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Jadeja impresses in defeat

One of these days, I'd like to see Ajay Jadeja leading a full Indian team in a really competitive game.

My colleague P Rajendran, who did the previous match, at Pune against Sri Lanka, was rather impressed by Jadeja's captaincy. And on the evidence of today's showing, the guy seems to have what it takes.

There were several facets that were interesting. For one thing, 196 is the kind of total that generally has Indian skippers -- especially the incumbent -- frantically defending. Jadeja, however, attacked with two slips and a gully in the initial overs -- a heartening attitude.

Equally interestingly, while Azhar has the habit of scattering his fielders on both sides of the wicket during the middle overs and trying to cover all bases, Jadeja set a pointedly off side field, with five patrolling the arc between point and mid off, drying up the singles and generally making the batsmen fight for their runs.

What let him down here was the inexperience of his attack. Prasad was outstanding. Laxmi Ratan Shukla -- a mini Agarkar in his approach to the crease and delivery, with good lateral movement in the air and the ability to produce the odd one that skids through straight -- lost his head a bit in the beginning and tried to bowl too quick, ending up spraying it around. However, the likes of Jadeja, Dravid and Ganguly talked the young one down off his adrenalin high, got him focussed and from that point, the results dramatically improved as he bowled to his field, clearing his ten overs in one spell for just 37 runs. Shukla, too, was distinctly unlucky on one LBW appeal against Ijaz Ahmed, while another, against Inzamam, could have gone his way too given an umpire more inclined to raise the finger.

Robin Singh used his experience to bowl to the field set for him -- but that was about it. Sehwag and Pandey didn't have the ability to put pressure on batsmen of the calibre of Inzamam and Ijaz, nor the experience to bowl a run-denying length on the prescribed side of the wicket. And Ganguly, after taking a snorter in his rib-cage, was in no real shape to bowl a long spell.

This meant that though Jadeja could -- and did -- slow things down, and make run-scoring difficult, he didn't have the weaponry to do more.

Prasad was outstanding in his opening spell. A stream of deliveries that hurried in to the left-hander set Anwar up for a beauty that was angled across, pitched off and seamed away late, feathering the edge through to the keeper. Anwar has always had problems against Prasad, and here the bowler maintained the edge he has built up against the opener.

Imran Nazir got another corker. The young right-hander was beaten a few times by the trademark leg-cutter, before Prasad pitched one fractionally shorter, producing the breakback that jumped and darted back in off the seam. Nazir had to play for the one leaving him, and ended up with the ball flashing between bat and body, taking the edge for Karim to dive to his left to take a beauty.

Afridi has always been inclined to take on Prasad but here, with the ball seaming around, strokeplay wasn't easy. With Afridi, to keep him quiet is to invite the error, and the fatal one here came when he aimed a huge hit over long on at a leg cutter that left him late, took the thick outer edge for Dravid, running in off the long off fence, dived headlong forward to take a superbly judged catch at full extension.

Both Inzamam and Ijaz looked ill at ease against the bowling of Prasad, Shukla and Robin -- but once Prasad was rested and Shukla completed his spell, the pressure was off at least at one end, and the Pakistan middle order pair brought their immense experience to bear to turn things round.

Ijaz's innings was an indicator of the Pakistan game play -- when he got to 52, it was with the help of 32 singles. Inzamam's knock was equally thoughtful and patient, and against the steady drip of singles, India's lack of a sizeable total made the difference.

One constant irritant -- not just in this match, but in course of this tournament -- has been the constant changes of ball. The white ball losing colour as it runs over the green outfield is now accepted as an acceptable evil, but in course of this Pepsi Cup we have had several instances of the ball splitting its seam, and that argues poor manufacture on the part of Kokkaburra, the company that supplies balls for this tournament.

This does pose a bit of a problem. Since India does not play too much with that brand of ball, there is never a sufficient supply of used balls. So what has happened, time after time in this tournament, is that an old ball is replaced by a new one sandpapered to take the shine off. That is not really fair to either side -- sandpapering the shine off doesn't suffice, since the new ball is harder and more bouncy that the one that has been replaced. It flies off the bat faster and for the bowler, it affords more bounce.

This match produced a classic instance of the inherent problem -- the ball was changed, the shrewd Jadeja ('street smart' is a good adjective for the guy, he never seems to miss a bet) promptly brought Prasad back on and the second ball of the seamer's second spell climbed steeply, cramping Ijaz on the premeditated pull. The ball soared as a simple catch to deep backward square -- only for Pandey to grass it. An older ball obviously wouldn't have given Prasad that amount of bounce.

The problem has been a constant with the Kokkaburra ball, so maybe it is time the ICC decreed that this particular brand won't be used in international competition until the manufacturers can guarantee quality.

Jadeja threw Prasad into the firing line as one last desperate ploy but Inzamam and Ijaz kept their heads, played out the medium pacers remaining overs, and from that point on, it was all plain sailing for the batting side.

Which sets up the final, in Bangalore. Sachin Tendulkar is most definitely not playing. Assuming that Azhar is still nursing his shoulder strain, this is the side I would like to see Jadeja lead out into the field for that clash -- Ramesh, Ganguly, Dravid, Khurasiya, Jadeja, Robin Singh, Saba Karim, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad.

With a seam attack of Srinath, Prasad and Agarkar backed by Robin and Ganguly, with Kumble in the middle bowling his tight, line and length leg-spinners and Dravid and Ramesh chipping in with a couple of overs of off spin apiece at times when the batsmen are in consolidation mode, that's a side that can take on this Pakistan outfit on even terms.

That does seem a touch hard on Shukla, though -- but the only option is to play Shukla for Khurasia, with Jadeja, Robin and Saba moving a place up the order. And that, when you come to think of it, ain't too bad an option either -- four regular batsmen, followed by a string of all rounders and only Prasad as the pure rabbit. With the ball, three experienced seamers, Shukla and Robin in support, Kumble with the turn and Ganguly, Dravid and Ramesh to turn their arms over if options are required.

It also, pretty much, puts paid to Sehwag's and Pandey's hopes of making the World Cup squad. History is against spinners in England in May, and neither of the above-mentioned showed that they had what it took to rise above the inherent handicap.

Doesn't mean we are going to get either option, though -- our selectors being what they are, 'surprise' is the norm, logical predictability an evil they bend over backwards to avoid.

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