cricket,loss and its aftermath

The biggest trouble with Indian cricket is the space it has allowed the media to create for ex-cricketers to announce their expertise on the cricket team’s loss and reasons behind this departure to national shame. Isn’t it always the case that when the Indian cricket team embarks on a huge tournament like the World Cup (so what if it’s a T-20 tournament that is most often repeated in a calendar year), the same commentators on cricket put the team on a pedestal of absolution, forgetting their previous follies?

The team in Caribbean for the T-20 Cup is nowhere close to being the best by even Indian standards, forget world standards. It was prophesised well in time by the majority of cricket comprehending population that a disaster was waiting to happen and the “I told u so” saga was to continue. West Indies played their cards right and unleashed the style of cricket they were always famous for; short deliveries and cold looks. India too did what it was always incapable of; playing those short deliveries. No special report or an investigative team needed to reveal blatant inconsistencies in the batting armoury in countering top class fast bowling. More than half a century of test cricket has proven to be insufficient practise for Indian batsmen in playing rib cracking pace bowling, so why blame team composition and M.S.Dhoni for yet another early exit (unless the usual pre-tournaments yagnas and pujas have a say) from a tournament fast losing its value.

Barbadian pitch is suited for quick, short skull shattering bowling. It was one intended to allow the batsmen to feel the heat. India should have gone in with at least three fast bowlers. But, wait. Does India even have three genuinely fast bowlers who could make a dent in the opposition? Vinay Kumar could be medium fast occasionally if the wind on the day could be of assistance. He won’t have much luck at this time of the year with that kind of gale force wind. In that case Dhoni’s choice of going in with Nehra and Zaheer, his best available opening options was justified. As to why he picked Jadeja, for Pete’s sake the boy is as talented as any out there. Sure he had a bad time, maybe if Chairman ‘Mao’ Modi could accommodate Jadeja in one of the franchisees rather than banning him, the lad would have salvaged some valuable moments of match practise. The elite club of ex-players believe that team composition as usual was flawed. ‘After a flogging from the Australians why would Dhoni go in within the same team’ is the post-mortem conclusion. But who can Dhoni bring in without breaking the balance of the side that is already being held up on crutches.

Each loss reveals the panic everywhere around the team especially in the studio of a news channel, where great predictions and elaborate analytical features torch themselves in a self-preserving ritual, saving them for the next big tournament. For once leave team India alone, leave IPL alone, and stop blaming the coach. All that requires to be done is to put an end to five-point formulae to set things right, that a so-called cricket expert has constantly been preaching to unsatisfied cricket lovers. For once relax the shrill tone and just watch some good, old-fashioned slam-bang cricket!