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Hopes of World Cup glory under threat by world-class trio
England face stars of India
For Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly read Athos, Porthos and Aramis: the three musketeers of India present England with a fearsome and exciting challenge at Edgbaston today. Should they fail, there is always Azharuddin, alias D'Artagnan. One has to point out, with a slight clearing of the throat, that Azhar is still more than capable of a match-winning innings. He has played in more internationals and scored more one-day international runs than anyone. If England can blunt the blades of all four, they will truly believe that they can win the cricket World Cup. It is Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly who are the batsmen in form. The four centuries scored in the tournament so far have all been fashioned by these three Indians. Dravid, with 316 runs from four innings, and Ganguly, with 302 from four, are comfortably the tournament's highest scorers. The double shock of the death of Tendulkar's father and defeat in the last over by Zimbabwe has galvanised them. In successive matches, against Kenya and Sri Lanka, they have proved that white balls, cloudy skies and moisture deep in the pitches of England do not necessarily provide a recipe for domination by seam and swing bowlers. Great batsmanship can rise above such conditions and Tendulkar is a great batsman; the best of his era, arguably the best since Don Bradman. He is only 26, but no one has equalled the number of his international centuries: 19 from 68 Tests (Brian Lara has 13 from 63) and 22 from 214 limited-over internationals. The Don himself said of Tendulkar two years ago: "He plays much the same as I did . . . his compactness, his stroke production, his technique." They share also the enviable ability to handle extraordinary fame. Tendulkar is a millionaire, in pounds not rupees; he is worshipped like a demigod, but he is a model of humility and stability. He demands no special favours within the India team and home, whenever the circus briefly ceases, is a relatively modest Bombay apartment, shared with a son and his doctor wife. He has had to come to terms with fame since scoring 27 not out, 125, 207 not out, 346 not out and 329 not out in succession when still aged 14. At 17, wearing an old pair of Sunil Gavaskar's pads, he saved a match against England at Old Trafford with his first Test century. If he stays fit and plays for another ten years, he will rewrite all record books. He sees the ball very early and plays it late, like all the best players, but in physical prowess he is more W. G.Grace than Bradman, Lara or Gavaskar. Somehow, in his supremely untypical case, a 3lb bat does not rule out the dexterous use of the wrists that is the hallmark of all the finest India players. Dravid, a much taller man with the bearing, poise and imposing style of a latter-day Ted Dexter, made his first Test appearance for India on the same day as Ganguly, at Lord's in 1996. Ganguly, the stylish left-hander from Calcutta, made 131; Dravid, from Bangalore, 95. Three years on and relatively few Tests later (because of the Indian obsession with the material rewards of the one-day game), Dravid averages 51 from 29 Tests, Ganguly 49 from 27. On Test averages alone, Tendulkar is the world's best batsman, Dravid the next best and Ganguly merely fifth, separated from the other two by Lara and Steve Waugh. That is as graphic an illustration as you could get of the quality that Darren Gough, Alan Mullally and company face today. Limited-overs records are only a little less daunting to ambitious opponents. Ganguly has seven hundreds from 103 games and it would be eight had he not been run out by Jonty Rhodes for 97 at Hove a fortnight ago. He hit seven sixes against Sri Lanka at Taunton. He should not be allowed such liberties by England, however, and Gough's ability to swing the new ball into the left-hander , provided that he does not start his line too far towards the middle stump to allow Ganguly to play off his legs, might defeat him. Dravid, like Tendulkar, scores all round the wicket, but he is happiest driving from the front foot. A disciplined length and changes of pace might contain him a little more easily than the masterful Tendulkar, who opened against South Africa but has since batted at No 4. Tendulkar needs only 29 today to join Mohammad Azharuddin, Aravinda de Silva and Desmond Haynes as the only men to pass 8,000 runs in one-day internationals. Helped by his ability to nip in with a wicket or two, he has already been given more awards for man of the match, 33, than any other player. If he is handed a 34th today, India will have won.
The hundred club
RAHUL DRAVID
SOURAV GANGULY
SACHIN TENDULKAR
May 29, 1999
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