Keeping their fans on tenterhooks

Trust the Indian team to take a leaf out of Alfred Hitchcock's book. Like the unrivalled master of suspense, the national cricketers also believe in maintaining the suspense till the very end. But beyond that, the analogy breaks down. While Hitchcock used innovative and highly appreciated cinematic techniques, and his films always had happy endings, with the Indians, needless suspense is created through slipshod work; what's more, there is no guarantee of the denouement ending on an upbeat note.

But then again, that is the Indian team all over. One moment they are looking good to win the title, the next they are playing the kind of cricket that would make schoolboys blush. Consistency has just not been their trademark...

Here were the Indians, proceeding smoothly in the Standard Bank triseries. Two wins, over South Africa and Kenya, had virtually assured them of a place in the final. Now, however, two defeats in a row ­ one shocking, the other a match that should have been won ­ imply that the India-Kenya match on Wednesday is virtually a semi-final. And the Kenyan team, buoyed by good performances against South Africa and a moraleboosting victory over India, is certainly not the same side that went down by ten wickets to India last week. They are a rejuvenated, transformed lot, and an Indian win cannot be taken for granted. If the Indians do not make the final, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

But then again, that is the Indian team all over. One moment they are looking good to win the title, the next they are playing the kind of cricket that would make schoolboys blush. Consistency has just not been their trademark, and that is the chief reason why the Indian team, despite having high-calibre players, big names, the best opening pair in the world, the best batsman in the world, two of the leading wickettakers in the one day game, and so on, are not able to deliver. They just do not play up to their potential. Form varies not only from match to match, but also from session to session. The loss against South Africa was yet another defeat that was difficult to digest.

The less said about the defeat against Kenya, the better. Sourav Ganguly, never one to search for excuses, put it bluntly when he said, "We played poor cricket for nearly 100 overs. It is very difficult to give an explanation for this defeat, which was like a kick in the backside for all the players." And against South Africa, even after conceding 282 runs, India could have won the game, for it was still a good batting track. After the first 15 overs, India had scored 100 for no loss. In the next 24 overs, India added another 100 runs but lost six wickets. That is what I mean by saying that form varies even from session to session.

At 151 for two in 28 overs, the Indians had got the required run-rate down to six an over, with two master craftsmen and experienced campaigners at the crease. All that was required was a cool, methodical approach. A run a ball is always on with eight wickets in hand. But the Indians' subsequent tactics were rushed, feverish, and unnecessarily panicky.

It is also obvious that the team is top-heavy. Too much depends on too few players. Rest some experienced stars, and what you get is the type of defeat the side suffered at the hands of Kenya. The lack of depth also showed in the match against South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar got 37, Ganguly 85, and Rahul Dravid an unbeaten 71. Shiv Sunder Das, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Deep Dasgupta got nine runs between them.

And then there is the problem of run-outs. It is baffling how something as basic as running between the wickets continues to be a major problem for an international outfit. As many as three run-outs had a big role to play in the Indian defeat on Friday.

Finally, a word or two about the bowling. Even in one-day cricket, spin is our traditional strength. If any proof was needed, it was provided on Friday, when the South Africans played Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Yuvraj Singh with a lot of circumspection. They just could not take liberties with them, no matter how hard they tried to paddle the ball away. In desperation, they even attempted the most horrendous of reverse-sweep shots. The bowling was also too clever for even the fleetfooted batsmen to attempt the lofted drive. The fact that the spinners bowled 32 overs and conceded 159 runs, whereas Ajit Agarkar and Javagal Srinath conceded 119 runs in 18 overs, tells the whole story. Indeed, with the final margin being 46 runs, it can be said that India lost the match in the beginning and end overs of the South African innings.