A wake-up call for the Indian batsmen at Paarl

A victory for India against the Netherlands at Paarl was never in question. More vital to India's long-term plans was their performance and form en route to beating one of the minnows of world cricket, as well as their strategy, and it was therefore interesting to see the opening pair walk out for India after they chose to bat first - the old firm of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

The main priority for India in the game would undoubtedly have been to get their top batsmen in prime form ahead of the crucial game against Australia. Admittedly the pitch was not conducive to free hitting - the ball ball came on rather slowly - but make no mistake, it was definitely not as bad for batting as the scorecard suggests.

For their dismal batting display during their tour of New Zealand, the Indian batsmen at least had one excuse the nature of the pitch was not supportive to the batsmen. But after such a pathetic performance against the Netherlands, I am not sure any Indian batsman would even think about proffering an excuse. It was a shocking display of batting, with no player really interested in spending time in the middle and building on his start.

Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia got into a rhythm but failed to convert into a big score. It is especially appalling that India failed to bat out the allotted 50 overs after Ganguly had decided to bat first. On the basis of this performance, even the presence of seven top-order batsmen does not seem to help the Indian team.

Fortunately Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble saved India the blushes, but we should not fail to read deep into the crisis that looms large over the future of this Indian team in the World Cup. Their score of 204 all out might not have been enough to test the Netherlands; even a score of 160 could have been good enough to beat them. What should be noted, however, is that if India's batting had performed similarly against any other top team, they would have been beaten comprehensively.

One hopes that the Indian think-tank will spend quality time in coming out with the right formula for the remaining games. It would perhaps be a good idea if Tendulkar and Sehwag opened the innings for India. Ganguly, in my opinion, could bat at two drop, just behind Rahul Dravid.

The Indian batsmen also have to be reminded about the fundamental rule play your natural game. There is a general misconception that "natural game" implies free hitting of the cricket ball. It doesn't; there are times when a batsman has to stay at the crease and spend some time, but it just does not mean that he should get bogged down permanently. Whenever there is an opportunity to score, it should be pounced upon, and poor balls should be put away for runs. The biggest problem on India's plate at the moment is that once the batsmen get bogged down, they seem to get shackled forever.

India's next game on Saturday is a big one, against World Cup champions Australia at Supersport Park in Centurion. They will really have to be at their best to beat the Aussies, and if they do, they can prove to themselves and their fans that they have it in them to go on and win the World Cup.