Cheer the boys!
Cheer the boys!
The Champaign bottles overflowed resembling the pent-up emotions of their enthusiastic owners. There was no need to quench the thirst, as it was already quenched by an emphatic win on the 22 yards war field. Bodies were drenched; emotions were soaring and the scene in the Indian dressing room at Johannesburg on the eve of their first test victory in South Africa reminded you of a wild bunch of college kids who had just won their first inter-collegiate trophy. Even as Coach Greg Chappell pretended to be stern with the boys he knew he couldn’t do anything about it. It was like one of those free flowing straight drives of VVS Laxman; it cannot be stopped once it starts!
Boy! Was it worth it?
What transpired on the evening of 18th December in Johannesburg was the culmination of many years of struggles and hard work. If victory was like an oasis for Indian cricket team on other foreign shores, in South Africa, it was simply non-existent. Victory eluded the men in blue every time they set foot in South Africa. The bouncier pitches in South Africa, which assisted fast bowling, had the Indian players on the mat and every time they returned home with their overseas records taking another merciless beating. Even on this tour, coach Greg Chappell and captain Rahul Dravid were in the line of fire as they surrendered meekly without any fight in the shorter version of the game. India lost all the 4 ODIs played, won an inconsequential 20-20 match against a depleted South African bowling attack and it looked like a group of carefree amateurs lost among hardened professionals going for the kill. With a dismal test record in SA, nobody gave India any chance for the test series.
But you see, this is the Indian team!
If spontaneity is an art, Indians cricketers are the greatest artists in the history of cricket. On their day, they can produce moments which take your breath away. On other days, you have to suffer the indignity of watching even the minnows of world cricket massacring the famed Indian cricket team as if it’s just a neighborhood club team. Everything about the Indian cricketers is spontaneous; they reach the heights of glory one day and they are unceremoniously dumped on the very next day.
Success has many fathers, and India’s success at Johannesburg is no different. Indians batted like true professionals, bowled in right areas and caught everything that came their way. It was an uncommon occasion when the all the departments of Indian cricket gelled together splendidly and produced a remarkable win. South Africans made matters easier for Indians by playing some careless shots and bowling over-aggressively on a pitch that begged for proper line and length. But let’s give the devils their dues, Indians were by far the best team in the first test. Period.
Before the first test, there was talk of grooming the young players for the world cup and preparing a young squad full of talent. Indians certainly prepared a young squad, but their talent was open for scrutiny. With each imposing defeat, demand for senior players reached its height and the Indian think tank had to budge. The way seniors like Anil Kumble and Laxman played, it looks like the world cup will be represented by the Indian seniors! Kumble bowled with grit and skill while Laxman sacrificed his fluency to produce and innings that was badly needed by his team. Another sensational recall, Saurav Ganguly produced an innings that was probably a cause for as much celebration as the victory itself. If Ganguly plays anywhere as well as he played in the first innings, no one can touch him in the near future.
Of course, there are wrinkles to be ironed out. Sehwag’s form is worrying to say the least. In every innings, he appears to be desperately searching for fielders to gift his wicket away. His opening partner Wasim Jaffer will no doubt understand as he too suffers from the same disease! Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are not having the best of times by their standards (hell, by any standards!) and India desperately needs some technically sound opening batsmen. South Africans, having been stung once, will come hard at the Indians in the second test. If Indians continue their good work in the second test too, it will be a good contest to watch.
Something that was amiss in the ODI series!
The Champaign bottles overflowed resembling the pent-up emotions of their enthusiastic owners. There was no need to quench the thirst, as it was already quenched by an emphatic win on the 22 yards war field. Bodies were drenched; emotions were soaring and the scene in the Indian dressing room at Johannesburg on the eve of their first test victory in South Africa reminded you of a wild bunch of college kids who had just won their first inter-collegiate trophy. Even as Coach Greg Chappell pretended to be stern with the boys he knew he couldn’t do anything about it. It was like one of those free flowing straight drives of VVS Laxman; it cannot be stopped once it starts!
Boy! Was it worth it?
What transpired on the evening of 18th December in Johannesburg was the culmination of many years of struggles and hard work. If victory was like an oasis for Indian cricket team on other foreign shores, in South Africa, it was simply non-existent. Victory eluded the men in blue every time they set foot in South Africa. The bouncier pitches in South Africa, which assisted fast bowling, had the Indian players on the mat and every time they returned home with their overseas records taking another merciless beating. Even on this tour, coach Greg Chappell and captain Rahul Dravid were in the line of fire as they surrendered meekly without any fight in the shorter version of the game. India lost all the 4 ODIs played, won an inconsequential 20-20 match against a depleted South African bowling attack and it looked like a group of carefree amateurs lost among hardened professionals going for the kill. With a dismal test record in SA, nobody gave India any chance for the test series.
But you see, this is the Indian team!
If spontaneity is an art, Indians cricketers are the greatest artists in the history of cricket. On their day, they can produce moments which take your breath away. On other days, you have to suffer the indignity of watching even the minnows of world cricket massacring the famed Indian cricket team as if it’s just a neighborhood club team. Everything about the Indian cricketers is spontaneous; they reach the heights of glory one day and they are unceremoniously dumped on the very next day.
Success has many fathers, and India’s success at Johannesburg is no different. Indians batted like true professionals, bowled in right areas and caught everything that came their way. It was an uncommon occasion when the all the departments of Indian cricket gelled together splendidly and produced a remarkable win. South Africans made matters easier for Indians by playing some careless shots and bowling over-aggressively on a pitch that begged for proper line and length. But let’s give the devils their dues, Indians were by far the best team in the first test. Period.
Before the first test, there was talk of grooming the young players for the world cup and preparing a young squad full of talent. Indians certainly prepared a young squad, but their talent was open for scrutiny. With each imposing defeat, demand for senior players reached its height and the Indian think tank had to budge. The way seniors like Anil Kumble and Laxman played, it looks like the world cup will be represented by the Indian seniors! Kumble bowled with grit and skill while Laxman sacrificed his fluency to produce and innings that was badly needed by his team. Another sensational recall, Saurav Ganguly produced an innings that was probably a cause for as much celebration as the victory itself. If Ganguly plays anywhere as well as he played in the first innings, no one can touch him in the near future.
Of course, there are wrinkles to be ironed out. Sehwag’s form is worrying to say the least. In every innings, he appears to be desperately searching for fielders to gift his wicket away. His opening partner Wasim Jaffer will no doubt understand as he too suffers from the same disease! Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are not having the best of times by their standards (hell, by any standards!) and India desperately needs some technically sound opening batsmen. South Africans, having been stung once, will come hard at the Indians in the second test. If Indians continue their good work in the second test too, it will be a good contest to watch.
Something that was amiss in the ODI series!
posted by Raju @ 5:18 AM
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