Keeping the tour of Australia in mind, a sporting wicket should have been prepared

- Article previously published by me on cricketcountry.com -

The first Test between India and the West Indies kicked-off on Sunday barely a few days after India outplayed England in the five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) at home. The first day of the Test saw a see-saw battle between the Indian bowlers and the West Indian batsmen. As expected, the Indians went in with two seamers, two spinners and seven batsmen. Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin were the two debutants who started their spells on a decent note. Although Umesh Yadav remained wicketless at the end of the first day, he maintained a good line and length and looked promising. Ashwin impressed by picking the two important wickets of Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels.

Ishant Sharma is the spearhead of the current bowling line-up, as India is without the services of experienced bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. The usually reliable Praveen Kumar has also been rested. Interestingly, India were without Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in a Test at home for the first time since 2001. It is well known that Kumble hung up his boots three years ago while Harbhajan Singh was dropped from the previous series against England and this Test owing to a string of unimpressive performances.

However, Harbhajan’s loss turned out to be Pragyan Ojha’s gain, as the latter struck twice before lunch to send Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards packing. Ojha ended the first day with figures of three for 58. As mentioned, Ashwin too was impressive on his debut Test and has the potential to be a permanent fixture in the national side. India can draw confidence from the fact that their inexperienced spin battery managed to strike and pick wickets sans Harbhajan. In fact, all five West Indian wickets fell to either Ojha or Ashwin on the first day.

In my previous article (Important for India to nurture Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav), I mentioned the importance of grooming young seamers. Yadav was picked ahead of Aaron for the first Test against West Indies, and the former started his Test career on a good note by consistently clocking over 140 kmph in his first spell. On a slow and low Feroz Shah Kotla wicket, he made several fruitless attempts to pick up a wicket. Ishant, too, gave his 100% with the new ball, but went wicketless on Day One. It’s important that the fast bowlers receive copious encouragement and should not be disheartened if they end up wicketless on these slow turfs.

Looking at the slowness of the wicket, it didn’t come as a surprise to many that spin was introduced quite early in the day. Ojha was given the ball after just nine overs into the first session of the first day. And the move proved to be effective. It is a known fact that India thrives on spin-friendly tracks and it shouldn’t be difficult for India to dominate in this series against the West Indies. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how effective India will be on tracks that do not support much spin.

The Indians have struggled in the past while playing away from the subcontinent on surfaces that provide assistance to the seamers more than the spinners. The upcoming tour of Australia will certainly test the Indians in all departments of the game, and keeping that tour in mind, emphasis should have been laid on preparing sporting wickets for the current series against West Indies. The larger picture must always be seen and this move could have only proved to be beneficial in the long run. Agreed, winning is important, but the foundation must be laid to dominate under all conditions – not just at home.

India’s batting has never been an issue of concern except for its failure in the horrendous tour to England that ended a few months ago. Apart from that one forgettable series, the Indian batsmen have proved themselves and succeeded under challenging conditions more often than not. Nonetheless, bowling remains India’s headache. India has quality bowlers to choose from, but if these bowlers are to constantly improve and be effective, the quality of pitches must also improve, as this will ensure that the bowlers do not struggle when they tour nations like South Africa, England or Australia.

From the current Test’s point of view, Ashwin and Ojha must carry on the good work, and they will play a more crucial role as this Test heads into the third and the fourth day. However, going into the second Test at Kolkata, the authorities should look to prepare a sporting wicket, as this will give seamers like Sharma and Yadav (or Varun Aaron) a heads-up of the conditions before the all-important tour of Australia begins next month.