Munaf conquers injury, self-doubts at Eden

Kolkata, Feb 9 (UNI) Redemption has many ways and means, but Munaf Patel chose to bowl his heart out in the abandoned tie yesterday to exorcise the last strands of injury and self-doubt.

The figures on a bone-dead flat-as-a-highway track read 7-1-25-2, before the leaden eyed skies opened up.

He was in the line of fire after the South African tour. Munaf Patel faced career threatening allegations of feigning fitness ahead of India's final Test in Cape Town and failed to go through the five-day grind.

He had sprained his ankle during India-South Africa ODI in Durban and did not play any role in the series till Cape Town.

Upon return, on being examined by Dr Ananth Joshi and after MRI scans, it was alleged that his problems were more mental as the tests revealed nothing. He sat out the India-West Indies series, only participating in the nets at Baroda.

Yesterday, the 24-year-old lanky youth from Ikhar village near Baruch redeemed himself at Eden Gardens.

In the pre-match press meet skipper Rahul Dravid had expressed satisfaction with Patel's recovery, but added, ''Until he goes and bowls in a match situation nothing can be said. He is shaping up well and we hope he maintains his rhythm in the match also.'' And yesterday after the tie, he said, ''He seems to be a good and positive prospect ahead of the World Cup. He bowled well coming back from an injury.'' ''He hit the right spots and settled into a nice line and length.

Its good to se him bowl well,'' he added.

Patel had not let his skipper down in the seven overs he bowled against Sri Lanka. But more than that it was the nip in his bowling that caught the eye. The pace was back. He consistently bowled at around 138 kph, a sharp increase from mid-120s that he was bowling off late.

Under the cloudy sky, he used the breeze blowing in from the east to his advantage and got to seam the deliveries keeping the batsmen thinking. He troubled Sanath Jayasurya, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene with late inside movements often catching the players half-cock in the crease.

And to leash Sanath Jayasurya, who has made a reputation out of finishing off careers of bowlers, when in spate is no ordinary effort.

The Indian Team will certainly not mind it! And Rahul Dravid is already counting him as another weapon in his arsenal.

UNI