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Bizarre tactics, says Houghton

Zimbabwean coach Dave Houghton alternated between delight at his team's win, and complete dismay at the strange tactics adopted by the Indians in the one-off Test between the two countries.

"This is a very big win for us, at a crucial time, when we are looking to spread the game as widely as possible in this country," said Houghton.

That it is a big win, one that matters a lot to the country, was further evidenced on the fourth day itself, when Houghton was presented with $80,000(Zim) by the Barclay Bank towards the promotion of the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy.

"But it was strange for the Indians to ask us to bat first," said Houghton. "I mean, it was a perfect batting wicket with the ball coming nicely on to the bat.

"Look at it this way. We were 120 for one in the first three hours of the match. We were not at all troubled by the Indian bowlers. If it was not for collapse later on, we were on the way to building a sizeable score in the first innings itself," the home team coach analysed.

"On the third day, they overdid the short pitched stuff. I mean, it was wrong tactics on their part to hope they could bounce us out from the middle by attacking our midriff all the time.

"Frankly, there was no way we could have been allowed to score 200 for one on the third afternoon. The wicket had good bounce but the ball was rising even from the good length spot. There was no need for the Indians to pitch it short all through.

"Even we made the mistake of bowling short on the second day, a little before lunch time, when we allowed 30-40 easy runs to the Indians," said Houghton. "Fortunately, we recovered after lunch.

"On the last day, both the team bowled well. There were no short-pitched stuff and the results were there for all to see," said Houghton.

"The bottomline is, we planned very well against the Indians and still better, executed our plans well. We realised there was no point in attacking Sachin Tendulkar. He feels very frustrated if he is tied down. If you can tie him down, you frustrate him. That is what happened in this Test. The moment he came into the middle, we bowled with Mbangwa from one end and Neil Johnson from the other. Mbangwa, in particular, bowled very accurately and it frustrated Tendulkar.

"The same was true with the Indian openers. We have seen how Sidhu likes to cut or slash in the point and gully region and we were ready for it. We blocked those areas well and with deliveries bouncing on the off-stump, it worked."

How does he compare Javagal Srinath with someone like Henry Olonga who bowled with a lot of hostility? "Obviously, Srinath is a full-fledged, experienced fast bowler while Olonga is just starting out. But Olonga will mature and will be a great asset to us in coming years," said Houghton.

Olonga, the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, made a big contribution for the development of cricket in Zimbabwe, especially among the coloured folk, by claiming the Man of the Match award.

"I was aiming to become a top rate 100 metre athlete," recalls the bowler. "Actually, I wouldn't have minded becoming a decathlete since I was good in so many events in athletics. I don't regret turning to cricket, though," he adds hastily.

Houghton had a word of praise for Harbhajan Singh. "We all know what a world class bowler Anil Kumble is. But Harbhajan is a revelation. Obviously, the lad has natural talent. He just needs to be handled carefully. I was very impressed by him. he should be able to serve India for a long time."

Another player Houghton was impressed by is Rahul Dravid. "He batted beautifully. I mean he was so correct, so solid. As long as he was there in the middle, we thought India had a chance. In this match, when only two fifties were scored by the Zimbabwe batsmen - and none by India - he not only got a century but looked a real threat to us in the second innings as well."

On paper, India looked a better side, man to man, and yet Zimbabwe won. Still. Zimbabwe won. It is what distinguishes an individually brilliant side from a collective bunch of players -- or is it? "I would not say that one to one, India is a better side. Yes, they are more experienced. But not necessarily a one-to-one better side," said Houghton.

A damning verdict for a side that was priding itself on having tamed the mighty Australians in a three-Test series at the start of this year -- and which, just the other day, was made to look like novices by Houghton and his raiders.