Caribbean mind games
NEWDELHI: By no stretch of the imagination is Ottis Gibson the master of the dig, the psychological aside. What he communicates is delivered with a semi-grin that, even if not unnerving, is designed to convey subtle messages to the opposition.
On Friday at the Ferozeshah Kotla, the coach of the visiting West Indies team pleaded ignorance about an impending milestone of unprecedented magnitude that could be realised in the first Test of the series: Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century.
'I was not aware of the milestone and haven't thought much about it, but I feel that if there is too much hype, it will be tough for Tendulkar,' says the 42-year-old. Whatever else he might be unfamiliar with, mind games hold no mystery for the Bajan. And neither does diplomacy, as is evident from his subsequent statement: 'Tendulkar is a legend and can score his 100th century any time.'
Echoing similar sentiments is Ravi Rampaul, the pace spearhead of the Caribbean outfit, who says that, while he is aware of the unique record beckoning Tendulkar, he and his teammates are focussed on playing to the best of their ability.
'Tendulkar might be on the verge of a personal milestone but we need to stick to our plan,' states the pacer. Anticipation of a special innings by Tendulkar ' architect of 51 centuries in Tests and 48 in ODIs ' coupled with the return of homeboy Virender Sehwag and southpaw Yuvraj Singh, is expected to halt the sharp decline in attendance that marked the recent ODI series against England that the host team claimed 5-0.
Which is why Gibson doesn't expect an easy outing against MS Dhoni & Co on these shores. 'India might have a young bowling attack but the batsmen carry a lot of experience with several big names like Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag and Gambhir. It is going to be tough for our bowlers even though we have a good seam attack and a good spinner in Devendra Bishoo.' No mind games here; that is the truth.
News Posted: 5 November, 2011
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