Have WE Made It Large?

With great power, comes great responsibility. - Voltaire

Perhaps, we could re-phrase or extend this to infer/create another statement that seems to hold true for the current state of affairs in/for the Indian cricket team. Or, maybe they are already experiencing/realizing this:
With great rankings, comes even great(er) criticism - especially if you have an Indian fan following.

I am never one to support anyone blindly or irrationally. So yes, one has felt gutted way too often for one's liking in the first Two Tests against England and there must always be (constructive) criticism, for that alone shall open the doors to remedial action.
However, over the course of the last two Test match routs, I have felt a sense of failure, not just on the part of Team India not living up to their touted billing, but also on the part of you, me - us: on the part of the fans and experts, in general.

As I said, yes, there is no doubt that a lot of flak is justified, wherever due. I am the first one to object to the defensive tactics we have had - in terms of:

• Poor, Reactive and Ultra-Defensive Field Placements - with easy singles and even twos, being offered on a platter
• Very Average Captaincy - in not keeping close-in men, especially to new, vulnerable batsmen
• Poor shot-selections and lack of application by many batsmen
• Some very ordinary line and lengths bowled by our bowlers, negating the good work done in an earlier session in the day

All this does need prompt attention and correction - especially since I have only highlighted the parts that are manageable. Not something like being able to bowl express pace/play the short-stuff out-of-the-blue from nowhere.
All the above is stuff that should never have happened in the first place and can surely be rectified w.e.f. NOW.

However, while I would hate to see an encore of the above-listed avoidables, I would also like to object to a generally pervasive sentiment among the more intolerant of India fans (and ofcourse, also almost all of the non-India fans) - that we do not deserve to be #1.

First things first - I would like to believe I ain't any jingoistic, least of all for the sake of a numbers rat-race. So while anyone would naturally always want to see and feel great at his team getting to and then defending its #1 position, I am not as bothered about the potential loss of the #1 tag, as I am about the unjustified and inaccurate comments and statements being dished out.

There has been a lot of breast-beating about the fact that India have not been able to defeat England in England. Fair enough, we won't be able to win the series this time (though we could still make it 2-2).

But at least we did beat England in England as recently as on our last tour (and so have many other teams) over the last few years. When did England do so on Indian soil?

I would like to ask anyone who cares to prefer reason over personal wants/preferences - Why are we making it such a big issue? Forget Harbhajan Singh, why have WE made it so large?!

Except Australia - that too, only in 2001 (that too, due to Indians suddenly being a disjointed lot after the then-skipper Ganguly chickened out in Nagpur - but let's leave that for another day), no team, and I'd like to repeat NO TEAM (including all other Australian tours with their unbeatable, golden cricketers at their pomp) - could ever beat India in India, in the last 20 or so years.

It's not for nothing that India is the Final Frontier. So while I myself strongly believe that this Indian cricket team is yet to become that good, where it can claim to have beaten anyone anywhere, I am equally convinced that it's not that we have a proven team all set and ready as the rightful inheritor of the #1 crown.

Just as each team has its strengths, so too have we.
As I said, while we would love to see the required gumption, skill and technique to survive and excel in conditions meant for swing, bounce, and seam movement, it is equally true that just about everyone that has toured our turf has failed equally miserably.

So here is my rant in a nutshell:
To Team India: 
Please wake up and smell the coffee. It's high time we adapt, perform and at least persevere. The very least I would want to see from them, is to redeem themselves in the areas I listed above.

Equally importantly, or perhaps even more importantly, to the Fan: 
Perhaps a good-to-remember note for all of us - to you and me who wish the Team well and want to see it excel everywhere: A fan ain't just one that's on our ceiling...ain't just one who goes mad at his team's wins. A fan believes and supports his team as much as he loves them.
Like in life, so too in cricket - one (a team) needs support (fans) the most, when things aren't going great. If you are a fan, behave like one.

No, do not ignore their wrongs. But yes, lets criticize constructively, let them rectify, not pressurize 'em & just help them be their best.

Let's not be blinded by jingoism for sure, but let's also not be swayed by knee-jerk reactions or easy, drawing-room critiques either.
At least I, for one, do believe our team must already be as keen as we are, to seem them play to their potential - results notwithstanding.

The task of neutralizing the 0-2 lead and the big mouthing is already enough to keep our Team motivated. 
As genuine supporters and fans, let 'us' not make it large!

Time to Show Our Mettle

Yes, we have lost the first test badly. Yes, we have not acquitted ourselves the way a World No. 1 Test team should.

The sight an Indian fan did not want to see - England's victory huddle :-| (Source: Cricinfo)

Irrespective of whether we like it or not, and whatever be the entirely avoidable and unfortunate reasons behind this, but it is indeed a fact that for the Indian cricket team fits the tag of 'poor, slow starters' to almost every Test series (abroad). Perhaps this tag applies to us even more strongly than a certain 'cho_ _ _s' tag attributed to a prominent team from the southern part of a continent.

However, this is the time when our time needs us the most. They did not set the stage afire alright, but they did not really disgrace themselves either, even in defeat.

On that contrary, I was in fact happy with the way we went for Lunch on Day 4 (when Ishant had rocked England bigtime - the most ardent English fan too would have been jittery for them, then) and even at Tea on Day 5, when we still had 5 wickets in hand for the final session, with Dhoni and Raina at the crease. I am not sure about the others, but I seriously reckoned we could have salvaged a draw with a little more luck (weather) and application. Considering we were always short of our premier bowler, I would never want to give the stick to our cricketers, that too for not trying hard enough. And as I have always maintained, I am fine even with a defeat, as long as our team has put in every possible effort and not made silly/already committed mistakes.

Despite the largely forgettable performance by India, I do believe, though, that we still have it in us to upset the English applecart. Don't forget, this is an Indian team, that is not only used to coming back from behind, but is also a team that never gives up, and is not dependent too heavily on any one individual now, unlike the last two decades. Even the figures show we do manage to bounce back remarkably well after our first Test.

Having said that, it's truly going to be a test of our mettle, to mount back-to-back wins now from a very confident English side, with all bases covered.

Now for my Nobel-winning Eureka-statement of the day: The best and only way to defeat England, is to make sure that we pick our best cricketers (purely by form and as per pitch conditions).

In that regard, I believe it is high time we dispense with Mr. Harbhajan Singh w.e.f. NOW.

My reason: No, I am never a one-test or even a one-series critic. Show me the last time Bhajji bowled India to victory in a Test on his own, even before the current Test/series. Forget humans, even Google might struggle conjuring up the relevant match stats.

Yes, he is a big name (and in all probability, Mr. MSD's favorite will not be left to cool his heels), and is also a handy No.8 but I want to tell him and his admirers just this -
Har bhajan apna karenge, dear Bhajji tere liye...

...batting toh aa rayi hai lekin, ye bhi dekhna wickets din mein kitne liye.

Anyway, as I said, what I wish/think is immaterial as long as the captain/selector(s) do not think so too. I do not expect Dhoni to drop him - and I'd love to be proved wrong if Bhajji just goes on to bowl India to a win. However, my discomfort arises from the fact that not only has he not managed to be among the wickets, he has not even looked like taking/deserving a wicket. Even lower-order batsmen have played him with ease, even smacking him around with disdain.

Which is why, I would rather go with a Mishra instead of him. Why, I'd even drop Mukund to make way for Yuvraj too - he would not only bolster our batting but also add to our bowling with his left-arm spin. Again, though, it's not a selection I see happening in all practicality.

Yes, I am sorry to sacrifice a specialist opener who has actually acquitted himself well, but I wanted to include a left-arm spinner really, even at the cost of my specialist opener. Having said that, I would not mind too much even if this change is not made. But I do want Bhajji replaced with Mishra.

And, since this is my blog, I'd like to use this space to write about exactly what/who I believe are the personnel I can trust the most to do the job in the 2nd Test:

  1. Gautam Gambhir

  2. Abhinav Mukund

  3. Rahul Dravid

  4. Sachin Tendulkar

  5. VVS Laxman

  6. Suresh Raina

  7. MS Dhoni

  8. Praveen Kumar

  9. Amit Mishra

10. Ishant Sharma

11. Munaf Patel/S Sreesanth

Come on, India!!

It's time we showed why we are the World No. 1 side.

Let's silence the likes of Donald, Boycott, and Warne. For good.

Jai Ho!!

There you go again!

'Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it.' - Tamas.

Right then, so it's another anguish-laden post, in reaction to another set of serial blasts in Mumbai. And as i had said earlier, I'm afraid it might only end up being just another date/anniversary of yet another terror attack, in the years to come.
I hope I am wrong but I am yet to see/notice any incident/action by the Government that can make me change my view.
All I can do is to just hope and wait for our Government to finally, kindly, please for Goddamn sake, - please, please - act!! Actually, come to think of it, act it does, but not the 'act' where 'act' is a verb, but where it is an adjective.
So dear heartless leaders, please stop the charade, relieve us of your bhaashans and found-again resolves, and just, only - ACT: TAKE QUICK, SWIFT ACTION AGAINST THE CULPRITS.

Right now, this is our typical cycle:
Blast > Govt issues the customary press release > Strongly condemns the heinous and unforgivable terrorist attack > Reaffirms tokenisms of ensuring justice and re-re-pledges war against terror > Re-re-re-warns terrorist networks of dire consequences, if repeated > Hails the much-abused 'spirit' of Mumbai and Mumbaikars > No Real Actions/Lessons > Blast..

I believe none of us wants to hear about Mumbai's spirit and resilience anymore. It's time we said enough is enough. And said just that, no more. Instead, for a change, can we please act on the culprits ASAP - atleast on known offenders like Kasab?
I want to read about how we put our foot down on this, like US did with Osama and Saddam.

We have no control over what others (terrorists) can do. But we can for sure control what we can do, instead of just spewing platitudes and offering ceremonial wreaths. Has even one terror attack (of even the smallest magnitude) occurred on US soil, post-9/11?
Touchwood for that, but has that happened just because of sheer coincidence or no effort or only due to press releases issued by the White House?

The least we can and should do is to set such a precedent that nobody ever dares to cast an evil eye on even one of our citizens, ever. 
Alas, we can only hope, wish, and pray.

The Fast and The Furious: The Just-Released Version

Ah, well...I bet that despite the lame heading I gave to this post, you knew you are not here for a movie review for The Fast and Furious! That, by the way, can be done here.
This one, is about the 'fast' and 'furious' that are currently - to use a Twitter jargon that is now becoming increasingly commonplace - 'trending'.

Yes, I am referring to the Baba saga that had both of it - yes, the Fast (n., not adj.): that was preceded, inspired, and encouraged by the POC done by Anna; and the Furious (with the government displaying its disapproval by flexing its muscles and resorting to strong-arm tactics. So much so, that it even sprung the Courts into action, demanding an explanation from the Govt).

I felt like penning my thoughts on this entire episode (after all, this indeed seems just an episode of what looks like a long-winded soap opera):

A Tale of Two Excesses
From first mollycoddling the Baba with ministers being paraded to receive him at the airport, to then coercing him and the thousands who had gathered at the Maidan, to rein 'em in - the government made major mistakes by being excessive in its approach on both counts.

Will the Real Satyagrahi please stand up?
Try this:
Search for Mahatma Gandhi courts arrest.
Search Results: Thousands

Search for Mahatma Gandhi jumping/hiding in salwar kameez.
Search Result: None

Did the Baba steal/burgle/kill anyone that you have to run and hide like a petty thug the way he did? Isn't it second nature to a true Satyagrahi to court arrest or at least expect and surely unfazed by that possibility?

In my view, the stature and respect for Baba would have only grown, if he would have courted arrest manfully, head held high. This whole jumping around, shying away, and even resorting to a ladies suit, left a pungent taste, which only led me to lose my appetite for his fight.

Why only Delhi or Noida (NCR region)?
Dear Baba,
First you ask the countrymen and the government to ensure that we do all it takes to extirpate black money and corruption from this system. Very good and all of that, I say.

But hey, on being denied entry by the Congress (Central and Delhi Govt) post your aborted crusade, you conveniently approach the U.P. Chief Minister - another epitome of the same corruption and black money that you so hate, requesting her to allow entry into Noida (U.P.) - how can one collude and request to be with the one who is against one's principles and is, in effect, the kind of person against whom you are doing all this is in the first place? Sounds of eroding credibility, right?

A Satyagrah can be done anywhere, isn't it? But doing so only where huge crowds can easily come and at a place like NCR (Noida) where the media is headquartered/readily available, simply points to..well, I do not wish to insult my readers' IQ level by explaining the conclusion of all this. All of us can connect the dots, can't we?!

Lost in Translation
How many of us now even remember the cause that was being espoused through this fast? Why do we not stress on what is the government doing about the issues instead of only focusing on what the government is doing with the people who are taking up those issues?

I do not think this is the first time one has raised this issue of focusing on the messenger more than (or even totally instead of) the message. Unfortunately, by the looks of it, I don't think, if, realistically speaking, I can say that this is the last time either.

Just hopeful and curious to see when and how we can get to see an end to any such charade.