A new Low in Indian Cricket

Indian Cricket team received another drubbing at the hands of South Africa in Durban. Screamed the headlines of leading dailies the other day. So what’s new? Wasn’t this a regular feature of our millionaire’s club aka Indian cricket team? When was the last time India won a trophy convincingly? Even if we won some after Kapil’s devils, it was more like some other team lost to some other, or a team didn’t score enough runs in a certain over so we qualify or better still, it rained and washed off the play so we got half of the points which otherwise would have been nil. I still don’t understand why all this hype and hoopla about a game. Yesterday our responsible MPs (Member of Parliament, you read it correct) made a big issue about it in the parliament. They want the Coach to be sacked. Why they didn’t ask the Captain & Players to be sacked? It is the players who perform on the field. The coach can give instructions, but it is the players who execute them. So aren’t they responsible?

By the way, ain’t there any other issues worth raising in the temple of democracy? Like the continuous farmer suicide in Maharashtra? Or the Border dispute with China, which is rearing its head again? Or the Terrorist strategies that include sending trained and armed women to seduce army officers and leak information? No. I guess nothing is as important as a bunch spineless individuals losing to a superior team. One must remember the fact that they don’t even represent India. They represent a club called BCCI. Such waste of time…

After the heavy loss, India (I still call them Indian cricket team just for the sake of it) Team captain, Rahul Dravid, lamented the fact that it is our inability to cope with pace and bounce that brought the shameful display. How true?. When we lost to the West Indies on Not-So-Bouncier tracks when we toured West Indies, he said it was lack of application. When we lost to the same team in Indian pitches, it was Experiment and process which were more important than winning or losing. Now he is offering another excuse for their pitiful toe dance (wasn’t it more like a toe dance than a batting display with all our players jumping around to avoid the flying bouncers?). He has been asking for more lively pitches in India so our batsmen can learn to live with pace & bounce. So my dear Dravid, when other teams tour here, are they too calling to change their BOUNCIER pitches changed into featherbeds? Why should we change our pitches (and throw away whatever little advantage we get at home) to suit other’s need? Are you advocating that Pace & Bounce is the only way to survive in a cricket field? Is there a thing called Technique? Or will to fight? We never expect you to win games there. But this kind of wishy-washy excuses are what makes me cringe.

Just a one liner from me to you Mr. Dravid.

“Idiots find excuses for their failure. Others take corrective measures”

Good Luck.