Fletcher's fledglings upstaged Chappell's chaps in Nagpur

Undated (UNI) A depleted England team torn with injuries, having both the captain and vice-captain flying back home much before a ball could be bowled in the first Test at Nagpur. Nothing seemed right for the visitors who had more problems off the field than they could envisage on the dusty track in equatorial conditions in central India. Most inappropriate push if ever there was, to promote Test cricket.

Add to the English miseries a bland wicket with low, slow bounce -- all attributes helping the home team in a big way.

But, did the Indians capitalise on the providential assistance? Hardly, one can say.

After the hectic Pakistan sojourn, the Indians were looking for fresh impetus not easily available in the modern context -- no matter how superior you look on paper. The zeal and enthusiasm or all the advantages cannot be taken for granted for the performance on the field is the only proper yardstick to gauge the respective strategies and weakness.

India failed to go one ahead in the series primarily because their gameplan was not well rehearsed. All the dependables did not quite deliver for a winning cause. Home players were seen to be more keen on cementing their positions, which meant a lot of the team interests had to take the back seat. In effect, all the good work in Pakistan appears to have vanished most inexplicably.

The biggest culprit in the entire fiasco was the 22-yards playing surface which gave all the false signals to all the famous experts of cricket clay. It is a great pity that when the BCCI's sole objective is to increase its funds come what may, what good are these hefty bank accounts if a simple strategy to prepare a sporting wicket is a collective failure of all the bigwigs of the BCCI. I have often said that a good cricket administrator is one who is a good servant of the game. We do have some excellent students of the game from amongst the players. The clash, however, between the students and the big BCCI bosses stares one in the eye.

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