Interviews
Karthik, RP most impressive: Vengsarkar
TNN / Bobilli Vijay Kumar
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http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Karthik_RP_Singh_most_impressive_Vengsarkar/articleshow/2286255.cmsGLASGOW, August 16: Dilip Vengsarkar was the man of the series when India last beat England in England in 1986. He is the chairman of the selectors, and has played the role of mentor on this tour too. He speaks to TOI about the 1-0 triumph and its significance to Indian cricket.
Excerpts from the interview done in London, just as the Test was ending in a draw.
You must be thrilled. It's a special victory for India?
Definitely. It's always very special to beat England in England. They are a formidable team, especially in English conditions. They have a very good record in recent times too. India have played extremely well throughout the series.
Has the draw diluted the moment a little bit?
Not really. We dominated the match from the word go. Making 664 runs in the first innings was amazing. We scored at more than 300 a day. That's a very good rate for Test cricket.
What about Dravid's decision not to enforce the follow on?
I totally agree with Rahul's call. Our plan was to bowl 110 overs at them, most of them on the last day of the Test match. If you can't get them out, maybe, we don't deserve to win. As simple as that. Of course, England batted very well to force the draw. But they didn't chase the runs either, which means they didn't deserve to win either. As for the decision, it would have been stupid to chase 150 on the last day, especially with the series in our pocket. Who would want to bat on the last day of a Test match anyway? What brought about the turnaround? In the first Test at Lord's it looked like India were in serious trouble.
We bowled very well at Lord's. But the important thing was our batting. In Nottingham (the second Test), we got them out quickly and scored almost 480. I think that turned the series in our favour. It was important at that stage to exploit the situation and they have been under pressure since then. Zaheer bowled extremely well; RP has come up exceptionally too.
In the first Test, all the seniors seemed to be struggling.
That's has always happened in the history of Indian cricket. We usually struggle in the first Test of the series. Not just here, but even in Australia and West Indies. But in subsequent Tests, we have always done better too.
Would you agree we got a little lucky too?
The important thing was we adapted very quickly. It's all very simple. The more you play here, in these conditions, the more you get used to it. You slowly start playing better too. It's not just the batsmen though. The bowlers have to hit the right areas too.
How important was the draw at Lord's?
It was a lucky escape no doubt. But it was very important for the morale of the team. If we had been one down in the series, it might have been a different story. By starting the second Test on a level field, we could play confidently. I think that really worked in our favour.
Flintoff, Harmison and Hoggard weren't there? Wasn't India lucky there too?
In a very minor way. Don't forget, Anderson and Sidebottom bowled really well. No doubt they would have presented a different challenge. But our guys would have coped well with that.
You spoke about the batting. Who impressed you the most?
Dinesh Karthik. I think he played really well. It was his first tour to England and he struggled in the first innings at Lord's, but he improved very soon. I would like to mention RP Singh here too. He has improved so much. He showed how to make use of an opportunity when it came his way. Both have it in them to play at the highest level.
Sourav was easily the best batsman from India. What do you think?
Oh yes. Sourav played brilliantly. He looked confident and played some great shots. He has been very focused and determined since his comeback. He was amazing when we were 11 for 3 in the third Test. It was a pressure situation and he got India out of it by playing his strokes.
What about Sachin? He played very uncharacteristically here in England. At times, he even looked out of sorts.
Sachin's knock at Oval was very important. His partnership with Laxman on the first evening and the next morning was very important. If he had got out that time we would have been in deep trouble. That was a very crucial innings from India's point of view. He may not have been at his best, but he played for the team. He adapted according to the situation.
Were you surprised by England's line of attack against him?
They tried that tactic (body line, with leg slip, forwards short-leg and deep square-leg) in the second innings of the second Test and succeeded. They thought they could do it here too. They tried it in the first innings but didn't in the second innings. Obviously, they realised it wasn't going to work.
What do you make of Dravid's innings of 11?
When you are three down for 11 runs, you tend to get a little cautious, you might get bogged down a little. You feel the pressure too. And if you happen to be captain, it weighs on you even more.
How do you rate this team? Is this series' triumph their high point?
It's a good mix of experience and youth. We played at a different time, a different era. But yes, they played as a team in this series. Everybody contributed when it was required. The win is important for India, especially after the World Cup debacle.
AuthorTopic: Dilip Vengsarkar - Test Series Impressions (incl the follow on) (Read 166 times)
