A defeat difficult to digest

It's not that the Indian team has not suffered defeats and setbacks in the past. In fact, the entries in the losses column far outstrip those in the victories column. Some defeats have been along expected lines, there are some in which the side has gone down with their guns blazing. But in that list are also defeats that are difficult to digest. The loss to Sri Lanka in the Coca-Cola Cup in Colombo on Sunday will undoubtedly rank very high in that list.

For starters, one lost count of the opportunities the team had of taking the upper hand. While bowling and fielding, they allowed Sri Lanka to wriggle out. And while batting, they squandered away a golden chance of winning.

The think tank seemed to be bereft of ideas. In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, the need of the hour is to stay calm, cool and collected. One should not press the panic button. But that is precisely the team management seems to be doing. Promoting Harbhajan Singh to No 4 best illustrates this.

To be candid, they have not been given the strongest of sides. But they have only made matters worse by juggling with the players at their command and by indulging in indiscriminate chopping and changing. Opening batsmen have been pushed in the middle order while essentially middle order batsmen have, for some inexplicable reason, been made to open the innings. Naturally, this would only upset the balance of a side which is already inexperienced both at the top and the middle.

Traditionally, the Indian batting has always been stronger than the bowling. If anything, the fact that six of the ten partnership records in ODIs are held by Indians is the ultimate proof of this. There is little doubt that in the absence of Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar, the present side is weak in bowling. Which makes it all the more imperative for the batting to come off in spades.

"This is just the beginning of the tournament. We have five more games to go and hopefully we can turn things around in the matches to come. There is no need to panic. You have to give the side some time," was how Sourav Ganguly reacted to the defeat in the tournament opener to New Zealand. Well, the side is now in the enviable position of having to win all the four remaining matches to make absolutely sure of a place in the final. Winning three out of four would have to depend on various other calculations.

As it is, Ganguly's insistence of playing Yuvraj as an opener - after apparently backing the claim of Amay Khurasiya for the crucial slot - is something that has baffled everyone. Yuvraj has never previously opened for India, not even for the Indian Under-19 team. His failure in both the matches cannot then be a surprise.

And in the absence of Tendulkar, it is also imperative that Ganguly should open. The captain has got an excellent record going in first and there is no need for him to go down to bolster the middle order. The experienced duo of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid are there for that purpose. Utilising the first 15 overs is of utmost importance and here Ganguly, with his mixture of expertise and power, is best suited for the job. This is borne out by an opinion poll in a national daily in which two thirds of the people polled are not in favour of Ganguly batting lower down in the order in the absence of Tendulkar.

The bowling will always remain a problem. Even the return of Ajit Agarkar can only strengthen this department to a point. Ganguly will have to soldier along with three main bowlers and three bits and pieces trundlers. The wicketkeeping is another problematic area but little can be done about that at the moment. So any planning, any strategy, any tactical moves, will have to revolve around the batting. If there is stability here, if the players have fixed batting positions and enjoy the confidence of the team management, this could constitute a first step towards commencing a fightback in the Colombo competition.

But here of course Laxman and Dravid, with all their experience, would have to play a major role. Dravid certainly did not cover himself with glory in India's run chase on Sunday. A score of 49 not out off 81 balls without a single boundary is just not on and there is little doubt that had the Indian vice captain turned on the heat just a little, the target could have been reached, given the fact that the team was only six runs away from victory at the end. His inability to go for the big shots put extra pressure on Sodhi, Shewag and Dighe who maintained a run a ball rate before perishing in the run chase.

There are a few days left for the team management to think hard and come up with a winning strategy. They should opt for the settled batting order with Ganguly opening and Laxman and Dravid in the middle. With the next match against New Zealand scheduled only for July 26, it is likely that Agarkar will return and this will give the bowling a slight edge while the batting will be strengthened by Hemang Badani, who sat out Sunday's game. All is not over yet, as the skipper has hinted. But there has to be a certain methodical approach, some certain systematic planning. Making best use of the resources at your command is the secret. Haphazard team selection has seldom won matches.