30 March 2008

Smirked too fast?

Three South African pacemen had an impact on the game on the fourth day, pulling the match back before it got away. Arpy and Sree struggled to have any sort of impact, and merely laying the blame on the pitch will not help Kumble's team move forward. Knowing how he plays his game, Kumble will have a few questions to ask himself and his fast bowlers in the few days before the team takes the field at Motera on what is expected to be even flatter than Chennai. 

Has the hype over the infusion of life into the Indian fast bowling been proved to be just that? Were the performances on overseas tours over the past years, just an extended flash in the pan? Were we too early to rejoice? Is Arpy Singh the new Agarkar? Can Ishant Sharma sustain his Messianic appeal on soul-destroying pitches? Is he too young and inexperienced to be so critical to our fortunes already? Is not Zaheer bound to have at least another low in his career? Will Sree ever become a true sultan of swing? Should not Munaf, Pathan and VRV be threatening more to wrest a spot in the squad? Or can all the fast bowling woes over the last few days be solved by the induction of Pathan at the expense of Jaffer? 

Not time to panic yet. This was Arpy's first bad performance in a match since he made his return against Bangladesh - and has shown remarkable consistency - but not fitness, until now. Sree has not played a Test since the Oval (?) and is now probably only fourth in the pecking order anyway.  

Not panicking yet, just some questions.

5 comments:

Soulberry said...

Plenty to learn for the two. First off they are coming off some sort of injury time. RP is a better bowler abroad at the moment. He is capable of Agarkar moments but he is slightly better when the conditions swing. Plenty to learn though...his first abject performance.

Sree...he frustrates me now. He is so busy talking about how better a person he is working hard to be that he has forgotten to be a better bowler first.

But I'll be charitable with him for now considering the heat.

straight point said...

SB

i dont know if the heat in his head is more or of chennai...??

Gaurav Sethi said...

good one SP!
SAF will have to bat poorly to bowled out twice by this bowling. Rajma-Chawla, anybody?

Soulberry said...

Let's try the Chawla as well...

John said...

Rajma Chawla indeed. Apparently you get a good mix in the Delhi High Court canteen.
But who to chuck out? Sree or Arpy will have to go.