Gavaskar S: Can India break the Sharjah jinx ? (24 Mar 95)

Can India break the Sharjah jinx?

24 March 1995

Mohd. Azharuddin is truly one of the nicest guys in international cricket. He never has a bad word to say about anyone preferring to just shrug his shoulders rather than say anything strong which might cause an uproar. He stays away from controversies in much the same manner as his deputy Sachin Tendulkar stays away from dogs. He does occasionally get up to make a point about a remark someone may have made about his or his team`s record. Soon after his return from New Zealand Cricket Council Centenary Tournament, he responded to Sir Richard Hadlee`s comments about how the Indian team does well only at home and so he does not attach much significance to India`s victories. Azhar was quick to point out that India won the 1983 and 1985 World Championships outside India but his innate goodness prevented him from questioning New Zealand`s record whether at home or abroad. Any other person would have been on the phone to Hadlee after Sri Lanka`s victory in the first Test to ask what he has to say now. Even if one agrees that India wins only at home, what about New Zealand which cannot win even at home and has a most pathetic record outside its shores.

Ever since Kapil Dev broke Hadlee`s record, the latter has not had nice things to say about Indian cricket but then we really shouldn`t be bothered about what somebody at some other end of the world has to say about our cricket and especially a sour puss who forgets that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. That the Kiwis have not been able to palate the defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankans can also be seen by their manager John Reid questioning the validity of the action of Muralidaran the Sri Lankan offspinner. Mind you, he did not question the action in the first innings but only in the second when Muralidaran started to get wickets. Muralidaran may be a bit expensive but he picks up wickets regularly at the Test level and that plus his agility as a fielder, makes him a very useful cricketer to have in the side.

Chaminda Vaas is the other bowler who is giving the Kiwis a hard time but fortunately they haven`t found anything to object to about him. Vaas looks pretty ordinary but with his angled deliveries he too picks up wickets regularly and he has also proved a stubborn customer with the bat. Though Aravinda and Ranatunga, the skipper, haven`t fired as yet, the Sri Lankans are holding their own because with experience, their lower order batsmen too are not giving up their wickets easily. A victory on foreign soil is always memorable and for the Sri Lankans and especially captain Ranatunga, it must be doubly so, since it was the last tour of New Zealand that had got him into strife with the Sri Lankan Board.

Azhar and his teammates also could have got into strife with the Indian Board if they had insisted on their manager in New Zealand proving the allegations that he made about some players being involved in betting. That Azhar is a nice guy again comes through for most captains would have refused to place unless the allegation was proved or the official sacked. That Azhar and his team have ignored the official, means that they know more about him and thus know not to take him seriously nor his allegations. In any case, character assassination is the easiest thing in our country, what with the libel laws being what they are and cases taking years to be decided in court. By the time the case comes up, people have not only lost interest but forgotten what the case was all about, anyway nobody really bothers filing one.

Venkatapathy Raju might feel like filing a case not for defamation but for cruelty, against the selectors. Raju has been in the Indian squad for sometime now and though he has not been a regular member of the team, he has been consistent enough in his performances to believe that he had done enough in recent times to keep his place in the Indian team. Utpal Chatterjee who replaced him, was impressive in the India No.1 Challenger Tournament, where he showed that he was not overawed by the reputation of his opponents, nor by their skill. This determination to keep pegging away as also his approach to batting won him a place in the side but it need not have been at the expense of Raju.

While Chatterjee`s inclusion was no surprise, the omission of Ankola was. He was not only the quickest on view, apart from Srinath but also as aggressive and it would have been terrific to have two genuinely sharp bowlers opening the bowling for India. Srinath continues to make rapid progress and with success is becoming more imaginative in his bowling. Gone is the thoughtless way of bowling, that so frustrated his well-wishers and the sea- son in England should help him to practise the yorker. With the incoming ball being his stock ball, if he can develop the yorker, not only will he stop batsmen scoring in the final overs but also get bags of wickets with that delivery.

Kumble has not been in the devastating form of a couple of seasons back but he is still a difficult customer to get away and if he gets a little assistance in the pitch he will be a match winner. He too has a season in England and the only worry in his case is whether it will be too much cricket that will sap his enthusiasm. If he can use the season to advance his batting it will be a bonus for Indian cricket. The third player, playing county cricket in England this season, is Prabhakar. He has dropped a couple of yards of pace since the season began but he relies more on movement than speed and may well struggle in England if the pitches there are slow and low.

But more than England, the eyes of Indian cricket lovers will be on Sharjah where the Asia Cup starts shortly. The way Tendulkar is batting there is every reason to hope that he will be able to launch the innings to a high flying start and carry on for as many overs as he can. There is variety in the Indian bowling and there is no question that the batting on its day can be devastating. Sharjah has become a jinx as far as Indian cricket is concerned for the last ten years and to break it, will not only require every single player to give 100 percent each day but also for Mohd. Azharuddin to stop being the nice guy for a week and whip the team in to a frenzy, which can be quietened only with a victory.