From: bnataraj@uceng.uc.edu (Bhaskar Natarajan)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: Re: Selfish Gavaskar & Shastri
Date: 27 Jan 93 07:37:30 GMT
Organization: University of Cincinnati

In article <1k4g0pINNdu@bigboote.WPI.EDU> rajesh@ivy (Rajesh Raman) writes:
>Bhaskar Natarajan (bnataraj@uceng.uc.edu) wrote:
>
>
>	Please respond to Mr. Spaceman's response that India were 2
>	wickets down and that Ashok Malhotra didn't look in too good a
>	shape. BTW, I don't remember that match. 

	For one, i don't carry a wisden nor do i maintain records of 
matches. All i do is remember the game and my impressions of it.
	So, I don't remember that we were 2 down for next to nothing,
but this much i remember..and hope you really understand this.

	The WI massacred the Indian bowling (rather Greenidge and Richards
did).. They finished with ~ 345 in 45 overs (certainly NOT 50, because i
remember thinking that if the Indian bowlers had not delayed proceedings,
the WI would have been the first to score 400 in an ODI, all IMO, so pls.
no flames, i've got too much work to do)

	Well, there it was. A reqd. rate of what.... 7.6 odd to begin with!!
Now, i don't know what friends think about me, but i like to think i'm
pragmatic. I had given up. I didn't expect India to win it. No one did.
But yes, I did expect the batsmen to put up a fight. (We were WC champs 
then)...

	Ok, the Indian batsmen come in. I'm looking for a good attacking
opening, common sense told me, there was NO ROLE for a grafter in THIS
match...what with Roberts, Marshall,Holding and i suspect Davis or Daniel)
I remember we didn't have a spectacular start..Srik. and someone else got
out trying to do something. I accepted it. They send in Malhotra (of all 
people) and Gavaskar has been around for 10 odd overs (the score is 
languishing at 50 odd (from memory) See, that leaves us with ~290-295
runs in 35-36 overs. Huh, what does THAT look to you like ? 8.5 odd over
35 overs ! 

	Since Sunny has been around for long enough and since Malhotra was 
in only for 3 odd overs and obviously uncomfortable (and i suspect the much
discussed Delhi match was before this), I expect Gavaskar to take charge.
But i'm damned if he did !! He's taking 1's and two's every two balls or so
(keeping his own avg. at a run a ball, mind) and leaving Malhotra to face
the bulk of the overs. So what happens is that from over 10 to 20 we score 
at best 50 odd. We're left with 240 odd in 25-26 overs ( ~9.5 an over, 
despite what Spaceman says) By then Lloyd knew what was happening and 
brought on Richards and Harper from both ends. Even then, it is Malhotra
who takes charge, slogs and is now doing better than Gavaskar. But now,
Gavaskar takes most of the strike and doesn't even go after Harper,Gomes
et al. The run rate climbs up to 13 (i'm convinced it was 13+ at times) when
Malhotra gets out and Kapil comes in. But face it, the harm was already done.
(something like 190 odd reqd. in 15 overs) Kapil comes in and promptly bangs
Harper, richards for a couple of sixes. In no time he is 20 odd. Obviously
Gavaskar cannot fool around in front of Kapil. He goes and hits Harper for
2-3 sixes and a few fours. ( i believe out of his 86 odd in 96 odd balls
30 odd came after he faced 80 balls) The run rate magically starts dropping 
from the impossible 13-14 !! 

	Lloyd tolerates it for some more time, then says, "enough is 
enough", promptly brings back Marshall et al. Kapil falls, Gavaskar now
throws his bat wildly, get's out. And it was all over.

	Look, the outcome was never in question, but one thing i'll never
reconcile myself with is why the f*&^ Sunny plodded around to Harper and
the spinners, when there were batsmen waiting behind. He occupied nearly
the entire inning (if his figures show a strike rate of 90 odd, it is truly
sad because the ground realities were otherwise) The Bottom line is:
	"He didn't even play the role of rotating strike properly"

	I was sick to the pit of my stomach with this display. I don't really
care that we lost, but the way we went down. Lloyd must have laughed his
way into the pavilion. 

	There you are Mr. Rajesh Raman...all that is from memory and so not
authentic info. but it was pretty much like it. We lost by 100 odd runs!
And batsmen like Yashpal, Kirti Azad, didn't get a look in ! The only 
impressions that last till now are: "Pathetic!", "that S.O.B Gavaskar"
and "poor Kapil". 

	I don't care what anyone thinks but these are my impressions
and I'm not about to change it, whatever figures anyone may quote.

	To you Mr. Raman, I can only say...go back and watch this match 
if you can, and then get back to me. I'll look forward to listening to ur 
views.
	And that is all that i've got to say about this for a long time now!

Regards and Ciao
Bhaskar