As I write this blog, as much as others are writing on Indian cricket and their disastrous performance in the world cup, many would regard this piece as pickings from some of the comments and blogs that I witnessed. Being a thorough follower of the game and Indian cricket, I have been wanting to write about my viewpoints.
It just ran across my mind when I saw one of the Indian movies quote "Become Sachin, not Kaif". Thats a piece of thought which emerges very frequently in most of us Indians. We want our friends, children and upcoming cricketers to be batsmen!! Dig deep into the system and the seeds are sowed by us. The problem is grassroot. Everyone wants to emulate Sachin, Sourav or Dravid. No one wants being agilent to be made a part of our routine. Ofcourse the question is are you ready to be Kaif? Is it being on the wrong end to emulate him?
Let me take you through each and every aspect of the game that spurns World class teams against what India has been over the years.
On Batting: Whether on paper or on the field, this is one aspect which we Indians have been known for. Right from the likes of Sunny Gavaskar, Amarnath, G. Vishwanath, Dravid to our little man we know of their records and onfield contributions. We have had them all , perfectionists, rage, thinking and the limited. I have missed a few and large here , but my point is they have all come good at some point or the other. I attribute batting to have won more than 80% of our games. To blame our batsmen for all the turmoil over the years is to make mockery of their deeds. Afterall how many times would anyone depend on them to make a big score or chase one. Its utter folly, that we have made them toil, made them demigods and then turned them to burden when they came near their end. If its commitment that we are talking about on few individuals then we must get our tongues burnt. Its not a question of who dosent want to be rich and earn all the money.
On Bowling: Whether on paper or on the field, I don't think we have had the bowlers that can match the mighty WestIndians of the 80's , the rage of the Pakistani's or the endurance of the Aussies. I could only recite a few on my one hand fingertips that could just come close if not better. India has never been a bowlers paradise and its a shame that we could not produce them. Ofcourse, I am not questioning the commitment of any individual. They have tested and toiled, but only a few have made the cut. Its not a gimmick that the countries of WestIndies and Aussies have won matches with their bowlers and a fair share of them at it. If you look at the statistics, the mighty Aussies today have faith towards their bowlers. They may score only 200 but still fight with the bowlers to win the game. My view is that we have simply not encouraged a lot, havent invested a fair share in them towards training and having a world class fitness. We havent won or have had a backing of the bowlers at an appaling number of games. While most countries have a bowling coach separate to the batting one, ours with so much money hasnt been channeled right. Also, to make a point , we have had spinners and a lot of overdependence on them for ages now. How much can they salvage on a fast bowlers track? I would still salute them for their contributions
On fielding: As I write this one third in the order of my paragraphs, its true of its investment too. For this one, I need to give Rahul Dravid a pat on his back. I mean it because he has been completely truthful. He said our batting can salvage what we lose on the field. Its so true of India for all the cricket we have ever played. As I said it at the start of my blog, none of us strive to be a Kaif!! Its in our minds that he fails at frequent events while he bats. He is the favorite brickbat boy for the selectors, the media and us people. Its really appalling to see comments from former cricketers that one cannot be picked up for only his fielding. If only we understood the evenness of saving 30-40 runs than bat the same number. Infact batting any extra would be a bonus. What good is batting 50 runs and giving away 30 of them fielding away lethargically. Its this difference that the SouthAfricans, Aussies or even Zimbabwe for a few years made. One of the minnows of cricket is known to be a better fielding side than ours. Thats what I meant when I said about Rahul, he simply is pointing out that this department needs more attention.
Its a highlight that if some side can field well, it helps the bowlers spirit and the overall team spirit. How many times do we stick our mouths in awe when we see that brilliant catch or that piece of good run out or that throwing oneself at the ball. It also provides a sense of restlessness among batsmen which creates them to do something differently than what they are used to.
Overall our team lacks that ability to provide that shot of brilliance in big dollops. Either we are too lazy to keep fit or too ignorant of the contribution of fielding well. In terms of sheer efforts, towards the betterment, our BCCI has been a lazy sloth.
Team spirit and commitment has never been the problem as far as I can note in the Blue boys or the past Indian teams and in that I stand by them. Its probably the leadership thats been lacking. But yet, we have come a long way on the performance meter. The side has definetely improved by many yardsticks. We have been winning more Tests abroad. The element of luck and a few other things have been missing in ODI's. Its not long ago that this side ran close to beating the most successful run chases made by a team. The same must mandate for the successive defending efforts. If we pick up the nuances of some points, we can be highly competitive and be ready. I think the mass is not angry about the defeats in particular , but more so about the lack of trying hard.
Many have pointed out that this team has worn out and is not fit to be world beaters. The doldrums will continue to pave the failings, while trumpets will follow each win.
I would rather end by saying "Try being Kaif most times, Sachin will not be hard to come"
