Effort and Result

The early exit of the Indian cricket team from the World Cup has prompted its fans back home to stop burning midnight oil and come out into the streets with protests of different magnitudes.The irate fans burned posters and effigies of the players,staged mock funeral of the team and gave a shot at destroying personal properties of some of the players.
Of course the team was receiving rebukes from all quarters.But what exactly provoked the people to go on a rampage to this extend?True that this is the first time in almost three decades that India has fallen short within the boundaries of the preliminary stage of the prestigious tournament.But is that reason enough to instigate such a furore?I think not.Contrary to popular belief,it is not defeat but the manner in which the players give up an otherwise winnable match,that too a crucial one,that always incites public fury.
This time around, India's disgraceful exit had much to do with the setback they suffered at the hands of Bangladesh the so-called minnows against whom the Indian captain Rahul Dravid decided to pitch in an out -of-form Virender Sehwag in the opener's slot so as to help him regain his long-lost form.It is the very casual approach that backfired and after the loss of a couple of wickets,the Indian batsmen were struggling to outplay the Bangladeshi bowlers who were well complemented by their fielders.The struggle was short lived as the middle and lower order threw away five wickets while adding only two runs to the scoreboard.The Indian innings could have ended a cool thirty runs short of their paltry total of 191 if not for the resilience shown by the number ten and eleven batsmen.The experts felt that India still had a chance to win the match if the bowled in the right areas,which,quite unsurprisingly ,they failed to do.Adding to that was the sloppy fielding of the Indian side ,secondary even when compared to teams battling out in the Ranji Trophy,and the nightmare of losing came within proximity.
Soon the Indians were on familiar turf,discussing the technicalities surrounding the chances to make it into the next round.You know the drill: If team A beats B and C loses to D by a huge margin and it rains heavily during B Vs C and if 'we' win all the remaining matches(the least probable of all) Team India could get into round two,that too carrying bonus points! If only things were that simple.
After the record breaking victory over the weakest side participating in the contest,Bermuda,one thing became clear - beat the Sri Lankans at any cost.Sure there were overnight showers prior to the match and a damp pitch and a wet outfield welcomed the Indians but, i dont know how a team that relies entirely on its batting could elect to bowl after winning the toss.That the Sri Lankans could post only a total of around two fifty is largely their undoing,especially with the kind of bowling and fielding that the Indians possessed.Even in such a do-or-die situation,India fell miserably and its chance of survival in the tournament was at the mercy of the result of an otherwise uninteresting match between Bermuda and Bangladesh .When nothing out of the ordinary happened,the disappointment on the faces of the Indian players were in sharp contrasts to their elation three weeks ago as they were leaving for the Carribean.The coach repeatedly assured that the team is going to make it to the semifinals,that we can actually win the Cup.The captain played his part by saying that the 'men in blue' were raring to go.The media went overboard with these statements,about a billion hopes,about the conditions in the West Indies being similar to that of the subcontinent.If only all of them had been modest in their speculations and statements,the expectations wouldn't have sky-rocketed.If only the team did the basic things right on the field instead of issuing statements,they could have won against Bangladesh or even Sri Lanka,for that matter.If only the players had performed to their full potential and had those matches been closely contested,no one would have burned their posters,not a single stone would have been pelted at their residences.Its not so much about winning or losing.It's all about commitment shown in the field and the Indian public is not blind,as some might say,no sir,not in their adulation towards the players,not while watching what is happening on the field and certainly not while getting aggressive on the streets.

PS: Some people in India believe that cricket is a matter of life and death,but let me assure you that it is a much more serious affair than that.

Head n Shoulders

A couple of decades ago just like any other kid in the neighbourhood , i found myself engrossed in a sporting event of which India were co-hosts,the World Cup of Cricket.At this hour,i find myself no less passionate about cricket as another World Cup is in progress.The game has evolved (a popular cliche) over the years and for a person who has always been a fanatical follower of the game , it evokes a mixed response within while being retrospective(which is something that i don't usually do).Of course,colourful jerseys,floodlights and white cricket ball were in vogue way back then too,thanks to Kerry Packer and his revolutionary innovations.But these days it has become mandatory for the cricket teams to have the services of a video analyst,trainer,physio,bowling/fielding coach,psychologist etc,things which were unheard of in the '80s.The introduction of powerplays and closer the boundaries ensure that the today's batsmen score more runs than their predecessors despite the higher standards of fielding that most teams(among which India has no presence) can boast of ,eventually leading to their making and breaking of records, though there aren't many records set by the greats of yesteryears left to be broken.As i said at the beginning,i'm not totally against all these changes considering the way everything has changed around us in a span of twenty years.What intrigues me is the change in some other seemingly trivial things.The change in behaviour pattern of the players in general and the famous 'huddle' in particular.As i watched the members Indian cricket team competing in this year's world cup,of which they have found an easy exit after the preliminary stages,form a circle of themselves at the beginning of their matches or after the dismissal of rival batsmen,my mind raced back to the last world cup where a morally thrashed Indian team,after its horrendous defeat to an Australian side in the first round,decided to avail the services of a psychologist,ironically an Australian,named Sandy Gordon,who along with many of his tips on elevating mental strength,advised the team to form a huddle of themselves.Soon it became the trademark of the team and went on to be emulated by some other teams as well.While the question of whether the huddle served as a tool for success or not is debatable, India went on to win all the remaining matches on its way to the final only to find themselves void of any answers to an imposing total that Australia had put up.
Personally i didn't like the huddle then and i don't like it even now.I think,even with all the changes that we know about,cricket is still not every Joe's cup of tea.Of course there's nothing wrong in celebrating the fall of a rival wicket,but is it necessary for the team to stoop down to such a menial level so that each player has to put his arms around his team mates so as to form a circle of themselves with their heads bowed,shoulders hunched and some mantra being repeated?Doesn't it remind us of those local cheerleaders,girls who are adept at forming circles or pyramids of themselves accompanied by irritatingly high pitched shrieks?Do cricketers really need to do that?My answer is no.Cricket,unlike football or basketball,is a skill based sport and there has to be certain amount of arrogance surrounding the individuals playing cricket that would set them apart them from those playing contact sports.
At present there is bunch of good cricketers around the world but i cant help but wonder that why we don't have a current crop players with the kind of charisma that players like Viv Richards,Ian Botham,Kapil Dev or Imran Khan had so effortlessly possessed.Maybe its easier for these present lot to bow their heads and get into a huddle than trying to get into the shoes of those dinosaurs (surely they are an extinct species!). Whatever the case is,the sooner the Indian team,and those who had followed suit,gets rid of this demeaning process,the better,Let them realise that jumping around in circles is for cheerleaders.Let them not relegate themselves to the level forming a circle of themselves at the start of match.A game plan is something that should be agreed upon while the players are still in the dressing room.Let cricketers walk out into the field with their heads high.

PS:Though it has nothing to do with behaviour,this little bit of trivia might seem an indication of the change in character.Every member of the 1983 world cup winning squad of India,with the exception of Sunil Gavaskar,wore a mustache and excluding a lone sardar all members of '07 squad have clean shaven faces!