Indian
seamer Ishant Sharma picks up the ball during Team India's practice
session at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. (AFP Photo)
MUMBAI: Wankhede witnessed a humdinger that will go down in record
books as one of the closest Test matches ever played. West Indies played
smartly to deny India a 3-0 clean sweep on the final day of the third Test.
TOI caught up with former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop for a ringside view of the thrilling final day's play. Excerpts...
How would you sum up the final day?
It was an enthralling last day's play. The pitch came to life unexpectedly but West Indies continued to show problems in their batting. Three times in this series the batting collapsed. So, that has been an ongoing problem. They will be happy with the performance of the bowlers and happier, perhaps, not to lose the Test match. But they have to cope with the inexperience in the batting.
Do you feel Shivnarine Chanderpaul could have made a difference in this game?
That was possible in theory. Someone like Chanderpaul is always going to be an asset to any side. This was a sort of pitch that he would have enjoyed batting on. But West Indies batted well in the first innings without Chanderpaul. And they have to continue doing it on both innings of a Test match. There are still some technical issues with one or two players. The way the wickets fell today was disappointing.
Darren Bravo has been phenomenal in this series cracking two hundreds. Your thoughts on his matured batting...
He's an exceptional player in this West Indies team. He has an analytical mind, has a range of strokes and he has the focus to do well. He wants to leave a legacy of being a great player and I have no doubt that Darren will shape into a great West Indian batsman.
Do you feel this young team has it in them to carry the great West Indian legacy?
I think they understand the legacy that is left by the Marshalls, the Lloyds, the Greenidges... They are a young team and they have to respect that and create their own legacy. They have to do things in a fashion that suits their talent. You won't have four great fast bowlers again. So, whatever attack they have, they got to work on that. Kraigg Brathwaite, for example, occupies the crease and he can't be a Greenidge. So, he has to play in his own fashion. Darren Bravo talks about looking up to Lara, but he doesn't pattern himself on Lara. So, he's trying to form his own legacy and I am sure the comparisons will stop coming after a point and Bravo won't be seen as Brian Lara.
How would you describe Darren Sammy's leadership qualities?
He's a learning captain, a team man. But he has to improve his batting. His bowling, I think, has been above expectations in my view. He's a good fielder...
What are the points India should carry from this game for the tour Down Under?
The Indian top-order has to improve. Some of the players have to be little patient. I am sure India will bat well. Guys like Virat Kohli have to get bigger runs. The bowlers have a lot of learning to do. The spinners have been good on slow and low pitches. But we won't know how good they are unless they play in Australian conditions. It will be interesting to see how Ashwin and Ojha perform there. But the key will be how soon Zaheer Khan comes to manage the bowling. India definitely need a leading seamer.
Ishant Sharma could pick only five wickets in the Test series. What's stopping him?
There's a slight technical issue with Ishant. He's a good bowler but I think that sometimes his left shoulder opens up a touch and falls away too much leaving him with not enough pace behind each delivery. His accuracy is not so bad. I just feel he has to be a touch more upright when he bowls and that will help him utilise the bounce. My only concern with him is purely with the left shoulder dropping. He doesn't always get the wrist behind the ball. He gets over 140 kph, but I guess once he does that he will hit that pace more consistently.
Your thoughts on debutants Yadav and Aaron...
Both guys have a lot of potential. And I think India should just allow them to grow. They hit 140 kph but just in one morning they won't turn into great fast bowlers. There has to be a process because they will find it harder on Australian pitches against batsmen who like to play pace and bounce. It's very important that both of them continue to fine tune their skills. But one of the great things about them is that they can do something with the ball. And I think they will continue to learn to attack. India should give them a couple of years to perform well.
TOI caught up with former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop for a ringside view of the thrilling final day's play. Excerpts...
How would you sum up the final day?
It was an enthralling last day's play. The pitch came to life unexpectedly but West Indies continued to show problems in their batting. Three times in this series the batting collapsed. So, that has been an ongoing problem. They will be happy with the performance of the bowlers and happier, perhaps, not to lose the Test match. But they have to cope with the inexperience in the batting.
Do you feel Shivnarine Chanderpaul could have made a difference in this game?
That was possible in theory. Someone like Chanderpaul is always going to be an asset to any side. This was a sort of pitch that he would have enjoyed batting on. But West Indies batted well in the first innings without Chanderpaul. And they have to continue doing it on both innings of a Test match. There are still some technical issues with one or two players. The way the wickets fell today was disappointing.
Darren Bravo has been phenomenal in this series cracking two hundreds. Your thoughts on his matured batting...
He's an exceptional player in this West Indies team. He has an analytical mind, has a range of strokes and he has the focus to do well. He wants to leave a legacy of being a great player and I have no doubt that Darren will shape into a great West Indian batsman.
Do you feel this young team has it in them to carry the great West Indian legacy?
I think they understand the legacy that is left by the Marshalls, the Lloyds, the Greenidges... They are a young team and they have to respect that and create their own legacy. They have to do things in a fashion that suits their talent. You won't have four great fast bowlers again. So, whatever attack they have, they got to work on that. Kraigg Brathwaite, for example, occupies the crease and he can't be a Greenidge. So, he has to play in his own fashion. Darren Bravo talks about looking up to Lara, but he doesn't pattern himself on Lara. So, he's trying to form his own legacy and I am sure the comparisons will stop coming after a point and Bravo won't be seen as Brian Lara.
How would you describe Darren Sammy's leadership qualities?
He's a learning captain, a team man. But he has to improve his batting. His bowling, I think, has been above expectations in my view. He's a good fielder...
What are the points India should carry from this game for the tour Down Under?
The Indian top-order has to improve. Some of the players have to be little patient. I am sure India will bat well. Guys like Virat Kohli have to get bigger runs. The bowlers have a lot of learning to do. The spinners have been good on slow and low pitches. But we won't know how good they are unless they play in Australian conditions. It will be interesting to see how Ashwin and Ojha perform there. But the key will be how soon Zaheer Khan comes to manage the bowling. India definitely need a leading seamer.
Ishant Sharma could pick only five wickets in the Test series. What's stopping him?
There's a slight technical issue with Ishant. He's a good bowler but I think that sometimes his left shoulder opens up a touch and falls away too much leaving him with not enough pace behind each delivery. His accuracy is not so bad. I just feel he has to be a touch more upright when he bowls and that will help him utilise the bounce. My only concern with him is purely with the left shoulder dropping. He doesn't always get the wrist behind the ball. He gets over 140 kph, but I guess once he does that he will hit that pace more consistently.
Your thoughts on debutants Yadav and Aaron...
Both guys have a lot of potential. And I think India should just allow them to grow. They hit 140 kph but just in one morning they won't turn into great fast bowlers. There has to be a process because they will find it harder on Australian pitches against batsmen who like to play pace and bounce. It's very important that both of them continue to fine tune their skills. But one of the great things about them is that they can do something with the ball. And I think they will continue to learn to attack. India should give them a couple of years to perform well.
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