Indian Bowling Lacks Firepower

It's time for India to address some critical issues.They haven't got the bowling to pull them through, especially in thesub-continent. They could have made a bigger total and still lost in Ahmedabad.

A good one-day side must have five decent wicket-takingbowlers. It is accepted that out of these five, at least couple of them would besmashed around the park. In the next match, it could be the turn of the otherbowlers. An extra bowler gives you that extra reserve in the tank.

India made 315 and yet were defensive in the field.They didn't trust their bowling options and ended up doing all the running. Themessage was evident in the way the field was set in the middle overs. It wasneither defending singles nor stopping boundaries.

To Pakistan's credit, they quickly sized up the Indiansand their confused state of mind. India is banking far too much on theirpart-timers -- it would show them up in the ring and stop them from becoming agood one-day side.

Inzamam, on the other hand, showed the value of a captain for teams who hailfrom the sub-continent. Teams from our region need strong leaders for the restto play out of their skin. If the captain loses authority, the rest allowthemselves to drift without remorse.

India at the moment is trying to bury the oppositionwith the mountain of runs its proven batsmen can plunder. But what happens whenthey are dismissed for 240? They stand little chance for they haven't investedin bowlers.

It implies that there is an inherent imbalance in theside and any good opposition only needs to build decent partnerships. The scienceof one-day cricket is exact in its law -- it is a game of 100 overs and not 50 andall eleven, rather than just one or two, need to pull their weight. Otherwise,it is a hit-or-miss team.

Saurav Ganguly has already copped enough from theAhmedabad tie for me to twist the knife further in his wound. But speaking froma larger perspective, he slowed up the momentum for his team while batting. Itwas a classic case of wretched form intimidating the captain in him. Those 15-20runs missed at the crease could have panicked Pakistan who have never beensuccessful in chasing a 300-plus total.

It was a critical moment for India, certainly of thematch, if not of the finely balanced series. They lost the momentum and possiblya chance to open up a two-match advantage over Pakistan.

The shadow of this blight could be as dark and long asthe hour of madness India exhibited in the Bangalore Test. Both could cost themfrom being overwhelmingly superior to now sharing the podium or even losingthis topsy-turvy series.

Inzy's innings was a classic for those youngsters who want to learn the art ofone-day batting. He kept one end going when the quick dismissals of YousufYouhana and Younis Khan had put the skids under Pakistan's feet. The thirdwicket stand between Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Malik acted as the foundationof the innings.

Sachin Tendulkar too played an innings which befittedhis stature. He batted with composure, style and lot of common sense. He showedthe value of singles in one-day cricket. Yuvraj Singh too rediscovered his touchand that's what Ganguly needs to do at the moment -- just free his arm and let hisbat connect a few good blows in the country zone. Now that fate has intervenedin his case, this enforced break could be a blessing in disguise.

I feel nets and more nets are not the answer to hisproblem. Nor lot of counseling would do. He just needs to play practice matchesto settle his anxiety at the crease.

Pakistan's case was exactly reverse to what happened toIndia in Ahmedabad. They batted well but they were terrible in the field.Endless extras, India too sent down a number of no-balls and wides, and droppedchances nearly pushed them out of the game.

Rana Naved-ul Hasan, after his good work in Jamshedpur,was again pushing the ball down the leg-side in this game. Pakistan too didn'tseem keen to take wickets and had a split field on either side of the wicketrather than pack one part of the field. Motera is a big ground and is difficultto protect. Somebody should have reminded the age-old maxim to both the teams:Attack is the best form of defence.

Australia do it day in and day out!

PTI