Let's salute the guys...
Jaideep Varma
What is wrong with us? Our cricketers have at last played out of their skins
and given us all a series victory we couldn't even have dreamt about, and
yet, there are some people who shake their heads and wonder if the matches
were fixed. At least six people have said this to me. The sickening thing
about these people is -- they would never make that remark if Australia had
beaten us similarly. No, then it would be all about our "lack of killer
instinct", "inconsistency" and "lack of genuine talent".
Are these people so blind that they couldn't spot the incredibly high
quality of cricket that was played in this series? Did they totally miss the
intensity that prevailed almost throughout the series? What do you say to
them? These people aren't cricket fans, that's for sure.
Fact is -- this is quite simply the greatest Test series India has ever been
involved in, home or away. Not "one of the greatest". THE greatest. It had
everything that makes cricket such a great game -- great batting, superb spin
bowling, magnificent pace bowling, outstanding fielding, heroic individual
performances, breathtaking counter-attacks, tantalising unpredictability,
nailbiting supense…it's like the finest scriptwriter of all put all the
ingredients together and came out with this masterpiece.
We, who saw this series, should be grateful it happened in our lifetime. From the quality
point-of-view, it is incidental that India won. But then again, maybe not. A
soccer parallel for the series probably would be being 0-5 down at half-time, and winning 7-6 in extra-time. Poetically, an Indian victory was most
fitting.
The most important thing the series has done for us is that it has given us
paradigms that'll never be forgotten.
1) Never again will an Indian team have reason to give up hope if they have
a bad first innings, if they follow-on. Or if they stumble badly as they
approach crunch time. Any member of the team, however unlikely, can be the
one to take them home (like Dighe was).
2) Never again will an Indian team believe that batting first in Indian
conditions is the end-all. It seems to have escaped everyone that this is
the first time ever in India that the team batting second won every time.
3) Never again will an Indian team underestimate the power of positive
thinking. Forget Laxman and Dravid, could Dighe and Harbhajan have batted
like they did otherwise, when the moment of truth came?
Let us be proud of these guys -- they have shown guts and commitment, and
fortune has favoured the brave. Just like it had favoured this magnificent
Australian team for so long. Years later, this series will be seen as the
turning point for Indian Cricket. Add Kumble and Srinath to this team -- things look rosier than it has for almost a generation.
This is a perfect
team, blending youth and experience, full of promise. And why should that be
surprising -- surely Sodhi's Under-15 and Kaif's Under-19 World Cup winning
sides had given sufficient evidence of what was to come? Now, if only Das
were to sort out the bouncer, Ramesh improve his shot selection outside the
off-stump, Ganguly draw inspiration from his One-Day successes, Dravid stay
positive always, the wicket-keeper confusion resolved - this side would be
very hard to beat under any conditions.
It's my hunch -- all this will indeed
happen. Our Test record will improve phenomenally, even abroad. And that
will automatically bring success in one-dayers too. In 2003, India could
well be the favourites who actually win the World Cup.
Yes, we are getting carried away perhaps. But what the hell, just this once.
Only thing -- let us make it clear to the BCCI that all this has happened not
because of them, but despite them. Let them not harbour any delusions about
this, as they are already showing signs of doing.
You can also read:
For Australia, it is the Lost Frontier
Magical 'Bhajji' thanks Kumble, Wright
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