As if India’s draw in the World Cup is not challenging enough in
itself, a couple of veteran players are on the verge of
retirement, their powers waning with every passing series
Anand Vasu28-Jan-2003As if India’s draw in the World Cup is not challenging enough in
itself, a couple of veteran players are on the verge of
retirement, their powers waning with every passing series. But
the one aspect that is sure to generate huge interest when the
tournament hits Africa in February and March is the charge of the
youth brigade. In fact, even across the spectrum of teams, the
past year has seen an almost unprecedented rise of young
cricketers surging to the front-lines of battle.Starting with India, there is little need to look further than
the cornerstone of their recent limited-overs success both home
and away. Even as the side struggled to come to grips with the
loss of strength in the bowling department, skipper Sourav
Ganguly and coach John Wright pegged their hopes on the batting
and fielding departments. The mantra for success was heard over
and over again save runs on the field and run between wickets
like hares.
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Few put this theory into practice better than the duo of Yuvraj
Singh and Mohammad Kaif. With Rahul Dravid keeping wicket, India
were able to pack the side with batsmen, but they still needed to
be especially sharp in the field. This was where the natural
athleticism of Yuvraj and Kaif came to the fore. Who can forget
the way India edged past South Africa in the Champions Trophy
almost solely on the brilliance of Yuvraj Singh? Plucking catches
out of thin air in crucial positions close to the wicket, Yuvraj
made sure that South Africa were under pressure at all times.
And, of course, possibly India’s greatest triumph of the year
the NatWest series triumph – was engineered by the frantic
running between the wickets of Kaif.But that’s not all. Two other pillars of India’s success Zaheer
Khan and Virender Sehwag – truly came of age in 2002. While
Sehwag has stolen many hearts with his dashing brand of batting
at the top of the order, few will disagree that Zaheer’s fire in
the belly has propelled him into the role of spearhead of the
bowling attack. For this pair, like Yuvraj and Kaif, the
forthcoming World Cup will be their first.And what an arena! Every cricketer, let alone the young, dreams
of doing well in the World Cup, and India will be particularly
motivated after their dismal tour of New Zealand. But India, even
with their success, is not the only team that has turned to youth
to bolster their sagging fortunes.Australia, easily the front-runners to walk away victorious for
the second time in a row, have shifted their policy from
experience to youth in a systematic manner. Legends like Steve
Waugh find themselves out in the cold as Australia search for a
young all-rounder to take them forward.
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Australia’s oldest enemy, England, have traditionally been the
slowest to move their feet when it comes to accepting change.
Even they, however, have had to rethink their strategies, backing
up experience with the precocious enthusiasm of youth. The latest
entrant to the side, 20-year-old James Anderson, impressed with
his nippy bowling in the VB Triangular Series in Australia. With
Darren Gough a constant injury concern and Andy Caddick losing
pace by the day, Anderson will have to put his hand up and be
counted if England are to go far on the seamer-friendly South
African wickets.In sharp contrast to England, Pakistan have always believed in
throwing the cricketers into the deep end when they barely know
how to swim. It was under pressure in the 1992 World Cup that
Pakistan threw up the talent of Inzamam ul-Haq, and in 2003, it
will be the left-hander Taufeeq Umar to carry the burden of
expectation. A responsible batsman at the top of the order, Umar
will have the unenviable task of lending solidity to a brittle
batting line-up that can be as shaky as it can be brilliant.Competing almost directly with Umar is his Sri Lankan
counterpart, Jehan Mubarak. Only 21, Mubarak was born in
Washington but schooled in the privileged bastion of Sri Lanka’s
educational system, Royal College, where he was a highly talented
all-round sportsman. After choosing to stick with cricket, the
tall but elegant left-hander has fast made a name for himself as
a batsman of high promise. In a team that has explosive yet
unorthodox batsmen like Sanath Jayasuriya and Avishka
Gunawardena, Mubarak comes as a whiff of fresh air.
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Last, and certainly not least, come the men from the Caribbean.
Having recently beaten India 4-3 in an action-packed one-day
series, the West Indies discovered the strength of its youth.
While Chris Gayle’s wanton hitting at the top of the order was
certainly the one aspect that stole the show, there were two
other youngsters whose roles will be crucial in the World Cup.Ramnaresh Sarwan looks cool, composed and all class when he is
out in the middle. He has the ability to pace himself and stay at
the wicket long something that the West Indies has always
lacked. And then there’s Jermaine Lawson; with pace, strength and
a force of character, Lawson blew away the much-vaunted Indian
top-order with a spell of fast bowling that conjured up visions
of the West Indians teams of old.With conditions playing a large part, it will be adaptability
that wins the day. While experience has its obvious advantages,
there’s a certain freshness and enthusiasm that only comes from
youth. and the drive, the passion to go the extra mile and edge
someone else out, is where the rookie looms large. The World Cup
will separate the men from the boys; only, the boys may come out
on top with the men stopped dead in their tracks.
