Right then...now that all the sporting spirit and reluctant acceptance of the loss has sunk in (it's gotto...do we have a choice anyway?), let's take down lessons learnt from the loss.
All of us make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes, but champions learn from their (as well as others') mistakes and avoid recurrence of atleast the known lessons that they have already learnt the hard way.
So here are things we gotta do before our next match:
1. Play Amit Mishra
For Googlesake, why on earth was he not played on a pitch that was ideal for him? Here's a man who deserves to be in the team for atleast a couple of tournaments, performance notwithstanding. Spinners anyway need and feed on a captain's confidence in them. I wish Dhoni could be a Ganguly here, and just tell Mishra to do his thing, show the rich gourmet of skills, variety, wicket-taking ability and the big-match temperament that he surely seems to possess from whatever we have seen of him.He just needs to be told to do his thing fearlessly, without having to worry whether he will need to be the drinksboy the next game. If the pitch is amenable to turn, then he too needs to turn up, in the Indian playing eleven.
2. Get Raina in earlier than #5-6
Mr. Suresh Raina needs to take responsibility and play longer and earlier. The former is his responsibility, the latter his captain's.
I'm surely open to situational requirements and match dynamics. If the need of the hour is that the team would much better off with someone else coming in instead of Raina, I'm all for it. But the guy has been going too low down too often, just to find Dhoni promoting himself ahead of him - only to potter around to scamper ones and twos - is this good enough reason to dispense with Raina from his position? The guy is a genuine talent and we are wasting him too often for too late. I'd hate to see him go the Kaif way.
3. Be courteous to Yusuf bhai
Mr. Dhoni needs to just politely say a thankyou Yusuf, and ensure he doesn't figure in Indian selectors' radar till he actually plays to his potential, consistently. Yes, everyone knows about IPL but that cannot be the passport to a life-time pass to the Indian team.
International matches are not exactly the platform to get a guy up and running. With Mishra in, we won't miss his bowling either, which is at best, containment-stuff.
It's time we got half as willing with an Abhishek Nayar or a Virat Kohli as we have been with Yusuf.
4. Harbhajan to bowl off and just-outside-off-stump line
He has been too often, far too short (-tempered, apart from his length) or far too full (of himself, apart from his length), too leg-sidish, too one-dimensional, and too flat and fast (without using the loop). I hope he bowls the way he used to earlier, when he had a nice trajectory, and the enviably sharp turn and bounce that he used to purchase from the wicket. Most of all, he needs to respect the place and responsibility he has as a wicket-taking bowler. He is happy containing batsmen and is now struggling to do even that.
5. Fast bowling woes
Talking of purchase from the wicket, if we haven't had reverse swing going for us, apart from maintaining a good length, why can't we try slower ones, yorkers or even low full tosses, for a change - they not only confuse the batsmen and stop taking you for granted, but can also be executed irrespective of the wicket or the state of the ball. Just why not?!
6. Fielding
Well, this is not something that can change overnight and certainly not before the next match, but still yaar, kuchh to effort daal sakte hain na? What are the umpteen support staff personnel doing when we still remain not only butter-fingered but also seem inept with our ground fielding? Except Raina, Yuvraj, Kohli and Karthik, how better are we as an overall fielding unit as compared to the fielding side of 5 years ago?
Just want to see improvements on these fronts - am sure we'll make a better team.
Koi bhi desh (read playing eleven) perfect nahin hota, usey perfect banaya jaata hai. :-)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Naheeeeen, keh do ye jhootth hai !!!!! :-)
Yes, that's exactly how I felt, when Bhajji tried the most uncouth of reverse sweeps to complete the final rites of India's loss to Pakistan. I was just left wishing why this match wasn't some untrue nightmare or why the rains couldn't just somehow actually come poring from nowhere even till as late as the 38th over of our innings (yes, we were ahead in terms of runs till then: Pak's 200/3 Vs. Our 218/5).
But after all, that's what sport's all about - not just learning how to win, but more importantly about learning how to accept a loss, and taking it in your stride with grace and with lessons learnt. No wonder, that's why such an attitude is referred to as "sportsman's spirit" and "being a sport". No other phrase can communicate this so succinctly and correctly if it is disassociated from the meaning and spirit of "sport".
So well played Pakistan, but don't lose heart India - you were good too, except the last 10-12 overs in both innings.
The proverbial butterflies in my stomach didn't take too long to disappear once the match began. But as the match progressed after the good first over, my stomach reported that the jittery, butterfly feeling had now given way to sharp, shooting pains. And as the batsmen took heavy toll of our incompetent bowling (with the exception of Nehra and Pathan), the pain spread from the stomach further towards the head and the heart.
It was absolutely mindless bowling - that's my only complaint. Too short, too leg-sidish, too amateur, too inconsistent and just too easy for international level.
Believe me, I didn't mind RP Singh's first over where he was smacked for a couple of boundaries - atleast he was bowling it up to Nazir. If you just have to be hit, you'd prefer to be hit for either a cheeky lemon-cut boundary (moral victory) or atleast a good shot where you make the batsman use his skill to hit a good one - and that's mostly possible on good-length/just short of length bowling.
So I was still ok with him erring on the fuller side and not on the shorter one. Yes, he overpitched, but I was willing to forgive him because a) it was his first over and b) even if he was overpitching, it showed he was atleast trying to put the ball in the right areas.
With the short ball (mind you, this was not the short-pitched, chest-high stuff), you just don't give yourself a chance because the batsman has ample time (especially on a belter of a surface like Centurion) to judge the length, the movement, and to make room for himself and play+place the shot to his liking.
Though he was too stiff and too slow than he should have been, what I really liked about the rest of that first over from RP was that despite being hit for 2 fours, he did not stop pitching the ball right up. I'm no expert and I might well be missing a trick but I don't know why the commentators did not acknowledge that part (prolly coz it didn't fetch him a wicket off those balls then!), but atleast to me, that was spirited, focused and really good bowling - undettered by the same kinda balls being hit for fours - neither did he drop his shoulders in that over, nor his length.
His bowling stats won't reflect that alright, and he should have tried just-short-of-good length instead of good length but him sticking to good length instead of too short was also acceptable to watch for me. I was happy to seem him get his due when he got Younis Khan out, poking at a just short-of-a-length delivery. It was a pity therefore, that he did not stick to good length/just short of good length bowling for the rest of his spell.
What followed thereafter, was splendid batting alright from Messrs Malik and Yousuf, but the bowling left a lot to be desired. Whichever team's supporter you may be, it's safe to say it was absolute mayhem from the 35th over onwards - whichever way you look at it.
Anyway, congratulations to Pakistan and well tried India - atleast in the batting, we didn't disgrace ourselves. Chasing such a huge total against a quality attack on a tough pitch, I liked the fact that we had a match on till well into the 92nd over of the match - all the more credible since we did not have the services of Yuvi and Viru. Sachin showed he too is human after all, and can fail sometimes. But most of our batting firepower acquitted themselves fairly well.
We could have easily collapsed in a heap below 200 or tottered to some meaningless total with meaningless, insane batting. Chasing 303 against Pakistan (not just another game/chase, right?!) on a pitch like this, with Sachin gone and no Viru+Yuvi, come two dot balls and there'll always be the temptation of going berserk. But I loved the way we applied caution with aggression, Dravid holding one end up, Gautam playing a gem and getting out the only way he could have got out, Raina providing the necessary impetus and thrill towards the latter half, but alas, it just wasn't meant to be.
And I just realised what a joy it is to see your team maxing on the free hits - with boundaries and sixes - sheer delirium!
I remember a time when Gambhir smote sixes and fours off consecutive free hits - what joy! Try telling that to the bowling team's players/fans.
But still, the team that played better cricket on the day was Pakistan and they were deserving winners this time. But we still have faith in you Team India, and it's time you guys now vent your disappointment/frustration/anger over this loss on Australia and West Indies. You need to take the wind out of their sails and by a handsome margin too, to make it to the semis.
Go on guys, we still love you!
But after all, that's what sport's all about - not just learning how to win, but more importantly about learning how to accept a loss, and taking it in your stride with grace and with lessons learnt. No wonder, that's why such an attitude is referred to as "sportsman's spirit" and "being a sport". No other phrase can communicate this so succinctly and correctly if it is disassociated from the meaning and spirit of "sport".
So well played Pakistan, but don't lose heart India - you were good too, except the last 10-12 overs in both innings.
The proverbial butterflies in my stomach didn't take too long to disappear once the match began. But as the match progressed after the good first over, my stomach reported that the jittery, butterfly feeling had now given way to sharp, shooting pains. And as the batsmen took heavy toll of our incompetent bowling (with the exception of Nehra and Pathan), the pain spread from the stomach further towards the head and the heart.
It was absolutely mindless bowling - that's my only complaint. Too short, too leg-sidish, too amateur, too inconsistent and just too easy for international level.
Believe me, I didn't mind RP Singh's first over where he was smacked for a couple of boundaries - atleast he was bowling it up to Nazir. If you just have to be hit, you'd prefer to be hit for either a cheeky lemon-cut boundary (moral victory) or atleast a good shot where you make the batsman use his skill to hit a good one - and that's mostly possible on good-length/just short of length bowling.
So I was still ok with him erring on the fuller side and not on the shorter one. Yes, he overpitched, but I was willing to forgive him because a) it was his first over and b) even if he was overpitching, it showed he was atleast trying to put the ball in the right areas.
With the short ball (mind you, this was not the short-pitched, chest-high stuff), you just don't give yourself a chance because the batsman has ample time (especially on a belter of a surface like Centurion) to judge the length, the movement, and to make room for himself and play+place the shot to his liking.
Though he was too stiff and too slow than he should have been, what I really liked about the rest of that first over from RP was that despite being hit for 2 fours, he did not stop pitching the ball right up. I'm no expert and I might well be missing a trick but I don't know why the commentators did not acknowledge that part (prolly coz it didn't fetch him a wicket off those balls then!), but atleast to me, that was spirited, focused and really good bowling - undettered by the same kinda balls being hit for fours - neither did he drop his shoulders in that over, nor his length.
His bowling stats won't reflect that alright, and he should have tried just-short-of-good length instead of good length but him sticking to good length instead of too short was also acceptable to watch for me. I was happy to seem him get his due when he got Younis Khan out, poking at a just short-of-a-length delivery. It was a pity therefore, that he did not stick to good length/just short of good length bowling for the rest of his spell.
What followed thereafter, was splendid batting alright from Messrs Malik and Yousuf, but the bowling left a lot to be desired. Whichever team's supporter you may be, it's safe to say it was absolute mayhem from the 35th over onwards - whichever way you look at it.
Anyway, congratulations to Pakistan and well tried India - atleast in the batting, we didn't disgrace ourselves. Chasing such a huge total against a quality attack on a tough pitch, I liked the fact that we had a match on till well into the 92nd over of the match - all the more credible since we did not have the services of Yuvi and Viru. Sachin showed he too is human after all, and can fail sometimes. But most of our batting firepower acquitted themselves fairly well.
We could have easily collapsed in a heap below 200 or tottered to some meaningless total with meaningless, insane batting. Chasing 303 against Pakistan (not just another game/chase, right?!) on a pitch like this, with Sachin gone and no Viru+Yuvi, come two dot balls and there'll always be the temptation of going berserk. But I loved the way we applied caution with aggression, Dravid holding one end up, Gautam playing a gem and getting out the only way he could have got out, Raina providing the necessary impetus and thrill towards the latter half, but alas, it just wasn't meant to be.
And I just realised what a joy it is to see your team maxing on the free hits - with boundaries and sixes - sheer delirium!
I remember a time when Gambhir smote sixes and fours off consecutive free hits - what joy! Try telling that to the bowling team's players/fans.
But still, the team that played better cricket on the day was Pakistan and they were deserving winners this time. But we still have faith in you Team India, and it's time you guys now vent your disappointment/frustration/anger over this loss on Australia and West Indies. You need to take the wind out of their sails and by a handsome margin too, to make it to the semis.
Go on guys, we still love you!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Just a game? No way, sir!
It's still around 3 hours to go before the first ball is bowled but I cannot wait for the match to get started, and it's been this way for atleast the last 12 hours.
The continuous thinking + time-defying waiting + non-stop pre-match coverage and hoopla generated all around has ensured that the excitement, the nervous energy and the butterflies in my stomach have all reached a crescendo.
No matter whatever I am doing or not doing, every couple of minutes my mind goes back to the same questions: Kya hone wala hai? How will we fare? What's it gonna be like?
Will our injury-sticken team be able to put it across the full-strength Pakis?
Will we get an encore of Centurion circa 2003?
Will some unexpected name rise to the occasion and give our depleted team a new superstar from this match?
Can we maintain our near-flawless record against Pakistan in ICC-sponsored events?
Oh, it's too much to keep wondering. Wondering about all this only adds to the nervousness and curiosity.
No sane thoughts to calm myself seem to work. Sure it's just a game, as I see Younis Khan announcing himself available for the match while not being 100% fit.
The thing is, that no matter how objective you may try to be, such games cannot be treated as just a game although in theory, they should be.
It's like you cannot not be elated+nervous+excited if you are going out with one of the most beautiful women in the world, but outwardly, you need to display as if she is after all, just another woman. What a farce!
Facts-wise, nothing wrong with the "just another" statement, but the emotions that the occasions (India-Pak contest, To be with the best lady) stir, just do not reflect the strictly (and only theoretically/factually) correct "just another" tag.
So the probability of this game being treated as just a game, is as high as Osama bin Laden being elected as the President of the United States.
Mind you, I'm no jingoist and I can live with Pakistan winning (especially, - actually only, if they play better than us) without burning effigies, without losing my life and without stoning a cricketer's house.
I'll surely be mighty disappointed if we lose but that's fair enough - even though the disappointment of losing to Pakistan is acutely greater than losing to any other team in the world.
Which is why, it's anything but just a game - and the toughest part for even the players is this time - the few hours just before the match till they get to the ground - atleast till the action starts.
Just hope our guys have better nerves to come up trumps.
Never do I wait for any other game with such bated breath, anticipation, trepidation, perspiration, (heck, even constipation!) for "just a game" whose result shall offer either an unreal, unseen humiliation or supreme, unbridled exhilaration!
Watch this space for more..
The continuous thinking + time-defying waiting + non-stop pre-match coverage and hoopla generated all around has ensured that the excitement, the nervous energy and the butterflies in my stomach have all reached a crescendo.
No matter whatever I am doing or not doing, every couple of minutes my mind goes back to the same questions: Kya hone wala hai? How will we fare? What's it gonna be like?
Will our injury-sticken team be able to put it across the full-strength Pakis?
Will we get an encore of Centurion circa 2003?
Will some unexpected name rise to the occasion and give our depleted team a new superstar from this match?
Can we maintain our near-flawless record against Pakistan in ICC-sponsored events?
Oh, it's too much to keep wondering. Wondering about all this only adds to the nervousness and curiosity.
No sane thoughts to calm myself seem to work. Sure it's just a game, as I see Younis Khan announcing himself available for the match while not being 100% fit.
The thing is, that no matter how objective you may try to be, such games cannot be treated as just a game although in theory, they should be.
It's like you cannot not be elated+nervous+excited if you are going out with one of the most beautiful women in the world, but outwardly, you need to display as if she is after all, just another woman. What a farce!
Facts-wise, nothing wrong with the "just another" statement, but the emotions that the occasions (India-Pak contest, To be with the best lady) stir, just do not reflect the strictly (and only theoretically/factually) correct "just another" tag.
So the probability of this game being treated as just a game, is as high as Osama bin Laden being elected as the President of the United States.
Mind you, I'm no jingoist and I can live with Pakistan winning (especially, - actually only, if they play better than us) without burning effigies, without losing my life and without stoning a cricketer's house.
I'll surely be mighty disappointed if we lose but that's fair enough - even though the disappointment of losing to Pakistan is acutely greater than losing to any other team in the world.
Which is why, it's anything but just a game - and the toughest part for even the players is this time - the few hours just before the match till they get to the ground - atleast till the action starts.
Just hope our guys have better nerves to come up trumps.
Never do I wait for any other game with such bated breath, anticipation, trepidation, perspiration, (heck, even constipation!) for "just a game" whose result shall offer either an unreal, unseen humiliation or supreme, unbridled exhilaration!
Watch this space for more..
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