Days of Mike Young’s ephemeral Indian sojourn have begun on a buttery note, with the Indians repetitively failing to cup their hands together.
The elite Test slip cordon of Dravid, Laxman and Sachin hardly let one go through their fingers but Dhoni’s young brigade – supposedly a better fielding outfit – has failed miserably in the crash course. You can choose your best fielder in the Indian T20 squad and that man would have spilled at least one. Be it Yuvraj, Raina, Jadeja or Kathik (India’s best line up from point to mid-off), each one of them played a catch-dropper’s role.
First game of the two-match T20 series accentuated the gaping difference between the two fielding units. India not only dropped catches but made it look worse with their pedestrian ground fielding. This cost India dearly, as Sri Lankans made most of their second lives, taking the target over 200. Sri Lanka was the other side of the coin in the field. They netted the aerial shots expertly, while keeping Indians from picking easy ones and twos. Lots of notes to be made by Mike young, watching intently.
If anything, the second match brought India’s fielding curve crashing further down. Another five skiers were let through and Young was again left clutching his mitt. It won’t be wrong to admit that Yuvraj’s birthday charm made his team run-out immune and his blitzkrieg later on helped India pull one back to level the series.
But the talking point remains the Indian fielding, or the lack of it. Let’s see if Mike Young – a baseball expert – has a magic wand up his sleeve or was it just the extravagant moolah offered by BCCI that prompted him to take this evanescent job that lasts only for the ODI series beginning tomorrow.
JS on Cricket 