A Win To Cheer

Success in New Zealand takes India closer to top spot in Test cricket

Ablemish in Team India’s recent record in Test cricket has been wiped out: a series has been won in New Zealand, the first in four decades. This 1-0 win reaffirms Team India’s emergence as a Test side that can win matches not just at home but also abroad.

The success in New Zealand was a collective effort. Yet, special mention must be made of Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. These two players have had a remarkable run in recent times and that’s helped Team India to become one of the world’s top Test teams. The Virender Sehwag-Gambhir combine is arguably the most destructive opening pair in world cricket today. Sehwag’s relative failure in Tests in New Zealand — unusual because he had a terrific one-day series — did not affect Gambhir, but revealed new facets of his batting. His two centuries were contrasting efforts shaped by the needs of the team. In Napier, he blocked for over 11 hours to score 137 runs, which helped India save the match. In Wellington, he blasted his way to 167 in less than six hours and set the match up for the bowlers. And Rahul Dravid, who now holds the world record for the most catches in Tests, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman did justice to their reputations.

Similarly, Zaheer’s re-emergence as a strike bowler a few seasons ago has dramatically transformed Team India’s bowling. That he now has the best strike rate of any Indian bowler overseas — the list includes men like Anil Kumble, B S Chandrasekhar and Kapil Dev — is evidence of his skills and potency. Fast bowlers, as is well known, hunt in pairs. Zaheer and Ishant Sharma make a formidable pair. The right-arm Sharma, with his pace and bounce, complements the swing and seam of the left-arm Zaheer. Together, they have blunted many top order batsmen and set the middle order up for spinners, especially Harbhajan Singh. Not surprisingly, Singh, like another off-spinner E A S Prasanna 41 years ago, topped the wickets tally in New Zealand. Moreover, these bowlers have become handy batsmen.

But it rankles a bit that the result could have been 2-0 in India’s favour if not for the hostile weather and excessively defensive tactics on the part of M S Dhoni, who is otherwise having a fabulous run as captain and player. An early declaration in Wellington would have given bowlers enough time to wrap up the match. Team India, it seems, preferred to hold on to the 1-0 lead and not risk an improbable loss. Teams like Australia aren’t scared of taking risks to maximise their success. That’s a winner’s mindset. Team India should not become a prisoner of excessive caution. Winning must become a frame of mind for Dhoni’s remarkable team.