this position lends it authority. He was a superb batsman, once ranked number one in the world, as well as captain of India.
Vengsarkar probably means well and has the best interests of the country at heart. He may not be the best communicator or consistent with his remarks, including being uncertain about whether there is or isn’t genuine talent waiting in the wings.
Besides, explanations for his committee’s decisions are not required if these are fully justified.
None of the above, though, is a matter of outstanding concern.
What is a bit bothersome is that, without exception, squads being picked for one-day competitions are pathetic in the fielding department. Vengsarkar took some fines catches in the slips in his time, but out-cricket was not exactly his forte.
The unit that was selected for the 2007 World Cup was one of the weakest fielding sides ever to leave India for a one-day tournament. The contingents sent for the series against South Africa in Belfast and now versus England are progressively worse.
Yuvraj Singh used to be brilliant, but injuries and weight gain appear to have made him slightly hesitant and leaden-footed. He can still hit the stumps from a distance, but a vital second slower.
Piyush Chawla is promising, Sachin Tendulkar has always been good, but not great and the same applies to Ajit Agarkar and Robin Uthappa. There is insufficient data on Rohit Sharma, while the rest are either butter fingered or simply not up to the mark.
The net result is, India invariably have to score 20-30 runs more to be competitive. In addition, their bowlers, more often than not, are only able to contain opposition in helpful conditions.
This is no way to engage in one-day cricket. The limited overs game is meant for younger and fitter exponents. Otherwise, there is always a mountain to climb.
The 281 for eight England compiled was 20-30 runs too many because of typically slipshod fielding. Besides, with Munaf Patel, once the most accurate of bowlers, lately reduced to cannon fodder, India’s task was made doubly difficult.
Though skipper Rahul Dravid, his predecessor Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh batted brilliantly, 282 is never easily attainable. No wonder the home side now lead 2-1 in the seven match series after the third ODI, India having lost by 42 runs.
This city, which houses the Edgbaston ground, is the capital of Warwickshire, the county of William Shakespeare.
“All that glitters is not gold” is, in fact, the lesson of Edgbaston. The apparently attractive conditions for faster bowlers are often deceptive. Dravid’s decision to insert England was, therefore, a mistake. In any case, sunshine from early morning had extracted the moisture from the pitch.
Judging by the plethora of Indian flags in the stands and the decibel level in support of India, the setting could well have been Mohali rather than the midlands of England. But this made no difference to the outcome.
Ian Bell, to the delight of his home crowd, top scored for three ODIs running. Only Ramesh Powar, and to a certain extent Zaheer Khan, managed to check the English run rate. Rudra Pratap Singh spilled a sitter at fine leg. Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed an easy stumping.
Powar and Chawla in tandem was a rare unveiling of spin at both ends within power plays. The little leg spinner again collected the prized wicket of Kevin Pietersen.