The one-off Test against Bangladesh has been so badly hit by rain as to drain away all competitive interest. True, sport is unpredictable and anything could happen even on the last day. But if the result is any other than a drawn match, it would be nothing short of sensational. Nonetheless, there have been some gains for the Indian team in the meagre play that was possible on the first four days. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay made sterling centuries that helped post a big score and facilitate the declaration.
Vijay’s efficient, circumspect approach marks him out as the most technically secure Indian opener since Sunil Gavaskar. Three of his six Test centuries have come overseas which also shows how adaptable he has been. That he has scored the most runs for the team since 2013 (yes, even more than Virat Kohli) is a surprising statistic on first glance, but not when you consider how he prepares himself for a match, reads the conditions, and paces his innings.
Dhawan is the more flamboyant of the two, prepared to play his shots from the word go even if means taking some risks. He does not have the genius of Viru Sehwag, but his attacking approach, in tandem with Vijay’s resolve gives the team more than just a right-left combo at the top.
In a sense, Dhawan’s was the more difficult task in this Test because he had lost his place to K L Rahul who unfortunately was hit by dengue and missed the tour. That the Delhi opener used this lifeline to bat with panache and not under tension redounds to his credit. His position as opener might still be vulnerable when playing overseas but I like his gumption. Also, from the team’s point of view, having competition between players is never a bad thing. We saw some benefit of this in the bowling when R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh bowled in tandem.
The former upped the ante to bowl quite superbly when given the new ball by Kohli, getting the ball to drift and grip, and also extracting sharp turn and bounce from the pitch. After a tentative resumption of his Test career, Harbhajan seemed to settle into a good groove, prepared to give the ball more flight. These gains apart, there was one off-key moment that should bother skipper Kohli, Team Director Ravi Shastri and the support staff. This came when Dhawan blotted an otherwise fine match for himself by dropping Imrul Kayes in the slips off Umesh Yadav. By international standards such catches should be taken without ado.
While this lapse may not have any great bearing on the match, it revealed a shortcoming that has plagued Indian cricket, particularly in the past 3-4 years. The accompanying graphic reflects how poorly India’s current players have performed in the slips, especially overseas. Some of the Tests played in England and Australia last season hinged on opportunities created by the bowlers which India’s slip fielders grassed and saw the match swing away from their team.
While India’s ground fielding and catching in the outfield has improved tremendously, the slip catching remains abysmal. Why should this be so, specially when players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had set such high standards? Mohammed Kaif, champion fielder in his time, says that slip catching demands a technique different from that in the outfield. “In the covers or elsewhere, you attack the ball, here you have to wait for the ball to come to you as late as possible to judge the chance.”
Kaif says that concentration is the key in excelling in the slips. “You have to be attentive all the time. The ball may not find the edge for 50 overs, then suddenly you will find a couple of them coming your way in the next 10. If your attention has lapsed, these will be put down.” According to Kaif, the 30-60 minute intensive drills put in training camps and net practice are just not enough. “Slip catching is a fine art that is learnt with constant practice, and a commitment towards becoming a specialist.” That’s what Kohli, Shastri and Sridhar need to work towards if getting 20 wickets and winning matches — the desired goal as expressed by them — is to be actualised.
