We need to strike a balance.
A few demoralising defeats is all it takes to set tongues wagging as is the case after the losses in the Asia Cup and NatWest series.
'Get in a psychologist,' they say. 'Stop paying the players; the cricketers don't deserve to be idolised.'
By they, I mean Indian fans.
Indeed, a lot is said in the aftermath of defeat, but one wonders whether the Indian fan ever really means any of it.
As soon as the Indian team comes out triumphant, all is forgiven, and very conveniently forgotten. But more than the paying public or fans, it is the cricketers who crave victory.
Not many cricketers have forgotten the mayhem that followed India's defeat against Australia in the opening game of the World Cup in South Africa. The players live in constant fear of that ugly scenario repeating itself.
Is that the situation any of us would like to be in?
Under constant pressure to perform, one will falter from time to time. It is to be expected. So why do we react in such an extreme manner?
On rediff itself, the reaction was adverse after India lost to England in the second ODI of the NatWest series. One reader rated the Indian performance as abysmal and wondered why Sourav Ganguly is being persisted with; another felt that India is currently among the also-rans in world cricket. The list went on and on.
The Indian fans are, of course, entitled to expect victory from their team. But the moot point here is whether we are ready to accept defeat with as much grace as victory. Doing that doesn't suggest you don't have a winning attitude; it merely means that you have struck the right balance.
Just after winning the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for being voted the world's best cricketer at the ICC awards function on Tuesday, Rahul Dravid made known his feelings very simply when he said: 'It might stop people burning a few effigies of me after some of our recent results.'
The statement was made in jest, but it provided a peek into the working of Dravid's mind.
The Indian vice-captain is constantly thinking about what defeat means to all those fans back home. And, needless to say, the thought can indeed be perplexing at times.
If fear could have given India victory, it surely would have by now. Maybe, it's time we learn to back our team, especially when it is in the midst of its worst form in years.
The team realises that every defeat adds to the frustration of the people. The support is welcomed by all those related to cricket because the players realize that without it they will have no standing in India. At the end of the day it seems winning is the only remedy.
But is that really the case?
When you are winning, the world suddenly seems to be a better place. The batsmen suddenly rediscover their form, injuries become a thing of the past and the bowlers are at their striking best.
People talk about India being in a very big slump. But it's not really the case.
It's just a team struggling to get back to its best after a long lay-off, trying to get back to the high level that they were playing at.
The team is trying and, at this point, it may be failing but the desired results will soon come.
Team India is not obligated to win but it is obligated to keep trying to do the best it can, every day. Rest assured it is doing that.
For the moment, we need to stop criticising and start supporting the boys.
