Put an end to all this needless experimentation
Abhishek Mathur - 11 November 2002

The first two one-day games of the seven-match ODI series between India and West Indies has already seen a lot of action, while also showcasing the contrasting attitudes of the two teams. Of course, there is lot more cricket left in the current series, and at home, India are certain to bounce back, but I think they better do it quickly.

While the West Indies seemed to have settled down after the decent showing in the last Test, the Indians are paying the price for taking the tourists a touch too lightly. Carl Hooper’s men have exploited this complacency in the Indian ranks and the weakness in the hosts’ bowling to seize the early initiative at a time when India seem to be experimenting a little too much instead of using their resources more efficiently and wisely.

The latest rash of experiments has in all probability been brought on by the fact that this series as well as the next one in New Zealand afford the only opportunities for the Indians to finalise their strategy for the 2003 World Cup. But I, for one think, that they are carrying it too far.

At this time, with so little time left for the World Cup, it would be wiser instead to have a stable team, with a batting and bowling order that is established and knows what is expected of it. Rotating the batting line-up is only hurting the team rather than helping it. The search for the World Cup team should cease soon enough, maybe by the fifth game of the current series.

That said, it would be beneficial to use these three games to try and find a genuine pace bowler to support Zaheer Khan instead of looking for an all-rounder. I personally don’t consider Srinath a viable option, thinking as I do that he should not be playing in the World Cup. It is the bowling that is our Achilles Heel, and we need support on that front more than anywhere else.

The think-tank must now realise that it is high time we got over our dependency on the spinners, as they cannot be expected to play a major role in South Africa. For the remaining matches, we must, then, drop a spinner and instead add another seam bowler to the current squad and groom him for the World Cup.

One genuine spinner, either Harbhajan Singh or Anil Kumble - I would personally go for Harbhajan - and three pace bowlers should give this team the right balance. With Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly all capable of rolling their arm over, the fifth bowler's slot could also be satisfactorily filled.

The other area of concern for the Indians is the batting order. They have done well, asking Dravid to keep wickets and thereby bringing in an extra batsman. Dravid, of course, has responded splendidly to this task. But the tinkering with the line-up should stop if we are to continue to reap the rewards of this move.

I do not see the need to send in Ajit Agarkar at number 3 when we have players like VVS Laxman and Dinesh Mongia. Too much of experimentation, as I said earlier, will only hurt the team. It would be more wise to prepare the team to a set model, where each individual understands his role in the team and in every game fulfills it to the best of his abilities.

All said, India will have to do really well, in the coming matches if they are to keep the series alive. At the moment, it is the West Indies who are right on top. The hosts, then, should stop experimenting, and concentrate on the task at hand. Though the Dravid as keeper and the Sehwag as opener experiments have proved successful, they need to understand that there is a limit to experimentation too. This is a great Indian team that we have had in years - all it now needs is a little more of focus, and a little less of experimentation in the coming days.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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