
© Reuters |
Andy Flower is a true hero. There aren't many cricketers like him
in world cricket today. I, for one, cannot help admiring the
man's dedication to the game. No wonder, then, that he is such a
towering influence as far as Zimbabwean cricket is concerned.
On Saturday, under extremely demanding circumstances, the elder
Flower played an innings of great character, single-handedly
ensuring that Zimbabwe made a good fist of chasing an imposing
Indian total. It must surely have hurt this great player when his
supreme effort in one-day internationals failed to secure a
Zimbabwean win. Looking back, he must feel that the match was
probably lost when his brother, Grant, was tragically run out
thanks to a superlative effort by Yuvraj Singh, fielding at
point.
When play began in the afternoon, I thought that the Indian
batsmen would be highly positive, coming as they did into this
Champions Trophy after a very successful English summer. To my
utter disbelief, all that they displayed, though, was rank
complacency.
Douglas Hondo is a very deceptive bowler; he bowls a good line
and also has the knack of bowling the heavy ball now and then.
Batsmen have to be very alert while playing such bowlers but this
fact seemed lost upon the top order Indian batsmen.
Hondo bowled the perfect delivery to Ganguly, getting the Indian
skipper to nick it into the waiting hands of second slip. He,
then, snared Mongia soon after before going on to snaffle the
prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar.
Talking of Tendulkar's dismissal, I am sure that the wily
Zimbabwean coach Geoff Marsh had a hand in plotting it. They
definitely seemed to have hit upon the fact that Tendulkar has
the habit of moving into the line of the ball just before it is
delivered. Hondo bowled a beauty on or about the 4th or 5th stump
line, and the extra pace also was a factor in bringing about the
downfall of the master batsman.
Fortunately for India, Rahul Dravid is in the form of his life;
on Saturday, he carried on from where he left off in England. The
composure with which he played, and the sagacity with which he
guided Mohammad Kaif, helped India get out of jail. The 117-run
partnership between the duo also witnessed some fine running
between the wickets. Ironical, then, that Dravid was dismissed
because of an error in judging a single.

© Reuters |
Kaif by then was ready to shoulder the responsibility of
shepherding the Indian innings through the final overs; he made
the right moves and played the right shots to ensure that his
team ended up with a formidable total. The young man, who is
blessed with the temperament needed to succeed at this level, has
now blossomed into a very good finisher in one-day
internationals. Mark me when I say that he will play a definite
role in India's success in the World Cup 2003.
Moving on to the bowling, I must admit that the Indian spin
bowlers bowled atrociously. I fail to understand why they haven't
learnt the lessons that the English tour taught them. On the day,
Sachin Tendulkar bowled better spin than the frontline spinners.
Despite the poor showing of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh,
India were saved by the fact that they had a large total to bank
upon. All credit, though, to the Zimbabweans and Andy Flower, for
they fought the good fight before surrendering. I am now looking
forward to Wednesday's encounter between Zimbabwe and England. If
Saturday's showing is anything to go by, Zimbabwe might end up
pulling the rug from under England's feet.