India—back to the past
Long long ago, not so long ago, when Indian cricket was still in the midst of coming up with once-in-a-while shows of brilliance, it was March 2001 at the Eden Gardens, that changed the course of direction that the game will take—forever. The architects of that historic victory by India over the all-conquering Australians were none other that VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. With their backs to the wall, the duo, after being asked to follow on, batted on and on and on to not just win us the Test but ensure that no team ever take India for granted, atleast on the cricket field.
While that win changed the way we played and even helped us a long way in becoming a world-beating team in Tests and other formats of the game. Till that point of time, the Sachin Tendulkar-dependant team could not really flex their muscles on world stage and it required the Little Master to talk with the bat for us to fire. THAT win at the Eden Gardens changed the dynamics of World Cricket for years to come. No more were we a one-man show and suddenly, there were many who put their hands up. The emergence of small-town players such as M.S. Dhoni ensured that Indian cricket was in safe hands. Players such as Sehwag, Pathan brothers were allowed to bat the way they did and the Indian team began to sport a new look altogether.
However, the most drastic improvement was the emergence of INDIA that had not just one but many superstars. Alas! The ongoing World Cup has proved me wrong and how. As I watched with absolute disgust the way we folded up in Nagpur against a SA attack which after many games looked vulnerable and if I may add the word—pedestrian. But we not only depended on Tendulkar to take us home but also threw away the match even before the first 50 overs were completed. The ghosts of the 90s were back. Not a good sign for many fans who may not have been witness to those days when our matches used to start and end with Tendulkar’s dismissal. While the first 30 overs of the match saw India piggy-backing on Tendulkar and Sehwag to scorch away 200 runs, the other batsmen who followed them to the crease kept that as a yardstick to double that in the coming 20 overs which completely appeared foolish.
While India’s passage to the knockouts is still not certain as they need to necessarily beat the Windies this Sunday in Chennai, it will be interesting to see if there would be changes in the top-order. With Yusuf Pathan not setting the stage on fire, it leaves Dhoni with the option of bringing in Suresh Raina for the all-important game. Dhoni may have received flak for voicing his concern over many in the side who play for the gallery, but make no mistake—no one likes to play in front of a few scribes, cops and not to forget a few canines.
While India go into the clash against the Windies with their morale down, it will be interesting to see if the Men in Blue iron out their flaws at Chepauk.
Great post with lots of imrpotant stuff.