I've been reading a lot of posts that analyze, chastise India's performance on the field. Most of them are ardent Ganguly fans who seem to think that sacking Chappel, Dravid and bringing Ganguly back into the Indian team is the solution to all woes. Aaaaargh BULLSH*T!!!!!!!!!
For starters, Ganguly WAS a good player. Not anymore. And to get into the team you need to look at the PRESENT performance not PAST records. If people want Ganguly back into the team looking at his previous records, then Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar should also play... Let's face it, Ganguly's days as a player are over. All he can do is appear in a Pepsi commercial hoping that the selectors look at his acting performance now.
Secondly, I feel it is unfair to just blame Dravid and Chappel for this pathetic performance. A coach and captain influence the outcome of a match only to a certain extent. However, the final performance is individual. If a batsman like Sehwag does not show any remorse after being dismissed for an atrocious shot which he calls "playing his natural game", the captain
can atmost rebuke him. But it is upto the player to rectify his mistake and not commit the same blunder.What needs to be improved in the current Indian cricket team:
1. USE YOUR HEAD: I presume everyone has sufficient amount of stuff in the "upper chamber" of the body. If that is filled with vaccum, then God save the team.
2. BODY LANGUAGE: The most lacking aspect in the current team.One boundary from the batsman, or some chin music from the bowler and you end up seeing drooping shoulders. Half the match is played in the mind/attitude and once that is lost, there is a slim chance of winning a match unless the opposition is West Indies who have an uncanny knack of goofing up the simplest of things. Expect no quarter and give no quarter to the opposition.
Learn from the Aussies in this department. At no stage in the match do their shoulders drop. They are intimidating at every instant and pounce on the slightest of fear shown by the opposition.3. PREPARE: Use the technology, identify your mistakes and rectify them. Learn from the champions what they do differently. Practice makes a man perfect sounds cliched but it still holds good.
4. STICK to CRICKET ONLY: For Christ's sake we have specialized actors who can perform on Television. We want our cricketers to bat, bowl and field well, not show their emotions well in commercials. No one cares if Dhoni's complexion turns fair after his usage of Mysore Sandal soap, as long as he is good behind the wicket and with the bat.
The team has talent but no grit and determination to perform. Added to it, there are some players who are on borrowed time.
A note for those who think cricket can be made more entertaining by wearing revealing clothes while anchoring or by using jargon that are 5000 feet above sea level. Cricket is a sport; spelt as S-P-O-R-T and not TV S-O-A-P.
Ms Mandira and Mr.Sidhu, I hope you are listening.
Also, HIMESH RESHAMMIYA can't sing for nuts!!!!!
4 comments:
@nr: Thanks buddy..
@Akshay: I agree that Ganguly had better man management skills, but the message I wanted to convey was that Ganguly cannot come back into the side just based on his man-management skills. And yes, I totally agree with you that Dravid should think out of the box rather than going with his text book strategy. It isn't that he lacks them. We've always seen that Dravid works on his negative points till he overcomes them. A classic example is his one day batting style which is currently a lot different than what it was when he started his career. If Dravid still has the same mindset, there is all possibility that he becomes a better captain. Also, the point you mentioned about the other players not being as professional as the aussies. I strongly disagree with that. When you are playing at the international level, there might be some cultural differences b/w us and the aussies but each player has to be professional to be in the international arena and after all those years of practice.
Lastly, I still go with my word that HIMESH cant sing!!! :)
@Sachin:
Firstly, I'm not sure whether you wanted to complement my writing skills or criticize my engineering skills (or the lack of it), when you mentioned "why our boy is an engineer".. Kidding.. I'll take that as a complement.
Coming to the point, I have nothing personal against DADA. Infact, I have clearly mentioned that he was a great player. WAS and not IS.Dada transformed Indian cricket. But that doesn't mean that Dada sticks around forever. Heck, Kapil brought home the world cup, does that mean Kapil should still be there? Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that is my personal opinion.
I agree 100% with you that Dravid is as* licking Chappel (if I may put it that way), which is a sorry sight. But that doesn't alter the fact that it is the individual's responsiblity to perform. A coach and a captain can influence the game on to a certain extent. Not completely. And I make this comment as a sportsman (read as TT player) who has represented his school, college. You need a coach only till a certain point of time. After that there is nothing new to learn. It is just that you need to work on your weaker areas. Which can be done with or without the coach. The presence of a coach speeds the whole process.
Dravid's captaincy has been lacklustre. Agree with you again. But it has been coupled with some pathetic performance with the ball and bat. Dravid himself said "It is upto the individuals to raise their hands and be counted".
Lastly, honored to have inspired the writer in you. Hope to see some great articles (cricket or otherwise) from you.
I feel DADA should be brought back in to the team....DADA is great....and he is definitely a better batsman than Suresh Raina and a better bowler than VRV singh and all the crappy bowlers who have played in recent times. I think Kapil wont be a bad option to replace RP Singh though.....and no...no dont even think of that guy...Gavaskar. But i Would still say DADA is Great...What do you think Sachin???
jeez, my bro comes with a bang????
finally a post.
the analysis was really good. comments, even better!
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