Cricket is a game of surprises. I’m sure every Indian fan must have experienced it today after India performed dismally on the second day of the first test match at home against a spineless attack.
For starters let me clarify my idea of the Test Match prior to the commencement. I expected a dry Kotla pitch, anticipated India to bat only once and perceived the game to finish inside four days with an India win. Looks like 2 out of 3 readings are certain to turn true, while the one that failed is not digestible by any means. At the same time one can’t ignore the devil in the pitch especially when 17 wickets fall on the same day. Of course these are specially doctored conditions that are demons for visitors and heavens for hosts. And India is expected to put better show when they are not dealing the likes Murali or Warne or Donald in the opposition ranks. But, 200 all out... INEXCUSABLE!!!
Now that set and done, what explains India’s poor show with the bat? Are the batsmen still in T20 mode?
Many might actually buy this, for some reasons I don’t want to blame T20, though I agree the format has big impact on Test cricket. Half the batmen in the XI namely Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman are not actively involved in the format at all. So definitely can’t blame T20 entirely for the debacle. However it is very evident Tendulkar is yet to recover from the bout of failures, Dravid succumbed yet again for running out of partners and Laxman lost himself to low bounce. That leaves Sehwag, Gambir, Yuvraj performances to debate. The case of Sehwag Test, ODI or T20 he plays the same way and more over this game/series is sort of comeback for the Trio in order to be in shape for the big boys show down under. Today, Sehwag got out to a bizarre stumping episode, Gambir for holding the bat in the wrong hands and Yuvraj on the softer side. That leaves us to blame Dhoni and tail for the poor show. I opine the batmen’s reckless attitude to decimate WI has put the team in a spot of bother ahead of T20 cricket. Except the big 3, the remaining batsman showed a sense of urgency to dominate WI. Anyways, today’s show must have shaked India for good. I still want to believe the hosts will bundle the guests inside 150 and end up chasing 250 successfully.
Though it is wise to accept Indian standards deteriorating steeply, I’m curious to know if the ability to RISE still exists. Like, the Australian Cricket may have declined, but Australians continue to win. When India wins the test match and going forward display the attitude to bat 5 day cricket, it is still hope for Indian Cricket and this jerk could be pardoned.
Bottom line: Some part of my brain still asks, “Is it a lame BCCI gimmick to generate curiosity of the fans to follow Test Cricket?”
Dinesh
Cricket Lover
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