Swinging Fortunes

It was indeed a fine effort by the Indian batsmen to fight back as they did in the second innings to save the Trent Bridge Test. To come out after the mauling they had suffered at the hands of Michael Vaughan & Co, and to show the type of resolve they did, was a great credit to them. India is a very good batting side, but they still haven't got enough runs on the board in the first innings in either of the two Tests they've played so far. But their second innings at Trent Bridge must have come as a confidence booster as they look forward to the rest of the series. Had they lost this game in Nottingham, Saurav and his boys would have gone to Headingley for the third Test virtually out of the series, and found it very hard to lift themselves from here on.

It is no easy task even now. But at least the Indian batsmen would have, hopefully, gained some valuable experience in dealing with the swinging ball in Nottingham. But, of course, at Headingley, it will not just be the ball that swings in the air. There will be other things to cope with. It will help the seamers as well, sometimes the bounce is irregular with the ball going up and down, doing all sorts of things. On the other hand, if the sun comes out, it can be as flat as anything. But whatever they find there, the Indians go to Leeds just one down in the series.

I have said about the quality of the Indian batting line-up, and even England captain Nasser Hussain paid tribute to them for their performance at Trent Bridge. Some people might ask, if the line-up is that strong, why can't they get more runs in the first innings? Perhaps it is not such a good batting side after all. The answer to that is both yes and no.

There are two, or possibly two-and-a-half, quality Test batsmen in the side at the moment in Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Then you have the likes of Saurav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman and Virender Sehwag. Apart from the first two, all of the rest can get themselves out at any stage. With Dravid and Tendulkar, when they get in, you know they are likely to be there for a big score. But that is not the case with the other three and, with Wasim Jaffer not having a great tour so far, I think the England bowlers believe there is always hope for them.

When it comes to bowling, Harbhajan Singh was always a threat because of the amount of turn he generates. The seamers too have been tidy in general—remember, the two opening bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, are comparatively young and inexperienced but they managed to bowl in the right spot. With Ajit Agarkar too chipping in, I think the Indian bowlers did reasonably well.

Again, with the scores that England have been getting, it seems strange to say that they have bowled well. But I think they have and you have to remember that the Indians are going into matches with just four front-line bowlers while packing the batting and hoping to get away with it. I believe it is vital the visitors try to get a fifth recognised bowler somehow if they want to win a Test.

It is imperative the Indians change their attitude if they want to bounce back in the series. They could tell themselves that Headingley could go either way. But it will need their three seamers and spinner to fiddle England out and then hope to bat on a day when the ball does nothing and get away with it like that.

Talking about youngsters, I must mention Parthiv Patel. I watched him keep and thought he was fabulously good—the ball nestled into his gloves so nicely and he did not look as if he was a newcomer. He did not appear overawed by it all, and seemed happy to be there. It was a pleasure to see someone as young demonstrate how good a keeper he is.

All this at the age of seventeen! I can remember that I was fresh out of school and in my first year on the Middlesex staff when I was seventeen and it was a huge leap from there to the Test arena.I know the set-ups in the two countries are different. Patel might have only played a handful of first-class matches, but he has played A team cricket and has benefited from that. That is the pathway in India and Patel has gone quickly along it to take his place in Tests.

He did well with the bat in the second innings too, scoring 19 not out and, as importantly, hanging around for nearly an hour-and-a-half at a crucial time. That is a bonus when added to his wicket-keeping. He kept very well and if he fulfils his main purpose as well as he did at the age of 17, you have to start thinking about all the records that will come under threat from such a precocious talent. The way he's started, there's no reason to believe he will go any other way. Good luck to him.