Congratulation India!!
...for you have mastered the art of coming from behind...so much so that it has become a design...
opposition team have not caught up with this yet...but i am sure they will know in time that while winning is not bad thing...but on their way to victory they must ensure that margin of victory should not be humiliating or else you know what happens next...
we never play cricket better when we are favorites...if you are still in doubt you can see countless examples of how we win one outstandingly only to loose another outstandingly too...
you should win like there was an outside chance of india victory too...by this way we will remain at our same 'level of intensity' and lo...you have formula of how to win series against india...
but before you start to come to feel that this post is about how to win against india...let me warn you that this is not about it...
this is about next couple of series...this is about our phasing out of fat-fours...
this is about when india will make the transition...
how i was waiting for this victory to write this post...coz had it not happened...this post would have lost its purpose...its meaning...for it would have been outrightly discarded and dusted as another rant...
so here it goes...
is india sitting on a time-bomb waiting to explode...?
we all know how once australia faced this time bomb when it suddenly exploded on them and its repercussions...they could over come it coz they had willing administers to fight it out and excellent system...to fall back on...
india too is slowly but surely approaching to a stage when same will happen to us also...
its not that our youngsters are not performing...or our cupboard is bare...
badrinaths...rohits...tiwaries to name a few are waiting in the wings and wondering when their time will come
win at j'berg came from our bowlers mainly...sree santh's effort with ball and that six of nell is still fresh in memory so is vrv's effort with the bat...
DK was one of highest scorer for india against england...only century came from kumble...with dhoni gusting out at lords to safe guard us from definite defeat...
we won at perth and pathan first with bat then with ball contributed as much...
gambhir seems to be on mission...and the way he has stood against the might of M&M is heartening...so our youngsters too have been contributing...
not to forget one and only sehwag since his re-birth of late...he has been at his smashing best...
it looks like india plays on two strips at the same time...one on which sehwag plays and one on which rest...
now before you jump on me saying that sehwag is no way youngster now...you are missing the point...its about our fab fours...and their contributions...and how long we are ready to go with them...
'the wall' is not what it used to be...
consistent injuries is keeping sachin to be at his best consistently...
vvs looks so bemused by his dismissals that it has become his permanent expression...
and in all this ganguly has been...well...ganguly...chipping in here and there to keep himself floating...
but how long...
when your best is not best to either save or win a match then my question is how long should or can india keep on affording your 'best'...
irrespective of we win...loose or draw this series...our combination is going to be same...
yes i am saying this despite me predicting before...that this series will make at least one spot available in middle order...but i know also that our selectors wont dare that as yet...coz our next assignment is gonna be aussies...
so when we will sit and ponder on the taboo word 'transition'...
macgrath and warne bid adieu when they were playing at thier best and winning...IPL too showcased that they are still the best...but if they were from subcontinent...i bet they would have been still playing...
there is something in our water that things works differently here...
that RD and SG (and even VVS?) are still harboring the thoughts of returning to ODI fold is the best exemplified fact to gauge the psyche...
so selectors will have to take call on their own...they wont be eased...they wont be assisted...to take decisions on their careers...
as for me...
england is scheduled to visit india after oz and i seriously believe irrespective of oz series results...though win will be even more perfect... that series will be the best time when we can introduce one (if not two) middle order bat...
will we take the decision...or wait till it explode...?
the time is ticking...
India Win and 'Tabooed' Transition...
shared by straight point on Monday, August 04, 2008
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32 comments:
SP - cracker of a write. Collecting my scattered thoughts on our scattered team, you'll read it soon.
NC,
We will implode. There will be a revolution. The young will take the bat/ball in their hands and throw the fat cat oldies out of the team.
Lal Salaam!
:)
NC,
When are you scattering your thoughts? :)
ott - all in the emptiness of time.
thanks gaurav...will wait for your cracker :)
amen to it OTT...
what a sight that will be... :)
new look to blog. Added lot of thing on the sidebar. :)
thanks for noticing hitesh...
though i would have loved your comments on transition too... :)
If selectors are not willing to look ahead and ease players in gradually, India could suddenly end up with five new players (with big shoes to fill and high expectations to manage) and it will be a major rebuilding effort at that time.
So a course in transition management is needed :-)
thats my fear RS...
though i loved the idea of OTT of gate crashing by yougsters... :)
No bomb here...I fear no implosion or explosion battingwise.
Observe the victories...they are coming without the big cannons booming...so in a sense, we are often playing with 7-8 players only and with a chunk of experience in the hut. So...the chaps will hold on and anyone added to the mix can only contribute rather than take away...Yuvraj included. Just do it step by step and don't flinch doing it.
Prefer the boardies have a talk with the cannons first...plumb their minds and sound their barrels and do it in a dignified way befitting a growing cricketing nation.
The bowling worries me...too erratic and frequently unfit or out of form to allow a peaceful sleep at night.
I'm sure to sound different and with such big explosive comments going on, I have to scream to make myself heard.
Even then my comment will be least appreciated by the commentunity.
I differ light years from today's post.
First things first, I don't think we are treating the fab-four alike.
Indian Cricket has for sure differnet policy for Sachin, as he is Great or God, and Gods are carried everywhere on ones head; but the rest three are treated more or less like the other mortals in the team.
Ganguly failed to perform, he was dropped and is now not even in the reckoning for ODIs.
Dravid failed, his fate followed the same path as of Ganguly's.
VVS Laxman comes out like monsoon vegetation for tests, and up rooted soon after the season is over.
Sachin comes and goes on his will,but every time he comes a birth is booked for him by disembarking someone else.
The other three have to fight for a comeback.
It's too simplistic to assume that a sportsperson will accept his disability all too easily.In all probability, he will fight till his feet fail to stick to the ground. It's just the spirit of sports.
Why give Australian example all the time, they mature much earlier than us, so they age earlier than us as well.So what if an Australian took retirement at 35, we can play a couple of years more.
And do you think Rahul Dravid and Ganguly got the test berth all too easily. They were included when it became almost impossible for the board to exclude them.
I don't know where I read it but a blogger among us has questioned --Will we keep on carrying Yuvraj only because he is young (the words may be different, but the essence was the same).. I'll appreciate, if the said blogger get me the link.
If these three fail again, like right now, they should be or must be dropped, but is it right to ask them to retire or kick them out if they don't retire on their own ?
@abisht, thank you! There is a voice for the dignity of some of our cricketers. While I'm not sure who else has written about this in detail, I had commented on this some time ago (here in SP's blog on "fat-four").
Link:https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9153707640015765540&postID=8612403446159100205
I agree, while there is a need to treat equally, fairly, and rebuild for the future, there is no need to rush the fab-four to retirement. They might be out of touch, or pressurized beyond limits they imagined. But that is the part about Indian cricket which is so bizarre, unplanned and unfair. Earlier, the youngsters were treated this way. They get a chance to bat at #6, don't get an opportunity to score and there goes their India cap. Strangely, this has become the fate of our famed seniors. One bad series (heck, two bad innings) and we're shoving them off. I'm with you, the Aussie way is the way to go. There needs to be a timeline set for the eventuality that will allow the seniors to retire with respect to their deeds and pave the way for a good solid Indian Test team. No adhoc! Not this time!
With apologies to SP for hogging so much space.
Dravid has been out of form for quite some time now, his average in the last 12 months has been 33 which is significantly lower than his career average of 54.
I think the axe will fall on Ganguly after this series.
The transition should be smooth and in phases as India is not ready to make an abrupt change in its batting nucleus.
Great write up SP.
I agree with u that there shud be a smooth transition.. Otherwise, it will be really tough for the young brigade to challenge the top. though the seniors may not be performing.,, their experience do count. However i feel that the fab four must look to retire from cricket by themselves.. sooner the better... however in india.. we dont find this happening.. i havent seen a single cricketer who decided to quit by himself.. unless the board had to throw him out.. some one once said.. the best time to retire is when people ask 'why' and not 'when'. guess its time for the Indian seniors to learn this.
as you said SB! the victories are coming without them giving handful...so whats the obligaton of sticking with all of them?
isnt it will be an ideal scenario that one of rohit or badri makes debt while atleast three of five seniors are still in team?
bowling all over world is like that...with the explosion of so many leagues bowlers are gonna share unprecedented work load...more injuries...and we will see more careers cut short...while batsmen keep enjoying...
thats more worry for me on whole...SB
cracker of comment AB!! yo dont have to scream when you put behind so much weight...
you have almost stolen my next post by saying that sachin goes and comes at will...i kept these thoughts in reserve coz i was waiting for ODIs selection...
sachin since his return has done nothing to warrant his selection in ODI (he is going to be selected is as sure as written on wall)...and we will see one batsmen will make way for his birth for no fault of his...gambhir will have to go down at no 3 to accommodate sir sachin at opening despite being highest scorer and doing brilliant work at no 2....
thats the irony of it...
i used australian system coz both GM ans SW played in IPL and succeed and showed that they are still capable...
regarding RD, SG, VVS...we have to accept that even at test level they lack the fitness required...and once you lack in one aspect it becomes more necessary for you to compensate it with good showing with bat which is not happening...
thats why i asked when your best is not enough then its time...
don't be VM!! its your space too as much as mine...without you ppl it will be like sitting in empty room and doing soliloquy... :)
nowhere i suggested that we should dump them altogether...but when the time for taking a call comes everybody is valued...and then its decided who still have something left to offer...and based on that pure, cold logic
SG and RD are two vulnerable spots...
exactly my sentiments wasim bhai :)
we all are fearing inevitable...
cheers TRI!!
thats why i said something in our water which prevents our cricketers to see light :)
sorry SP! I am now just couple of minutes here for some days. My net is not working. Hope after resolving net problem i could read whole.
dont worry hitesh...i am sure it will be solved sooner than you expect...
SP.. its not water.. its green paper which prevents them from seeing light.. ;)
hahaha tri...very true...
but isn't oz player are well paid too?
They are.. But i feel BCCI is the highest paymaster amongst all.. Please correct me if i am wrong here.
tri...you are right bcci is amongst highest paymaster...
but i read somewhere that ricky, gilly & co are also earning about $2m...annually...which is no less than our stars?
One more test and they could still end up facing the great srilankan nightmare... hands crossed.
very true scorpy... :)
actually they should thank sehwag & co. coz but for last match win there would have been tremendous pressure on them...win have taken away attention for them...but not for long...
I'm waiting for the next issue...the blog on day one third test...there'll be plenty to discus I'm sure :)
they way they are playing at the moment i dont think something more will be left to say at day end... :)
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