Selectors optimistic despite Lord's debacle

"India could have performed better if we had played off-spinner Harbhajan Singh,"said Chandu Borde, chairman of selectors, on Friday of India's debacle in the first Test against England at Lord's last week.

After the elation of winning the NatWest triangular series, the Indian team had raised hopes of a repeat performance in the four-Test series against England. But the 170-run defeat reiterated that when it came to the Test arena, the Indian middle order was brittle as ever.

"I wish we could have batted better with more application, especially as it was a flat track," said Borde.

Harbhajan Singh seems sure to play in the next Test at Trent Bridge at the expense of legspinner Anil Kumble, although the latter picked up six wickets at Lord's when the batsmen were looking for quick runs.

Former coach and current selector Madan Lal blamed the debacle on the seam attack. "The seamers have to bowl a consistent line, put the ball in the right place. Someone has to get five wickets and dismiss the English side within 250-275 runs to have any chance of winning a Test," he said.

On the last tour of England in 1996, the Indian seamers had claimed 34 of the 40 wickets to fall, with a solitary five-wicket haul by Venkatesh Prasad. In the first Test, barring Zaheer Khan, none of the seamers -- Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar -- bowled consistently.

Madan Lal said India lost the match on the second day itself when they conceded more than 450 runs in the first innings. Refusing to admit that England went into the Test with a second-string seam attack, he argued that whoever called an attack consisting of Matthew Hoggard, Andy Flintoff and Simon Jones second-string needed to re-check his cricketing knowledge.

"[Darren] Gough and [Andy] Caddick will find it difficult to get back into this side after the performances of the so-called second string English attack. Any bowling side that bowls a disciplined line is dangerous," he said.

Applauding Ajit Agarkar's maiden century, Madan Lal said the knock would make him believe in himself. If he could score 20-30 runs in every game and put together a fifty-run partnership down the order it would help the team immensely.

"I believe he will bowl better now. A Test hundred can change the way you play your cricket. You lift yourself in every department," argued the medium-pacer who was part of the 1986 team that won a Test series in England, the last time India won a Test series overseas.

With the middle-order failing to make any serious contribution, Borde reckoned that it was too early to talk of a reshuffle in the batting order after just one Test, and felt that the Indian batsmen would come back strongly in the remaining games.

Refusing to comment on the possibility of Mohammad Kaif, who was asked to stay back after his match-winning performance in the NatWest Tri-Series final, playing in the Test series, Borde blamed the media for jumping the gun and making assumptions of a reshuffle in the squad for the next game.

Another selector, who refused to let himself be identified, was more eloquent. "Of course we want to play Kaif in the side, but at whose expense? The one [Laxman] who could be dropped has batted superbly and the ones who aren't getting the runs cannot be dropped."

"Laxman might be playing well, but he is not very good against the moving ball and therefore cannot be sent at number three. The ideal position for him is number four or five. I feel that if Sachin does not perform well in the next Test, [coach John] Wright will ask him to bat at five."

Commenting on Tendulkar's dismal showing in the Lord's Test, Borde accepted that he was going through a bad patch and hoped that he would get out of it soon.

Madan Lal blamed public pressure for Tendulkar's failure. "One must understand the pressure he faces. Each time he walks out to bat a nation of a billion people is expecting him to score a hundred. He is also human, after all. Some say that he fails in the finals, but then who gets India to the finals? Sachin Tendulkar."

Former selector and Test fast bowler T A Sekhar said that the line the Englishmen bowled frustrated Tendulkar. "He can't stay quiet for long and with the negative line they bowled he was unable to play his shots. It is a minor hiccup in an illustrious career."

East Zone selector and former Test cricketer Ashok Malhotra argued that Tendulkar's poor run of scores is a short phase. "I don't believe that any man with 50 international centuries needs to be reshuffled in the batting order. And it has always been the case in Indian cricket that whenever someone is written off he comes roaring back. Tendulkar is a great player and he will come back with a huge hundred in the next Test."