JOHANNESBURG, 12 March 2003 — Saurav Ganguly’s India were so out of tune mentally before the World Cup they hired noted sports psychologist Sandy Gordon to lift their spirits for the tournament. Gordon gave the team a slogan “now or never!” to recite at every team meeting and during their now famous huddle in the middle at the fall of every wicket. The simple recipe for success has worked wonders as the Indians romped through to the semifinals with seven straight wins after losing to reigning champions Australia at Centurion.
Few have exemplified the now-or-never determination better than veteran seamer Javagal Srinath, playing in his fourth and last World Cup, whose 4-35 against Sri Lanka on Monday fashioned a remarkable 183-run win. The 33-year-old, forced out of retirement by a persistent Ganguly, has reveled in the company of the youngsters in the side to take 14 wickets in the tournament so far. “Zaheer (Khan) and Ashish (Nehra) have bowled so well at the other end, its given me a new lease of life,” Srinath said. “I have no choice. I don’t want them to say this old man can’t bowl.”
Srinath, only one of the two survivors with Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian team from the 1992 World Cup, had not planned to make the trip to South Africa. He retired from Test cricket after the tour of the West Indies last April, but Ganguly persuaded him to return. Srinath then took 18 wickets in the seven-match one-day series in New Zealand and was an automatic selection for the World Cup. His success here would suggest a prolonged career ahead, but Srinath’s mind is made up. “I don’t think I have enough cricket left in me,” he said, hinting a final good-bye was imminent after the World Cup. “I am happy because the captain is happy. But this World Cup is not over for me yet. I want to help the team win it.”
