.jpg)
Of late I have managed to stay dispassionate to a certain extent ( read as...not losing sleep over a loss ) whenever India plays. But watching how we floundered in the games against WI and Eng, made me feel bitter and irritated, which lingered on for few hours into early morning. By now, every possible explanation has been given by passionate fans, disbelieving cynics, former players and coaches, not to mention majumdar from TimesNow ( Man, wish someone would put a lid on that dude ). Essentially there are two groups : who think MS is a gr8 captain and others, who think he is just plain lucky. His luck has been attributed to matches on docile wickets, big hitters ( sometimes he joins that league), toss, weak opposition etc. As a fan, one can rely on media, expert commentators and occassional insider news from team officials or former team mates, to gauge what goes on in the dressing room and off the field. However, the latest comment from Kirsten seems to have vindicated those who felt that our beloved players are afflicated by fatigue and injuries, which the players themselves have been denying with a straight and sometimes, a liar's face. It is only human, especially in India with all the hype, money and glamour, to feel the need to be in tournaments such as IPL and tire onself at the end of it. I have a feeling, the Indian players wont take the opinion of Kirsten all too well that they might have to skip IPL next time around. It was so obvious that Zak and Ishant were carrying injuries. Sometimes we wonder, how much more money do they want to make and what are they going to do with all that, if they cant give their best for their country when on the field.
Yet again, our shortcoming against short-pitched deliveries has been well advertised by the WI and Eng quickies. Our pacers, with their mediocre speeds tried in vain to re-enact the same, but were tonked royally. Generation of good bat speed with the leading edge very slightly slanted backwards is the way to get elevation which is essential to clear the park : Rohit tried to keep the ball down and Raina aimed for the skies. While we have become good travellers, mostly due to docile pitches, we have to get rid of the predominantly front foot mindset. Bajji, the passionate surdar exasperated everyone by bowling on the pads of players, who are good on the leg side. No plausible explanation can be given, especially when the field is not set for that kind of a line. The less said the better about ground fielding - zak, bajji and yuvi were the serial offenders this time. If one had noticed closely, our team overall doesnt have the aggressive mindset in attacking the ball irrespective of whether the batsmen are looking to steal that additional run. With a weak throw, it is fool hardy to think that they can catch the batsmen offguard, by acting as if they are deliberately letting them to go for the extra run. Jadeja, never looked like the one made for T20, even when he played in the IPL. He is not a big hitter, and the shortest format requires big hitting. So why pick him in the first place ? No good team currently has anybody earmarked for stonewalling. Someone like even Kallis, who can drop anchor, can also clear the field.
MS did few things right - post exit mostly - in admitting that he is finding it difficult to get his big shots. He is street smart enough to understand that he doesnt have the shots as yet to collar attacks of all kinds and on all pitches. He was also wise in patching up with the media after the flare-up over the Sehwag issue.
I hope and wish, that our players learn from this mistake and show good results atleast for the next few months, before they again get back to their old ways. The real concern is about the timing when they choose to shoot themselves in the foot.
