Oh yes! We lost - one of those near heartbreaking losses. I say ‘near’ because we did not fight till the end as we did in some of those rare occasions – like Sydney, for example, when the loss was much more painful. Listening to the post match analysis on TV about how India did not have the swagger of the No. 1 team in the world threw up some interesting thoughts.
Imagine Australia under Steve Waugh or Ponting coming to India and McGrath not being able to bowl beyond 10 overs on the first day! Also factor in Mathew Hayden not being available for the first two tests, injured. Add to this scenario, the following - Ponting not able to bat one down,with viral fever and Justin Langer not able to open in the 2nd innings. Well, and Shane Warne becoming ineffective in the first test on account of lack of turn/bounce. Would it have been a fair contest?
Or for that matter, West Indies of the ‘70s in Australia and the following scenario unwinds – Michael Holding comes up injured after bowling just 15 overs on the first day; Gordon Greenidge having to sit out the series; Vivian Richards not able to bat at No. 4, thanks to a bout of fever in the 2nd innings; Desmond Haynes getting injured and not able to open the batting in the 2nd innings. Interesting, eh?!
But then, these things did not or would not have happened. McGrath was fit as a fiddle throughout his career, except on those rare occasions when he did not know how to step on a ball (!). Unlike Zaheer Khan who has managed to miss out on almost all important matches/series – had to sit out the Australia last time round (would we not have whipped them?!), did not play the first test in South Africa last year, when we got humiliated. But then, it surprises me as to how he keeps himself fit for every IPL season and those 100’s of ODIs that we play against Sri Lanka! Hayden and Greenidge never did sit out of important series, unlike Sehwag who played the IPL and thus delayed getting his shoulder treated.
Moreover, the only time India did win a series in England comprehensively was in 1986, when apparently, India played eight, yes EIGHT 3 day practice matches before the real deal! How many series do we need to 'come back' after losing the first test, thanks to BCCI's scheduling - where the only objective is to make money - and where the least priority seems to be given to ensuring an overseas series victory! But things have changed with our cricket team - we claim to be the No. 1 team in the world. What stops our “well, of course” captain from demanding adequate preparation, especially for these important overseas tours? Or maybe, these things do not matter, as long as the IPL schedule is unaffected and is not tinkered with!
So then, the verdict as per me is that the BCCI and our players have shot themselves in the foot and that us poor fans of the Indian cricket team live through this mirage of how all members of the team play for test match glory and to get their names inscribed as the very best of the lot in the world, at least for the time being. If there are fans hurting about this loss, then get over it and think – if the players and the team do not really much care, then why should this bother us? The English players, on the other hand, seem to value their test match glory and really played much better cricket. And yes, they truly deserved this victory. Period!
Posts
