By Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
0083
Wins and loses are part of any game. Winning handsomely or loosing badly also are part of game and life. But when you lose ridiculously, ( losing within the first hour on the third day of a Test match) playing in manner best suited for children and be termed as “ Infantile Disorder”, then there has to be some introspection in that loss.
India’s first Test win at Perth a fortnight back was a smart one and both bowlers and batters of both the sides showed their mettles to an Indian win on the fifth afternoon, that was collectively achieved. The team showed extreme positive vibes all through. But in the just concluded Pink Ball Test at Adelaide Oval, India has lost to the same Australians as it may happen yet, this loss has brought in day light, some ugly fragments of batting which needs to be focused.
Batting Order in a cricket innings is very important. In our days, the Captain or the Manager of the team used to put up a list of the team for that day with batting order after talking to seniors accordingly. It is not that the listed batting order could not be or have never been changed. Many times, either in limited version or Test cricket, batting order is changeable according to situation. That’s fine. Let me remain confined to Test cricket only as we discuss this in the backdrop of a ‘just happened’ humiliating batting performances by the Indians.
In Test cricket, first 5 or 6 batsmen are very important to build an innings. Openers apart, nos 3,4,5 & 6 are vital positions. And it is pride for cricket lovers, that these positions have always been filled in by the greats of the game world over. Again let me remain confined to Indian cricket and that too for the slot no 5 only ! From the old days, Vijay Hazare, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Chandu Borde, Tiger Pataudi, Dilip Sardesai, G R Viswanath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sandip Patil, had played mostly in nos 4 or 5 in the batting order. And what a galaxy these batsmen had been ! No 4&5 are for consolidation after the first three batsmen deliver or fail to deliver. The slot no 5 is so important that a batsman can never be expected to take any risk or resort to any non cricketing shot which may call for disaster. Yes, moments of aberration or wrong mindset sometimes had brought misery to the no 5 batsman and to his team. But the way the present no 5 of Indian Cricket, Rishav Pant is continuously allowed to play his own brand of cricket is absolutely rubbish and must be dealt with very harshly. There must be someone in line who should speak to Rishav Pant not to bat like this in Test Cricket ever. The word ‘ever’ is used consciously. Rohit and Virat have had their days. Now that they are spent up, will shortly retire and newer faces will emerge. No issue. But what Pant was trying to show in his 2nd innings in the 2nd Test was perhaps to signal to his much more famed predecessors – “ see how to bat ? You all have crumbled in the face of fast bowling and see how I can murder the same bowling”. It was pure non sense. Pant’s acrobatics may be suitable in T20 format, that too only in IPL but this whimsical shot making in Test Cricket, when you face a staggering innings defeat, looked so ugly and non cricketing that one gets tempted to write Pant off from Test cricket altogether ! What were those falling shots all taken in one hand ? Was he showing his fitness or playing cricket ? It has been such a deplorable sight that even his opponents were smiling the way Pant was batting, knowing fully well that it was matter of time.
Then coming out refreshed on the third day, the same Pant attempted the very second ball from Starc for a whack, missing narrowly from being caught behind ! Imagine. A no 5 coming out to resume the innings to stave off 29 runs to avert an innings defeat, could resort to such suicidal shot ? Oh no, that was surely not cricket. For this immaturity only, pant could be sidelined for a Test !
Yes, when I say this, I remember that the great Kapil Dev, unquestionably the greatest cricketer this land has produced, was suspended and dropped for Kolkata Test in 1984 against England for Kapil’s poor shot making in the previous Test at Delhi. It was a horrible decision yet the great Kapil was dropped on disciplinary ground ! Then why not Rishav Pant ? Is he greater than Kapil or has his shot making not been more irresponsible than any one could imagine ? Remember, even Kapil at his prime, batted at no 7 and later came up at no 6 when Captain Gavaskar called Kapil and told him that Kapil does not know himself how good a batsman he was ! Well these now may sound as fables.
The best batsman on view for India in these two Tests has been the young Nitish Reddy. When he bats, he reminds all and looks alike the old gold Virat Kohli. Nitish plays within the ‘V’ and he has a solid defense. That does not mean that Nitish can not go out of the way to punish. He bowls steady medium pace which is handy and surely a treasure to be preserved with care.
Well, even after this, both India and Australia will win and lose. Those are practical. Even after this Rishav Pant may score a hundred. Mind you, Pant’s rashness has cost him already two Test hundreds as twice he had been dismissed in 90s. But a strong message to Pant be delivered what should be the first menu on card for the Indian Cricket’s Bosses. Gautam Gambhir may not teach batting to Virat, Rohit and all but surely, as the Coach and Manager he must put a stop to this kind of madness from Rishav Pant. Indian cricket only will be the beneficiary as Pant is otherwise a hugely talented cricketer.
Concluded.
