SSSuccess!

With due apologies to Rahul Dravid, who made yet another superbly controlled hundred, the first One-day International belonged to the three Ss in the Indian team — Sehwag, Sachin and Sourav. In vastly contrasting ways, they left an indelible impression on the proceedings as India grabbed an important lead in the series.
That Sehwag''s batting is adventurous, exciting and infectious is well-known. But in the last couple of years, it has also become reliable and I use that word after much thought. Along with Dravid, he has been the team''s most consistent batsman, which is a laudable comparison because even two years ago nobody believed that Sehwag possessed such mettle.
Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla, a cricket nut like most Indians, called up the other day to say that Sehwag''s form this year would be ''sizzling'', just as he had mentioned in his forecast last year. Of that there is no doubt, but there is a slight twist to the story. Not only is Sehwag sizzling, but he is also batting extremely sensibly, which perhaps even astrology could not have predicted.
That has been the big difference in Sehwag this year. He has grown in stature as a cricketer, not just a flamboyant batsman, if you know what I mean. He has matured. He has become ambitious for runs and victories, is willing to restrain himself to get the big scores without eschewing his trademark big shots or slowing down the run rate too much. Because he has acquired a measure of control in his aggression, he has become that much more dangerous. His hundred at Kochi was a classic example of that.
Sachin failed with the bat, but refused to fade out from the game. He was pure magic with the ball, bowling leg-spin, off-break, seam-up and late swing as if he was Alec Bedser, Abdul Qadir and E A S Prasanna rolled into one. The delivery that got Inzamam was a cracker that had even the normally inscrutable Pakistan captain frowning in disbelief.
Tendulkar''s genius obviously stems from his intrinsic skills, but a great deal of his success has come from the ability to outwit the opponent — batsman or bowler. He bamboozled the middle-order and tail by outfoxing them in the mind and with the ball. But what I fancy most about him is his unflagging zest. Never mind the elusive 35th Test hundred, he still plays with the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old which is a tribute to his commitment and a lesson for all aspiring cricketers.
For Sourav, the day began in darkness and ended with a ray of light, as it were. A first-ball duck revealed his rotten form. The manner of his dismissal showed a mind preoccupied with concerns other than technique. Right now he does not seem to know where his stumps are, why the feet are not moving well, why the whole world seems to be against him.
Fear of failure seems to be haunting him at the crease. But he held his nerve well while India fielded, I thought, ringing in smart bowling changes, putting the batsmen under pressure, using Tendulkar adroitly and going in for the kill rather than hoping the match would swing in his favour. Unlike his batting, he was willing to work for success as captain, and by the end of the match could reward himself with a victory and a smile.Now for some runs skip?