Underestimation and under-preparation is a curse. One look at the people who have failed owing to the above mentioned factors would be the ones that are the most talented. Talent is a virtue, and for every virtue to grow and take roots, it needs a certain amount of preparation. One needs to understand that he is not the best, yet, has to be confident of his positives and wary of his negatives. The Ramayana could have had a different end had Ravana not underestimated the “Monkey- Army”, which led to his downfall. Had he come to the battle field every day and fought, he would have realized the strength and weakness of his opponents and could have fought better. He would have known what he was up against and would have been better prepared.
It is the same case of the above mentioned U’s and India is not in a hurry to repent the latest loses against England and Pakistan. They have not learnt their lesson to say the least, and victory is nigh impossible, viewing things as they are.
The team selection for the Irani Trophy has befuddled me and I am astounded by the callousness of the selection committee. Agreed, Irani trophy is a platform for performing youngsters in the Ranji tournament and a couple of good performances could make you an ‘India hopeful’ in the future. But given the circumstances and a crucial Test series looming over, BCCI should have picked the batsmen who have high chances of playing in the series. The extremely shoddy performances of the team have not been dealt with, and it seems illogical to groom new talents when they are not actually going to fight the battle.
It was hardly a sight to see Ishwar Pandey and Abhimanyu Mithun toiling away in the match and only god can explain why Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh were included in the playing eleven. The Punjabi offie had a very mediocre season by his standards and his inclusion only suggested that Indian cricket is not ready to let go of the past. At least Sreesanth could be a prospect for the Indian team in the near future, but Harbhajan did not deserve a place in the side what with his performances in the past two years, not to mention his inability to pick wickets even in the first class matches. His performances are poor even for a Kane Williamson, who bowls part-time.
In the batting department, Virender Sehwag, the supposed skipper, was missing the action and his complacent nature hasn’t changed one bit. While Kohli was given the much needed rest, BCCI could have played Pujara, for rustiness is a curse. Gambhir could have played the match as well, his run-drought is extremely frustrating and one more series on the trot would prove costly. Added to that, there is the case of a bearded Wasim Jaffer, who is breathing down Gambhir’s neck with some spirited performances.
While this is the scenario for the top order, Suresh Raina is looking for a Test berth after a number of half-centuries in the ODI format. He might be optimistic to believe in those performances, but Suresh Raina is far from being a Test player in my opinion. ODI and Tests are different ball games. You cannot nick a ball to the boundary in Tests and Raina has to understand that to be one.
The only positive from the match was to see the Little Master back in action. The level of commitment shown by him is simply astonishing, and his hunger to score runs has not been marred by age. His preparations for the Australian series have gone well, and the youngsters need to take a leaf out of his book and learn how to prepare and repair themselves in future. He has not taken things for granted even though he is a legend; success or failure is inconsequential at this age, only the honesty in the attempt matters.
While their counter-parts are blowing the Windies away like a torrent of fiery Tornadoes, India is still contemplating the plusses and minuses of the domestic talent and the question on whether the skipper would know about his bowling attack before 10th of February is highly hypothetic. There are about six bowlers in the fray and sixty others who do not deserve a chance are also ‘likely’ to be picked.
It is rumoured that, had Ishant and Chawla picked one wicket for every comeback chance that they have received, they would have more wickets than Dale Steyn himself. It has been a case of disappointments with every bowler that we have tried. I wonder why Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed were not picked in the Rest of India squad. A five wicket haul here could have guaranteed a berth for the Australian series.
It is an important day for the selectors and the future of the Indian cricket lies in their hands. A win or loss in the Australia series would pave the way forward for team India and all the columns should be properly ticked before the series commences. Australia is fielding a young side and so should India. While one position is up for grabs in the middle-order, one more is waiting for a deserving opening candidate, which might well be Wasim Jaffer.
Whether it includes the Turbanator is a question that is better left to the “wise-men” of Indian cricket. Pace bowling is an area of concern, especially after Zaheer Khan’s temporary exit and the youngsters have an uphill task at hand, one which might make them sweat even before entering the field. Yet, in spite of all this, Indian cricket moves on!
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