Fans know better what caused ‘the great Indian collapse’

Darpan Singh. Ahmedabad

April
Even as the team management and cricket pundits struggled to find out why the Indian batting collapsed like a pack of cards on a wicket which was made to look like a belter by the Proteas, ‘expert’ cricket aficionados, trying their best to beat the boredom at Motera on Friday, came out with their own reasons leading to the fiasco.

No devil in the pitch

Almost all the spectators DNA spoke to felt that there was no devil in the wicket and the Indian batsmen showed a complete lack of application. Rajesh Gahatraj, a native of Siliguri, who is in the city on a business tour, said, “The batsmen looked scared. This is what even a bit of grass on the wicket does to them. They did not believe they could cope with it.”

‘Verbal duel’ backfired?
Reports had it that skipper Anil Kumble had approached curator Dhiraj Prasanna, asking him to prepare a ‘sporting’ wicket following the run feast at Chennai. Though there is no official word on it, fans, quoting sources close to the curator, said there was a verbal duel between Kumble and Prasanna over the issue. Said a fan, on the condition of anonymity, “After the spat, he (Prasanna) made it a point to make the wicket ‘sporting’.

IPL shoot a distraction

A number of fans, fuming at the batting display, were of the opinion that a number of Indian batsmen remained busy shooting for the IPL after the Chennai Test, leaving very little time with them for practice before the Ahmedabad Test. Kapil, a college student, said, “Rigorous net practice a couple of days ahead of a Test match has been a regular regimen which was not followed this time around. It cost a lot. After all, it’s international cricket.”

Jumbo needed rest?

Though the commitment and dedication of Anil Kumble cannot be doubted, speculations were rife that he was not fit enough to be able to make it to the playing eleven. Cricket fans said that Jumbo, despite knowing fully well that there was help for the bowlers on the wicket, chose to bat first as he did not want to bowl early on with an injured shoulder. Sariat and Mahesh, a couple, said, “He must have thought that his injury would get better with the progress of Indian innings. But he had to bowl soon after lunch. He should not have played.”