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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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'Rahul Dravid has answered his critics.'
Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999 12:32 AM Good to see India adjust to the seamer friendly wickets of NZ and play with the same authority as they did during most of last year in the slower wickets in the subcontinent. What's more heartening is the metamorphosis of Dravid from being a copybook-style-test-mould cricketer to a more versatile batsman who could easily adapt to the demands of the slam-bang brand of cricket. With this series he must have gained a lot of confidence and should prove to be an asset to an already top-heavy (at least in paper) Indian line-up. Another interesting point to notice in the current Indian side is the presence of a top class opening pair in Tendulkar and Ganguly who could also be very effective bowlers! I don't remember any team, past or present, who could boast of an opening pair who could not only score runs in tandem but also have a bowl at the opposition in tandem. Hope the Pakistan tour does not prove to be an emotional and physical tribulation on the key players especially on the eve of the World Cup.
Kiran Nair
Date: Saturday, January 16, 1999 8:15 PM Rahul definitely deserved the Man of the Match because of his controlled aggression, and in fact, it is he who took away the initial initiative from the Kiwis to steer India clearly in the sight of victory. I think much has been talked about such an accomplished player more by our Indian scribes and his peers on the cricketing arena. But surprisingly not a single outsider doubts his capabilities and have showered enough encomiums on his batting prowess.
Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999 12:38 AM If India were to succeed in the forthcoming World Cup, they have to put that extra element of surprise... which has helped in defeating so many champions. Bobby Fischer used that weapon effectively against his match against Boris Spassky in the 1971 World Chess Championships. New Zealand used that effectively with Dipak Patel and Greatbatch in the 1992 World Cup. India needs something like that in the World Cup this year. Saurav Ganguly and Jadeja should be given a bowl to stop the run flow at times. They shouldn't be used as the crisis bowlers. Robin Singh is a complete waste in terms of his bowling. He should tighten up or be removed. Although he is a valuable contributor in the field and with the bat, bowling is going to be very important in England. Sameer
Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999 4:06 PM There was an article on Rahul Dravid on your site before the Indian team left for New Zealand. Out of the four ODIs played so far, Rahul Dravid has been named man of the match for two played so far. I was searching for the article on your site today. I didn't get it. I wanted to send the article back to the author who made some very harsh comments about Rahul and his capability as a batsman in one dayers. The author could have waited for some more time before writing such a article. The author must be eating his words now and must have realised that there is lot of difference between playing on flat pitches in the subcontinent and hard and bouncy wickets abroad, where whether it is one day or test match, you need technique to survive and score which Rahul has showed now. He has answered his critics. Hope the author will be more sensible in his next articles before making any such harsh remarks again. Karun
Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999 5:55 AM Our two best seamers Srinath and Prasad have got a nice thrashing all round the field in the last six weeks even when the conditions were good for seam bowling. This logically does not allow any body to wonder about the absence of the third seamer. In fact, another spinner is just the option available. Therefore a rare (once in a long season) good performance of seam bowling does not justify the inclusion of a third seamer. (Also a third seamer who cannot force his way into the team in place of poor Prasad is not what the Indian team needs.) S G Maniar
Date: Saturday, January 16, 1999 1:16 PM Once again would like to congratulate India on their superb victory. It was nice to see everyone contributing with the bat and ball, and nice to see a fantastic win after a few minor hiccups. Rahul and Saurav played extremely well as did Srinath, Prasad, Jadeja, Azhar... to name just a few. Know it's asking for a lot now that the final game holds much interest, with just a victory leading to the cup and a loss leading to sharing the cup. Please congratulate Dravid and the team on my behalf. Dravid once again came up with a fine performance and showed an amazing display of consistency, character, determination and dedication. He has shown a lot of strength in his innings and the willingness to learn from mistakes. He is definitely India's man of the moment as also Mr Dependable. Would like his e-mail address if it is not too much of a problem. I would like to congratulate him in person. A hearty congratulation to the team and specially to Dravid. Wishing them all the best in the last one dayer, as also in the future matches. Pallavi
Date: Saturday, January 16, 1999 12:37 PM Yes, Ganguly should have got the man of the match. I also wonder when India doesn't have a good batting line-up for Test matches, why can't they use the same batting line-up for test matches as the one dayers. You know that Ganguly and Tendulkar are really good openers for India followed by the new found Dravid. V Prabhu
Date: Friday, January 15, 1999 3:55 AM I wish to congratulate you on your excellent writings on cricket, especially Indian cricket. It has been a great pleasure to go through your match reviews which cover all the subtle details. What makes your writing so delightful is that you write with passion, give desi folks (readers) self esteem, appreciate the good Indian players and criticise them if they commit mistakes--beside giving the pros/cons of the opposite team. As an Indian expatriate living in Australia, I find it difficult to accept that when Indian players can compete with Aussies but the Indian media is still nowhere to the Channel 9 team, and a few leading commentators of the local newspapers. After going through your match reviews, I can say with pride -- here is an Indian sport writer whose writing is so great -- with style and substance -- that the Aussie greats (like Peter Reebok, Mike Coward and Malcoln Conn etc ) would have to accept that the Indian cricket writing now is as good as theirs. Rajesh Kumar
Date: Thursday, January 14, 1999 8:31 PM The Basin Reserve display was one where they somehow got the inner passion to go out and prove something. We have it, they know it, we know it but its doing it all the time that matters. Rahul is one of the best cricketers after Sachin I have seen. I am a diehard fan of his and my heart ached to see him give dismal performances, but it's so heart warming to see Rahul play with all his potential. I hope the selectors are watching and shall give him a sense of freedom to play well.
Date: Thursday, January 14, 1999 6:16 PM I was wondering whether Tendulkar is playing too many shots nowadays, unlike the past when his choice of shots was better. Is it, do you think because of overconfidence, since he has been in a great nick since the beginning of '98. What do you think?
Date: Thursday, January 14, 1999 12:03 AM Your comment that the Indian team is showing strain by playing two Tests back to back and with 36 hours between two one dayers (of which 4 hours went in travelling) is a form of another excuse. When the Indian team left India, they did not complain about the schedule. In fact, most of the players had been to NZ. I was in NZ for a while (9 to 10 years), and trust me, the scenic beauty of the country is so marvellous that we used to go for drive for couple of hours, just to relieve the stress. Infact, even Vijay Lokapally (from The Hindu) has praised the travel from AKL to Napier as a beautiful ride (and it is). I can say that NZ is blessed (for the scenic beauty and the weather). Secondly, even the NZ team has played back-to-back tests and one-dayers. They too do a bit of travelling as well, and they haven't complained. So why should our players complain? They should stop winging and get with their act. I heard they have been complaining about the Pakistan tour as well. Well, I personally don't agree with Mr Lele (of punishing the players or forcing them to play), but he has a point, that if the matches are not arranged, the players have their masala matches. Well, Indian team is very strong in a few departments and weak in few -- and that is understandable (every one is). All they need to do is understand what they are good at and excel in that department and play within their limits (eg. if batting is strong, Sachin, Azza and Dravid and others should get to the basics and play, without getting the rush of excitement like Sachin seems to be doing nowadays). Raj
Date: Tuesday, January 12, 1999 7:10 PM As usual your comments are on the expected lines of a hypocritical nature. You don't want to give the Indians due credit even in their win. No doubt Azhar has the kind of opinion as far as the Indian media is concerned. Hope you guys improve in the way you comment.
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 12:51 AM Don't you think you have been going soft on our smooth talker Jadeja? My best guess is that we would have lost the match yesterday, if Jadeja would have stayed on the crease any longer. Do you think he should play the next game? Anil
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