Indefensible Defensive Tactics Cost Windies

Hard though it is to believe today, there was a time, not too long ago, when the West Indies was a team feared for it's explosive ability to turn Test matches around in one session. It was not just that the players were talented, but also the fact that the team management never seemed to believe in half-measures. There were no medium pacers to bowl a line and length and hope the batsmen made a mistake, nor was there any question of holding back when it came to exploiting the slightest weakness of the opposition.

Whether by design or by accident, Carl Hooper's men showed today why the West Indies is considered to be a shadow of it's former self. Even if some of the players at Hooper's command are very talented, the attitude of the team has undergone a sea change, perhaps brought about by a string of defeats. Here they were, on the first day of an important test series where they should have done everything they could to seize the initiative. To ensure that a good start was made to a test series which has come to be universally accepted as one of the most demanding on the international circuit, playing India in India.

Instead, the West Indies made several decisions, which could only charitably be called defensive ones. Looking at the team that played the lone first class game before the test, it seemed as if Dillon, Collins and Powell were certain to play the test, with Powell being kept out of the first class game in order to prevent the Indians from getting a good look at him before they faced him. One thought that perhaps Nagamotoo and Lawson were being given an opportunity to force their way into the test team. Cuffy's absence from the side for this game, coupled with his recent absence to injury implied that he was clearly not in the reckoning for the first test.

It is a well acknowledged fact that only two types of bowlers succeed in India - the first being those with pace and hostility, and the second, genuine spinners. This is common knowledge to the extent that the likes of Holding and Walsh have been quoted on this subject recently, and the same views have been echoed by the Australians. Viv Richards himself was part of a West Indian team that used express pace as part of its strategy on Indian pitches on more than one series. Past greats like Marshall, Holding and Roberts have had much success in India, and even other bowlers, whose asset was mainly pace, such as Patterson and Daniel, have done enough to question India's status as a fast bowler's graveyard.

To everyone's amazement, neither of the two genuinely quick bowlers in the team -- Powell or Lawson -- made the test team. Instead, the eleven featured Cameron Cuffy, whose lack of pace is unlikely to make him a threat on Indian pitches. Moreover, he has missed numerous games in the recent past due to injury, and his fitness is very suspect. His accuracy may still pay some dividends if the wicket deteriorates or misbehaves to a remarkable extent. However, to call his selection anything other than shocking, however, would be an understatement.

The other surprise inclusion was Nagamotoo. His inclusion is a little less startling, since it could be said that the pitch was expected to turn at some point in the test. He certainly did nothing in the first class game to suggest that he would present the Indian batsmen with any problems. He is definitely a useful batsman in the lower order, but one wonders if that will make a significant difference if the opposition scores over 500? On the eve of the series, should the intent be to take on India's batting order by picking the most potent attack possible, or should it be to reinforce the lower order with one more batsman?

As India won the toss and batted first on a bland pitch, the futility of playing accurate medium fast bowlers in India was shown even before the first hour was through. Dillon and Collins bowled respectable first spells, though neither made much of an impression on the non-established opening pair of Sehwag and Bangar. When Cuffy was introduced early into the attack, it was clear that all the West Indies could do was try and put pressure on the batsmen by placing two close in fielders, one at short leg and the other at short mid-off. When a few boundaries went through this cordon of fielders, they were moved and the waiting game began. If other recent series in India are any indication, then this is going to be a long and painful wait.

In another example of the lack of initiative shown by the West Indian pacemen, Collins struck Sehwag a sharp blow to the helmet in his very first over, but Sehwag was scarcely tested with short deliveries after that, though he batted on to get a big century. Surely the cricket team with the greatest tradition of fast bowling in cricket history is not coy about using bouncers against a batsman who shows some signs of weakness against the short ball?!

Dillon, Collins and Cuffy must be optimistic beyond measure, or completely naive, if they think that simply bowling in the offstump corridor will pay much dividend against India in conditions not conducive to swing, and where the ball does not bounce enough to keep the slip fielders interested. In the end, it was ironic to see Wavell Hinds, bowling medium pace, deliver a couple of bouncers to Sehwag.

For their part, Sehwag and Bangar played very creditably. The former showed us all why he is turning to be a feared batsman in test cricket today, and the latter playing well within his limitations. Sehwag played some blistering shots, which sped to the fence on this very quick outfield. He is extremely strong on the offside, especially off the backfoot, and the line the West Indies persistently bowled to him did not help their cause. His cover drives fairly sped over the turf, and his hitting against the spinners was crisp and decisive.

What Sehwag lacks in footwork and technique, he makes up for by his sheer aggression. He is a predominantly bottom-hand player who will not find it easy when the ball climbs on him, especially if he is not given enough width outside off stump. In conditions like these, he is going to be very difficult to stop, especially for teams that do not do their homework, or do not learn their lessons quickly. When Sehwag had scored his century, more than 75 of his runs had come in the arc between cover and the keeper. A mere fifteen or so runs had been scored on the legside. Apart from this, even on this dead track, he clearly showed some signs of discomfort on the rare occasions when a bouncer was bowled to him. One hopes the West Indian bowlers will reexamine their line of attack after today's
experience.

To add to an insipid attack, the West Indian fielding was less than inspired. Collins let a shot from Sehwag go through his hands on the point boundary, and Cuffy dropped a shocker off Bangar. Bangar did not make too many more runs after that, but the effect of that dropped catch on the team's already sagging morale can be imagined. Wavell Hinds could have run Sehwag out for a few more than a century, but failed to gather a straightforward throw at the bowlers end.

In the end, Sehwag and Bangar went on and on, the score at tea being 175/0. Finally, Dillon broke through when Sarwan picked up a smart catch off Bangar. Sehwag fell shortly thereafter, Jacobs taking a very difficult catch down the legside. As if to keep the West Indies in agony, Jacobs atoned for his catch by dropping one off Tendulkar, which may cost the West Indies dearly.

India ended on 278/2, with Tendulkar and Dravid at the crease. The West Indies are truly on the backfoot, and they have to raise their game a few notches if they are to remain in this match. If there is a bright side to this match so far for the West Indies, it is the fact that the
pitch has been very flat and the outfield has been very quick. Should the West Indian batsmen keep their wits, they can pay the Indian team back in their own coin. Before they can think of that, though, the West Indies still have to find their way through the cream of the Indian batting.