Whatever the new strategy or (something like it) should focus a lil bit on our world class sportsmen physical fitness. Physical fitness says a lot about an individual like how much he wants to sacrifice, what he can stomach, his mental strength, persistence, that killer confidence etc.. Note that we are playing with people who are over 30, it is necessary that we should make them realize the importance of Physical fitness. Our batsmen have all the skills, years of experience but they are not mentally and physically ready to take over the responsibility. They lack confidence. Please focus on athleticism guys for future cricket sake focus on athleticism. Not just the middle-aged dad workouts. I %u2018m talking about strength and resistance training. See what our cricketers are really made of, do they have it in them to last that training. I mean i wish Indian Army could take that training job. I bet that then they will never take their place for granted, they will win without dropping their tails and yes they will have that killer instinct. Till then you can bring masters of batting and bowling, and all that jazzz but they can never win anything. Even if they do It would be nothing but an accident happened to occur because of the opponent%u2019s weakness. I hope you understand what I mean%u2026. I also think they should sack the coach, If he cant find this simple reason why our team performance is so pathetic with the talent that we have, he is good for nothing.
I would concur with the author that Greg Chappell is not the first person we should be blaming for this debacle.
Sunny G has been quoted as saying "The Indian players never had the wherewithal to rise to the occasion since my playing days in 1970s". Of course, as 39 in 60 overs would suggest, that's absolutely true. How then do we expect that not having a foreign coach would benefit this team in any way? How can we expect that the desi coach would not resort to favoritism and lead the team backwards instead of forward?
The blame, lies with the selection committee. On what basis what Sehwag persisted with? What are the instructions for Tendulkar as a team member? Dravid included Sehwag based on liking, not on form or fitness. Is the board going to inquire the true reasons for the appalling fitness levels in the team, despite there being all sorts of experts to help? Does this point to the sudden disappearance of the training skills of these trainers or the inability and unwillingness of our players to adopt the regimen pointed out?
What good was Ganguly to the team, for all his experience and 'sterling comeback'? Can't we expect him to win one match out of three on his own, when it mattered so much? Same goes for Tendulkar and for Dravid. One more person to be included in this list is Yuvraj Singh. He has been around the team long enough to be counted a senior, and he has consistently failed to deliver at the crucial junctures. We do not expect him to be a Hussey (who's a later entrant to the game) or Bevan or Ponting, but he can be a Bravo or Shoaib Malik or AB deVilliers? These guys are nowhere near as talented as Yuvraj, but they give their last ounce of sweat and blood on the field. Is 100% too much to ask from these enormously highly paid, endorsed and worshipped players?
If Laxman was sacked because he was a liability in the field, how is it any different for Kumble and Ganguly? Wasn't Laxman equally gifted, if not more? And I am not advocating his re-inclusion here. If players are to fail at times when required, why not persist with Kaif, Raina and Dinesh Karthik? I have lost count of the innumerable times that Tendulkar has a) harmed the team's cause by playing so defensively as to make Paul Harris look like Bedi or Vettori and b) failing to produce an innings in a match that matters. Seriously, I cannot even get myself to comment on him anymore.
The way out of this is to retain Dravid, for anyways he is the only one who matters to our Test team, include Raina, Kaif and Karthik (whose much more solid, technically sound and reliable than Dhoni, 183 notwithstanding) to our ODI team, bring in Romesh Powar, who'll bowl to get wickets, not to escape hammering, and RP Singh (Agarkar, on average, bowls more bad balls an over than RP does). Gambhir is as frivolous as Sehwag, but there is a chance he might remember the hurt it might have caused to have been dropped from the WC squad just a month before departure, and learn something from it.
Four years is the right time to hope that our bench strength improves and these youngsters rise to expectations, but we cannot spend four years investing our time and money in players past their prime, resting on laurels, liabilities on the field, hoping that they do not again let us down the way they've done time after time so far.
I am at a loss to understand the outrage our countrymen having been showing to our cricketers for their dismal performance in the 2007 world cup. Are we trying to say that we have never heard of losses before by our team? I thought we were used to seing one every now and then.
Dating back to the snuff out we had in the test match in England, where our team under Ajit Wadekar was ripped apart by John Snow and company - till date, we have seen innumerable number of losses. But the reactions have never been this extreme. The reason: the hype created by the sponsorers, media and also we (the fans). The unwanted pressure built up on the Indian team to perform - was hitherto unheard of.
If you go by any past statistics we have always occupied the fifth or sixth position in both versions of the game (albeit a couple of occassions). Then why this mass hysteria this time?
In the good old days when Radio commentary was still on and the TV was just getting in, Indian losses were the order of the day. Even those days we had seen scathing attacks made on all the past cricketers including the giants of that time (some of whom are my personal favourites). But no one carried mock funeral processions or pelted stones at their houses. This was never heard of. Now dont tell me that we did not have fans those days and that we have fans only these days. That is hard to believe.
I would put it differently now. We have more fanatics now than ever before - I use that word because quite a few times in these columns I saw the mention of cricket being a religion in our part of the world. Well one sees it as a religion then it is to be related to downright fanaticism - for a true sports lover, cricket still remains a sport with the required changes to be made to infuse life into the game and its supporters.
I also saw someone mention - when we give something we need to get something in return. I quite dont understand that statement. What did we give to get back - our working hours, our sleep and what else? In what way did we help the cricketers except by praying for their good luck and good performance?
RE:The Outrage
by enticejuan on Mar 26, 2007 10:31 PM Permalink
very very very true some useless foolish jobless median and country men doing it let these fanatics and lunatics die in anger .
RE:The Outrage
by Sudhir Bisht on Mar 27, 2007 07:49 AM Permalink
The analysis(rather discussion) by both you guys is simply outstanding. Thanks for such inputs, and keep writing now and then..
RE:The Outrage
by Chiradeep Chhaya on Mar 26, 2007 10:48 PM Permalink
My friend, we have more fanatics because there are more people hoping that those who earn billions can at least make an effort to repay the adulation that the Indian public gives them. The advertising income they make comes, albeit indirectly, from the money we pay the channels, from the products we use and pay for. The Board has billions of dollars to exercise its muscle with and spend on the players on things such as yacht parties and what not, but cannot contribute that to bettering the seating and basic facilities in stadia that we spectators pay hundreds of rupees to fill and get into. Fans outside India pay hundreds of dollars to buy telecast over premium channels and the web; don't these fans have a right to expect a fight and not a whimper? You'll say 'why pay then?' and I think you'll be right. We should stop paying for these, leave every stadium empty and turn off our television sets rather than burning effigies and performing funerals. I am appalled to see the number of Indian fans here in the US turning to NBA, MLB, F1 and things so that at least their heartfelt expectations are not mocked at by the performance of our players every time they take the field.
How can you still be in doubt of what we give them and what we have a right to expect?
All I can say is that none of the cricketers asked us to buy a ticket and watch the match or hook onto private channel telecasts at pretty steep rates. It was a choice you and I made out of love for the game. So where is question of give and take? It is only a game - win or lose are the only two options (may be a tie in some cases).
As far as sports is concerned we still have a long way to go in our country. By nature we are soft sportsmen in all our sports - not ones who have battle hard mentality to win every game in the sports we play. I am sure you will agree with me on this point.
RE:The Outrage
by Chiradeep Chhaya on Mar 27, 2007 12:17 AM Permalink
I am not sure if we'd say the same about Vishy Anand at this stage at least, since chess is as un-soft a game as it gets when we talk of mental skills. The fact is our cricketers have never endured long sessions of mental grilling on the domestic circuit and the competition in other sports also tends to be below par domestically. And the blame in some ways goes to the administrators. Assuming that you have very good practice facilities, you'd see sharper talent at the domestic levels, which in turn contributes to tough, healthy competition, thereby readying those who make the cut for greater challenges ahead. Also, a very noticeable aspect is that all good players and teams - SA with Gibbs, Aus with Symonds and NZ with Fulton, Taylor and the likes - have multidimensional players. They're also good at other sports, which I believe is essential since it exposes you to mental challenges of a different sort. Perhaps that is why you might find the general IQ of those players will tend to be higher than our fat, obese bumpkins. They're more adept at thinking on their feet than most of our players are. And I think Greg's experiment of practising alternate means of focusing and taking the blokes out to seminars was a good one; the reason why it failed was that our players were dumb and could not correlate those lessons with their cricketing challenges.
Ganguly inherited a battered team torn by match fixing controversies which even Sachin refused to lead. He hand picked players like Yuvraj, Kaif, Nehra, Balaji, Zaheer, Harbhajan. He insisted Sreenath to stay on. He made effective use of Kumble Laxman in suitable situations and pitches. Even Dravid was a very shaky and slow one day player. Gangly protected him from being dropped and lost. He even made him to keep wicket just to justify his place in the team. Dravid Chappel from day one started disturbing the rythm of the Indian team. The team hand picked by Ganguly fetched initial good results for Dravid also. As time passed by the entire enthusiasm evaporated. Everybody became shaky. None was sure about his position. All suffered from identity crisis. Pathan was destroyed in the process. So many mistakes they have committed it would be another Mahabharat. Only foolish regional robots like would disagree with me. Ganguly used his limited strength brilliantly. He knew how to get what from his team mates. He used his brain in field setting ball changing. He encouraged everybody to perform. Dravid is no no way near Ganguly, you must admit today after the debacle.
RE:Wrong Strategy
by Chiradeep Chhaya on Mar 26, 2007 10:54 PM Permalink
Bottom line is: Both failed to win us the World Cup; both used to get beaten by the top teams regularly and both carried baggages of players past their prime.
Rahul Dravid is a Gadd-badd captain, bungling with decisions upon winning the toss. This is not the first time he did like this! Captaincy is all about being YUKTI (cleverness) and not just SHAKTI (his good efforts with the bat)
RE:Wrong Strategy
by sandeep bharade on Mar 26, 2007 11:46 PM Permalink
U might reember last world cup final. Ganguly decided to field on batting track and was shatterred by Aussies. Captaincy does not come in batting at least when experience players are batting??? We r trying to find best among poors.
RE:Wrong Strategy
by kuntal banerjee on Mar 27, 2007 05:32 PM Permalink
Yes right...make Sandeep bharade the captain...he is the best...He can make a difference..Go Sandeep go with your cricketing abilities to BCCi, bcoz they might take you..because BCCI is full of people of your types
whatever he said he said everything correct . Rest all stop blaming .Indians got this narrow mind and blaming attitude as if they do something great sitting tight and watching things like some robot and given an opportunity they start blaming . if u can't do anything shut ur stinking mouths .
This arjun said perfectly everything correct . learn to praise then making demi gods idiots
I disagree with anyone who says that the Sri Lankan team or the Bangladeshi team played exceptional cricket against India. I think they played according to a plan and play to thier potential. India lost both games due to a total lack of commitment. In both games, we did not need "GREAT" batsman, or experienced batsman; we need one solid partnershp of 60-70 runs. Not a century, not an alarmingly high run-rate, just a regular steady in-flow of runs. If these so-called greats can't do that, they should leave the team, and not wait to be thrown out!
RE:Who the f*$! is Arjun Swarup
by joseph on Mar 26, 2007 09:50 PM Permalink
who that BONAFIDE person might be..Talk about misplaced anger. So you disagree with his opinion is that what you are saying? Cant you disagree with people and express and argue difference in opnion without resorting to abuse.. Chill out bro..
RE:RE:Who the f*$! is Arjun Swarup
by Sudhir Bisht on Mar 27, 2007 07:56 AM Permalink
This analysis is far much better and more authentic than what our Sunny Gs,and other ex-s do.
i believe india met with a resurgent bangladesh and then with sri lanka who will most likely win the cup. apart frm that our net run-rate was quite good as compared to teams who won two matches in other groups. just the stars haven't favored us. india is still among the top teams and can beat any other team on any given day.. we should not be angry with a couple of loses!!!
RE:India is very unlucky
by Chiradeep Chhaya on Mar 26, 2007 10:59 PM Permalink
With all due apologies, either you're on crack or you rate our performance versus Bermuda really highly. Dude, we're amongst the top 8 teams in the world - at exactly the 8th position, but there are only 10 Test playing nations and one of those below us, Bangladesh, has just defeated us and it took us 4 attempts to win a series against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe.
And yeah, these were just 'a couple of losses', and unfortunately for our greatly gifted team, Bermuda could not beat Bangladesh else we could have lifted the World Cup, may be on 'superior net run rate', right?
