Morale boosting win after the Bangalore Test loss

For Team India this was a much needed win. After the loss in the final Test doubts were raised if — as was perceived before the tour &#...

For Team India this was a much needed win. After the loss in the final Test doubts were raised if — as was perceived before the tour — India were actually superior to Pakistan. But Sourav Ganguly and his men settled that issue today. Batting, bowling or fielding; India proved that they were the better side today.

Ganguly’s batting form is still a worry but he played a huge role in India’s win by calling the coin correctly. The toss will be a vital factor in the rest of the series considering the April heat and the flat tracks. The team that bats

first will always be at an advantage since the wickets gets dry in the second inning.

But having said that I wouldn’t like to take the credit away from Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. It was a perfect pair to have at the centre after India lost two early wickets. The calming influence of Dravid was vital for the dashing Sehwag.

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Though India’s run rate dropped in the slog overs but I still think a total of 281 was enough. But flurry of wickets at the death were understandable considering the reading on the therometer at the Nehru Stadium at Kochi. The heat and humidity hampers a player to play for long hours, besides it is also tough for a new batsman to adjust quickly to the conditions.

As for India’s bowling Tendulkar with his bagful of tricks turned the tide. Blessed with an amazing cricketing brain, Tendulkar puzzled the batsmen with his combination of leg-spin, off-spin and the faster one. For the rest of series India should more or less stick to this same combination. Part-time bowlers like Tendulkar, Sehwag and Yuvraj will be playing a big role in the days to come.

Finally, a few words of advice for the Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq. First and foremost he has to win the toss. Secondly he has to ensure that the fielding should be flawless. Remember Sehwag was dropped on the first ball he faced and later Zaheer Khan took a stunning catch to dismiss Youhana. Had Sehwag been caught and Youhana dropped, things certainly would have been different.