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 Injury-hit India Pakistan appears strong; Powell a draw in Toronto
Posted: Saturday September 11, 1999 05:03 PM
You can picture an Australian side without Shane Warne, a South African one without Allan Donald or Shaun Pollock, a Pakistan team without Wasim Akram, even a competitive West Indies side sans Brian Lara -- well, almost. But an Indian team without Sachin Tendulkar? Nothing could appear more anemic. No international squad can look quite as depleted, quite so disemboweled, without its best player. An Indian team minus Tendulkar is in Toronto at the moment, heading for a potentially rough time against a vibrant West Indies side that is almost at full strength. (At the time of writing, however, the Islanders appeared to be heading for a surprise defeat in the first encounter.) Pakistan is there too, but will not play against its archrivals, sparing stand-in skipper Saurav Ganguly a certain mauling. Not only is the Lord of Bombay missing, so too are Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble. Whether in batting or bowling, Ganguly's side reveals an acute poverty of resources. The only uplifting note is India's new wicketkeeper. An injury to the over-rated Nayan Mongia, who should have been dropped from the side at least two years ago, has allowed the young MSK Prasad to slip into place behind the stumps. This year's one-day bash in Toronto is a curious triptych. Normally, the West Indies would not have been playing. But a brief war between India and Pakistan - sparked by an incursion into Indian territory by Pakistani troops and extremist Islamic guerrillas - caused the Indian cricket board to pull out of this year's edition of the India-Pakistan head-to-head. The political pressure on them was great: public opinion in India, by all accounts, would not have countenanced a series of cricket matches against "the enemy". Fortunately for the sponsors, as well as for North America's passionate cricket fans, a compromise formula was worked out, drawing the West Indies into a newly constituted arrangement that keeps India and Pakistan apart - but also ensures that cricket will be played. As an Indian, I must say that this is the best arrangement: an India-Pakistan series would have been quite unseemly so soon after a bloody conflict in which hundreds of young soldiers died. From a purely cricketing point of view, fans will be most interested in studying the West Indies. They have unearthed a charismatic new batsman, Ricardo Powell, who is already being likened to Viv Richards. Lara is very much in control of his side, and their win in the recent tournament in Singapore, is there anywhere that they don't play cricket these days, - seems to have brought back some of that old swagger to the men in maroon. That delights me, as an effervescent West Indies is essential to the health of international cricket. Pakistan looks to be the strongest side in Toronto, even without Wasim. Their bowling wears its usual awesome look, and the return of Sohail will add that grit to the batting that was missing in the embarrassing World Cup Final. For me, the moments to savor will be the ones where Lara and Powell face Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq, although Shivnarine Chanderpaul will, I think, be the key man against Pakistan. As for Tendulkar - the absent master -- the Indian papers report that he is in Australia, seeking treatment from the man who put Shane Warne back together again. I pray that the treatment is effective, for the Indian board, in its avarice and irresponsibility, has worked Tendulkar into the ground. If his injury is irreparable, the men who run Indian cricket will have destroyed the game's most precious asset. Are these people answerable to no one? New York-based Tunku Varadarajan writes a column on cricket for CNNSI.com.
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