Uthappa shines despite Chennai loss

By S Aravind
January 29 2007

It was another houseful night in Chepauk and, as always, I made myself present to support our country despite feeling a bit under the weather.

The day started on a bright note with Uthappa's brilliance. No doubt, this lad is destined to be a permanent fixture in our ODI side for years to come.

Before we jump the gun though, I would like to say that Uthappa on a bowling pitch is nowhere near the version we saw in Chepauk yesterday. If someone can work that out for him personally and if he gets a good run of games, we could get a polished and aggressive opener who adds a lot to our team with his aptitude on the field, versatility as batsman and the zest he brings with his age.

I've only ever seen Sachin Tendulkar dismantle an attack the way Uthappa did yesterday, in my life as a cricket fan in Chepauk. I don't want to start the cliched comparisons, but Uthappa yesterday gave us reason to ease our worries on replacing Sachin. Uthappa is different from Virender Sehwag, he has that bit of calmness in his game. Add to that the the development in his technique and approach, and Uthappa is going to be a household name very soon. He had the Midas touch yesterday when he got going in blistering fashion. We fans could not be happier viewing it and of course, enjoying it with frantic celebration.

• Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir: Don't have much to say about them. I rate the former better, but he is too young. He didn't look confident yesterday, and could not take his game to the next level. Yes, he is one of the best fielders we have but his identity as a batsman is a bit uncertain. Does not have the ability to stay for long periods yet, nor can he step up a gear in terms of accumulation. I think there is more to come from him after more games under his belt. About Gambhir, I'm not his biggest fan and will never be. Inconsistent to say the least, and has had enough chances to prove that he is different from the usual fringe players who perform once in 5 games! If this is the mediocrity we have to settle for, then so be it. But I thought in Uthappa, we have a stupendous talent, so I would start building our future on him.

• Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid: Was really happy to see them get to the 50's so effortlessly. They made it look easy and at one point of time, we were starting to see how invaluable these two can be in the World Cup with their experience as they stuck to the plan brilliantly then! I don't know what got to them later, perhaps they tried to accelerate too early, knowing that Yuvraj and Karthick are not the best of candidates to take us to 350. I thought Dravid was the main culprit as Sachin was the better accelerator and for Dravid to go for that shot with so many overs ahead was a poor decision! I will honestly admit that these two legends are no longer the players they were in their prime, after watching them keenly yesterday. Still, they can be effective for us if only the supporting cast understand their roles and mould themselves around the Big 3.

• Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthick: I thought they brought Yuvi back way too early. He looked dodgy to say the least. As for Karthick, he is still learning the game. You could see how furious the players and staff were in the pavilion with DK for his shot selection, especially after Chris Gayle had dropped him. I felt DK should have capitalized on it after playing such a mature innings in the previous game. But hey, the lad is on a huge learning curve. He was in a different pressure scenario yesterday and it really questioned his ability. I thought he would respond to it in style but that happens. We are blessed with two talented keepers with different styles and at the right age. Watching them out-do each other can only keep us in good stead for years to come.

On the whole, in my honest opinion, from a batting point of view, considering the fact that Dada and Dhoni were not playing, there were a few bright spots while for some, the post mortem was prepared yesterday and rightly! Uthappa, Dada, Dravid, Sachin, Yuvi and the missing piece in the puzzle ( Raina? Rao? Kaif? ...most likely Sehwag!)

Bowling

• Ajit Agarkar: I'm not his biggest fan, but I would blindly keep him in the 15 time and time again. He proved why yesterday! Right from the word go, he badly wanted this win. Agarkar's potential is consistent but his form and performance ain't! If someone can keep his head in check, Agarkar will do well for us; one can see how all these years of experience is helping out his bowling. No more erratic overs, no more lame full tosses, no more casual effort days. From being one of his biggest critics, I'm slowly turning to a new leaf when it comes to Agarkar. Yesterday his bowling speeds looked superb to the naked eye. He extracted great mileage from the flat pitch and got into his rhythm easily and quickly. Good on you mate, keep it coming.

• Sree Sreesanth: What a character! He got so much stick (light-hearted) from our stand, right from his first over. I'm sure we were on TV for our constant mimicking of Sree. He is a liability for the World Cup in my opinion. By no means is he ready for ODI cricket. He reminds of the Agarkar of the past with a lack of cricketing sense. No responsibility for the team, and didn't feel for the fact he let the team down. This is not a kneejerk reaction, but Sree is a totally different bowler in Tests than in ODIs! He doesn't have the right mindset or experience to become a good ODI player at least for the moment. Yes, 268 was not a great total on this pitch, but a first spell and attitude like that played a big role in the loss.

  This is exactly where I thought Dravid the captain failed again. His persistance with Sreesanth was questionable. 40,000 people in Chepauk wanted a bowling change even though we didn't have one more pace bowling option. Dravid had to be bold enough to rehash his plan, which possibly meant Kumble being used in the fifth over. His handling of Sreesanth personally was also not so good: he pampered the young bowler. Brian Lara set an example in this game with his captaincy. The way he handled Dwayne Bravo was brilliantly effective. However harsh this might sound, the sooner Dravid steps down as captain, the better it will be for the team and himself as a batsman in my opinion.

• Kumble and Powar: Not Kumble's best day. He should never be used on batting pitches as he is not the same bowler he was during his prime. There was no life in his attack and he made Powar looked good! Poor line and length from Jumbo, and Lara took full advantage from his first shot on. The number of sweep shots and cut shots played by Lara off the spinners said a lot about the composure of our bowlers. Kumble's bowling was almost naive on a pitch like this. I was surprised to see Powar with better figures than Kumble after a look at the scorecard, as I thought Powar was as bad as Kumble if not worse. Absolutely no variety in his bowling and he looked like a player we call up just because his domestic figures are good but his credentials nowhere near good enough for the level this team is aiming for. I don't want to talk about his presence on the field because along with Kumble, he really added to the misery of Chennaites who were seething after a long absence of international cricket in Chidambaram Stadium.

To be honest, the atompshere was not as electric as it usually is here. That's because of the fact that an India - Windies game isn't the brightest nor the most keenly fought one. These games are more like match practice for the players, and the crowd did their best to liven up the atmosphere.

As always, Chennai responded to the brilliance of Samuels and Lara with constant cheers and claps. From our stand, there were huge Lara chants. Journalists from the press box watching us made note of this and surely, Lara would have felt at home with the ovation and warmth he received from us yesterday. It was truly a legend's innings and the fact he did unbelievable things so easily was a treat to watch. Usually, I don't sit and watch Lara play when he is on the TV as his style doesn't trigger a response in me. But yesterday, he made me eat humble pie with an eloquent performance, and made the game worth the price of admission.