From the publishers of THE HINDU Vol. 24 :: No. 26 :: Jun. 30 - Jul. 06, 2001	Home Contents
	CRICKET/HARARE TEST Without any fanfare, Zimbabwe lays India low VIJAY LOKAPALLY NOT one spectator invaded the field. Not one player ran on to embrace those in the middle. It was just another day in the office even though the occasion was big. Beating India in a Test match was indeed a creditable thing for Zimbabwe but the emotions did not suggest so at the Harare Sports Club. The bar was busy with a few players enjoying their drinks with their fans even as the Indians quietly left the arena after a humiliating loss. V. V. KRISHNAN The captains, Sourav Ganguly and Heath Streak, with the Zimbabwe Sun Trophy after sharing the Test series 1-1. As Stuart Carlisle and Andy Flower gave finishing touches to a job begun so well by Andy Blignaut's five-wicket spell, a bunch of schoolchildren broke into a song and dance. The absence of spectators put paid to the atmosphere one would associate with a victory, but then what counted most was the fact that Zimbabwe had recorded a four-wicket win over an Indian team which looked so strong on paper. Coach John Wright admitted the team looked very good on paper and accepted the responsibility for the defeat. It was very gracious of Wright and skipper Sourav Ganguly too, but then it hardly was the answer. The Indian team, so talented and so committed when playing at home, continued to be bereft of ideas and grit when competing overseas. One of the best batting line-ups in the world had been put in place by an attack which was depleted. V. V. KRISHNAN Stuart Carlisle and Andy Flower return to the pavilion after posting victory. Zimbabwe missed Brighton Watambwa from the first morning - he bowled only 3.4 overs for a wicket - but the spirited trio of Heath Streak, Travis Friend and Blignaut bowled with tremendous commitment and discipline. They knew their limitations and were amply rewarded with a Test victory. A victory which was a shot in the arm for Zimbabwean cricket. "It was a perfect performance and one of the finest moments for our cricketers," said a beaming Dave Houghton, who had been Zimbabwe's first Test captain. "The lads knew their job well and stuck to it. They fielded well and there was far more discipline on the last two days I thought," he said. Discipline was what the Indians lacked. "I take the blame upon myself," remarked a dejected Ganguly, whose poor form was one of the key factors, not to forget some miserable strokes by the top order. The Indians' shot selection was out of place and it was a pity that even some of the established players failed to understand the situation and adapt. V. V. KRISHNAN Andy Blignaut ends the Indian second innings by castling Ashish Nehra. The Zimbabwe paceman picked up five wickets in this innings and paved the way for the home team's win. Wright and Ganguly admitted that it was a big let down by the batsmen. "The bowlers did a wonderful job, especially Ashish (Nehra) but we lacked discipline in our batting," said Ganguly, who ended up with just 14 runs from three Test innings in this series. The skipper's failure to get going with the bat was a blow to the middle order indeed. Given the state of Zimbabwe's cricket, it was indeed an achievement for the home team to have tamed a batting line-up which boasted of names like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V. V. S. Laxman and Ganguly. "It was good the boys didn't go by the reputation of the opposition. They had a job to do and I'm happy they played true to their potential. Zimbabwe may not be the strongest team in international cricket, but we have some very good and fast learners," commented Houghton. The Indians were indecisive in their approach. The team management had to include Hemang Badani as the makeshift opener as S. Ramesh reported unfit from a back injury. Having made the move, it needlessly pressed the panic button in the second innings by asking Sameer Dighe to open in place of Badani. It was an ill-advised move and showed the team management in poor light. V. V. KRISHNAN Heath Streak who gave excellent support to Blignaut in the second innings, gets rid of Ajit Agarkar. Wright took the responsibility for the move but what was most striking was the failure of the Indian batsmen to come to terms with the moving ball. Streak, Friend and Blignaut cannot be termed as a lethal set of seamers in international cricket, but they proved so for the famed Indian batting line-up. The Indians were on the defensive once they conceded a first-innings lead of 78 runs. The failure in the first innings was shocking since the pitch offered true bounce and encouraged the seamers only a little. A neat knock by opener Shiv Sundar Das laid the base for the middle order, but none came to terms with the attack except Dravid, who, however, ran out of partners. Only some lusty hitting by Harbhajan Singh saved the team embarrassment as it struggled all the way. The Zimbabweans had succeeded with their off-stump line, tempting the batsmen to make mistakes. An innings of immense character by Grant Flower guided the Zimbabwean innings after his brother Andy had shown the way. The young Dion Ebrahim chipped in handsomely and a late charge by Blignaut meant the Zimbabweans were in the driver's seat. Nehra was the pick of the bowlers with some good support from Harbhajan. The team did suffer from the pedestrian bowling of Srinath and Ajit Agarkar. V. V. KRISHNAN Harbhajan Singh exults after trapping Dion Ebrahim leg before in the first innings. Once again it was Das who battled as India tried to put up a decent target. Tendulkar too concentrated hard and came up with an innings befitting his stature but the shot which saw him depart was terrible. This pushed the team into a very tight spot. With Dravid too falling to the seaming ball, it was left to the lower half where Ganguly came a cropper and the rest just surrendered meekly. "Poor shot selection," said Wright and Ganguly admitted it was lack of discipline. "We (batsmen) let the team down," said Ganguly. Despite the target being just 157, the Indian bowlers made an attempt to salvage some prestige with Srinath leading the way. He bowled an impressive spell even as Nehra supported him. Agarkar too came up with a wicket, but it was too late a fight. In Stuart Carlisle, Zimbabwe had a batsman who was not going to mess up the opportunity. His innings proved as valuable as Blignaut's haul of five wickets. V. V. KRISHNAN Another Zimbabwe batsman, Alistair Campbell, falls leg before, this time to Ashish Nehra, in the second innings. Campbell was dismissed by Nehra in the first innings, too. Harbhajan and Nehra picked up four wickets apiece in the first innings. It was India's second Test defeat in a row at the Harare Sports Club, reviving memories of the shocking loss in 1998 when the team had to chase a target of only 235. For Zimbabwe, the sixth victory in 52 Tests could not have come at a better time than this. "We needed this win because cricket in Zimbabwe is looking up and moments like this can make a big impact," said Hougton. The victory enabled Zimbabwe to tie the two-match series 1-1, a fair result considering the efforts of the home team. It may lack star value but it knows how best to make use of the talent available. Even as the team celebrated the occasion, Streak, in a moving gesture, dedicated the victory to the memory of Trevor Madondo, who died of malaria a few days before the second Test. Streak gave credit to each member of the team and it was fitting indeed that Andy Flower, one of the most under-rated and unsung cricketers on the circuit, was in the middle to hit the winning run. Andy Flower, the most trusted member of the Zimbabwean team, thoroughly deserved the privilege. The scores: India 237 (S. S. Das 57, R. Dravid 68 n.o., H. Singh 31, Streak 3-69) and 234 (Das 70, S. Tendulkar 69, Dravid 26, Streak 4-46, Blignaut 5-74) lost to Zimbabwe 315 (D. Ebrahim 49, A. Flower 45, G. Flower 86, H. Streak 40, A. Blignaut 35, Nehra 4-72, Harbhajan Singh 4-71) and 157-6 (S. Carlisle 62 n.o.). The find of the season SHIV SUNDAR DAS is a shy man, but a very assertive batsman. A compact opening batsman, he holds a lot of promise and he has been hailed as the find of the season by his mates. V. V. KRISHNAN Shiv Sundar Das receives his Man of the Series cheque from Indian High Commissioner, D. Ramamoorthy. Being short does not matter, for Das is tall in deeds. On the tour to Zimbabwe the mild-mannered Oriya emerged with his head high even as the Indians came up with a shoddy performance in the second Test. "I'd decided not to play any fancy strokes. I knew my best chance was in staying at the wicket and waiting for the loose balls," said Das on his two neat innings of 57 and 70 at the Harare Sports Club. An aggregate of 239 runs in four innings was a fair reward for his hard work. Of course, he would have been happy to score more and possibly win the second Test too. His 30 and 82 in the first Test at Bulawayo were matchwinning contributions and Das was rightly adjudged the 'Man of the Series'. Das attributed the success to his well-wishing mates and the very helpful duo, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sunil Gavaskar. They took extra care in guiding Das and in explaining the finer points of keeping his wicket intact at this level. "I am indebted to Sachin and Sunil Sir. I learnt so much from talking to them. Sachin gave me enough confidence to help me face the Zimbabweans with comfort," said Das. What did Gavaskar have to tell him? Das said with pride, "He reminded me of my potential and the importance of leaving the ball when playing five-day cricket. He told me the importance of wearing down the attack." The best thing that Das learnt from this series was the value of keeping his wicket, making the bowler work hard. "Earlier, I used to get out playing my shots, but Sunil Sir told me that it was important for an opener to be patient. I think I've become very patient now. I've worked hard on leaving the ball. It's been a very educative tour for me really," said Das with the humility that has made him such a likeable member of the side. Das, said coach John Wright, was an excellent find. "He has done well for himself. He learns quickly. He's young and still got a long way to go, but I'm very pleased for him. He had such a good series and it was an important one for him because it was his first overseas tour. He's got a great attitude. He's just developing very well. He did well against Gillespie and McGrath back home and has carried on the good work here too," said Wright. Das belongs to the old school of batsmen who believed in building an innings. "I've to be careful about my shot selection and as I said earlier, Test cricket is about being patient, about waiting for the right time to strike." Das indeed has matured into a reliable batsman and as Gavaskar observed, he looks a quality batsman with a good future. The need now is to find a partner for him. A farmer reaps a rich harvest WHEN he went to the Zimbabwe academy, he was considered a haughty boy. Few understood the fact that he had immense potential and needed proper guidance to make a mark for himself. Gradually, the administrators recognised the young man's talent and the grooming process began with Andy Blignaut considered one of the best in the country at the junior level. He soon graduated to make news in the bigger league and it was only a matter of time before he made it to the national side. Dave Houghton, his coach at the academy, recalled, "I was convinced this boy had the talent but we had to harness and take care he was not lost. We've never had paucity of talent and Blignaut looked good right from the time we picked him. "He's a very quick learner," said Houghton. He had the right attitude for a fast bowler and soon he was making the batsmen hop around. I liked the aggression in the boy," said Houghton. With success came a few problems for Blignaut. The selectors felt he was not yet ready for the big league and Blignaut spent almost 18 months in the wilderness. It was tough on him. He had the talent but not the platform to showcase it. "Attitude problem", said some even as Blignaut toiled. He was frustrated for almost a season with no help coming from any quarter. But Blignaut, a farmer, knew his future lay in cricket and he did not give up. Blignaut sorted out his problems and made his way back into the side. A good outing against Bangladesh meant he was in tune with things and selection in the team to play the Indians was just the tonic his career needed. A five-wicket haul against Bangladesh had announced Blignaut's potential but he valued his five-wicket harvest against India as more valuable. "It means a lot to me. Doing well against a strong team like India can be a big boost. I think it's a great start for someone like me," Blignaut said on his performance which won the match for his team and fetched him the 'Man of the Match' honours. Blignaut is good at motivating himself. "It comes naturally to me. We lost at Bulawayo and from that moment I was motivating myself to do something exceptional in the second Test. I knew I had to bowl a steady line and length and wait for the batsmen to make the mistakes." Blignaut had performed well for the Zimbabwe 'A' side and always thought himself to be a matchwinner. "You always have to think positive. I was happy with the way I was bowling and was getting a few runs too with the bat. I'm looking forward to being considered an all-rounder and I'm sure my work jells with the requirements of the team." Blignaut was keen to have one of the stumps as a souvenir from this memorable match. Why did he not grab one at the end of the match? "I was busy celebrating with the boys," he said with a smile. He may have missed collecting a souvenir in Harare, but Blignaut should find many occasions to collect a few in the times to come. As Houghton said, "he's a cricketer to watch for Zimbabwe in the future." Contents • Daily Sports • The Hindu • Business Line • Frontline • Home Copyrights © 2001 The Sportstar. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Sportstar.