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Fielding disappointed, says Azhar

Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin said he expected his team to shake off the terrible 1-4 thrashing it received at the hands of Pakistan in the just-concluded Sahara Cup tournament in Toronto, and take on Zimbabwe with a fresh, positive outlook.

The Indian team arrived in Bombay late on Tuesday night, and leaves for Harare with new entrants Anil Kumble, Debashish Mohanty, Robin Singh and Harbhajan Singh early Thursday morning. They will play three one-dayers in Zimbabwe, followed by a solitary Test.

Azharuddin expressed his surprise that despite the team being bolstered by Ajay Jadeja and Sachin Tendulkar, the fielding hit its nadir in the last one-dayer. Admittedly, Tendulkar (and Azhar himself) were off the field for that game, both nursing various injuries.

The Indian skipper said that he had thought that the new drill under Bob Simpson, and modern physical training methods introduced by Andrew Kokinos, would pep up a department of which he had been critical for a long time. "But that can be looked into when the team returns, and at the moment only a very much improved show will give rest to my troubled mind," Azharuddin, in a relaxed mood at his residence, said.

He said he was definitely not making a mistake of under-rating Zimbabwe. "They may not be a very good Test side, but they are capable of beating anyone at home," he felt, "especially in limited overs games."

The skipper was all praise for newcomers Sanjay Raul and Jatin Paranjpe, saying that five one-day matches would be too short a period to really assess their capabilities. "The tour will have hardened their temperament," Azhar said.

At the same time, he said he was "slightly disappointed" at the inconsistent showing of another youngster, Hrishikesh Kanitkar. "All three players have a long road ahead and will be part of the selectors' plans leading up to the World Cup next year," Azhar said.

Regarding his own fitness and that of Tendulkar -- both had stayed off the field during the Pakistan innings in the last ODI -- Azhar said that he and Sachin were both fit and ready for duty.

Asked why the performance in Toronto was not up to expectations, Azharuddin felt that this time the Toronto pitch did not yield much seam movement, nor was there swing in the air. This, he added, could be one reason for the failure of Saurav Ganguly as an all-rounder.

Ganguly was man of the series last year, at the venue.

Azharuddin had a special word of thanks for Karnataka spinner Sunil Joshi.

The left arm spinner came back from the cold to become the best of the Indian bowlers. He did a remarkable job of containing the rampaging Pakistani batsmen, besides using his bat to good effect in the slog.

As things turned out, Joshi was dropped again, the selectors preferring Rahul Sanghvi, the young leg spinner from Delhi, for the tour to Zimbabwe.

"With this show, Joshi will remain in contention for bigger matches," Azhar said.

UNI