One does not quite attribute the virtues of drab, dull professionalism to the men from the Caribbean. Instinct an intuition are more their line of business. Yesterday Brian Lara and his team turned on a highly clinical and business like performance that stopped the high-flying Indians in heir tracks.
The bowlers, particularly the new ball trundlers, planned their attack with particular emphasis on line and length. Once the law of averages caught up with Sachin Tendulkar, the West Indian quickies moved in quickly for the kill. After Tendulkar fell to a brilliant effort, courtesy of Carl Hooper in the slips, Azharuddin plunged India into gloom by putting his pads in the way of one that had pace and did not look like doing anything but going straight.
Sourav Ganguly came good with a workman like 83, but it was Robin Singh who really spared India the blushes with an unbeaten 73. This knock helped India stay afloat and looked like keeping the West Indies on the field for a duration which would be an embarrassment for a semi-final. The West Indian openers, particularly Philo Wallace, then proceeded to shrug Indian bowling pretensions aside with disdain and utter contempt.
When their main strike bowler is shown the door in the very first over (a la Wasim Akram), the bowling side is immediately on the defensive, looking for shadows in every nook and cranny. Bringing on a spinner in the 4th over to stop the bleeding was an indication that Azhar was driven to desperate measures, because the runs still kept on flowing from all directions. Chanderpaul was a different personality, harsh and rude to every bowler who turned his arm over. Even Wallace took a backseat.
Remind me to ask Tendulkar when he gets the time to practice his bowling. He bowls three different kinds, depending on who and what he faces. To Philo Wallace it was a slow one that wobbled in the air, and by the time Wallace's bat responded to his mind, the catch was there for the taking. Unlikely breakthrough, from an unlikely source. Or was it? India could not have been proud of what they offered on the day. Without Tendulkar on the scoresheet, the rest of the batting was more preoccupied with staying alive than taking the fight to the West Indian bowlers. While trying to consolidate they used up precious overs, and in the end, to one's surprise, India folded up at least 40 runs short of what was needed to make a tight match. To have expected Tendulkar to make the breakthroughs while bowling was asking for the improbable. Tendulkar obliged for a while, but there is a point when even genius must bow down to the mediocre.
Kumble was a disappointment and, along with his skipper, would not want to remember this tournament with much affection. For Brian Lara, on the other hand, life is beginning to treat him well as captain, and he seems to bring the best out of his charges.
Chanderpaul has developed from a push-and-prod player to one of sheer class, capable of holding his own with the best.
Dhaka's interest in keeping the subcontinent alive took an upturn when Chanderpaul enhanced Tendulkar's reputation as a bowler and Carl Hooper's brain died on him. India's mindset was difficult to comprehend, and their body language seemed to suggest that they were for some inexplicable reason apologetic for being in the semis. The fielding left gaping holes, and the bowling lacked the penetration and commitment that the Windies quickies made common place. But both sides left vast room for improvement. Because you can bet the South Africans won't be shaking in their boots after watching this particular match.