BOMBAY, 7 August 2004 — Not many are surprised really that the Saurav Gangly-led Indian team could not eventually shake off the tag of “chokers.” The final of the Asia Cup, if anything, confirmed that, when it comes to the crunch, the highly-rated Indian team flops, and how!
Even if one has to give credit to Sri Lankan outfit for its fighting all-round display and the exemplary manner in which it was led by Marvan Atapattu, it must be said with some trepidation that the much-vaunted Indian batting looked very ordinary. Should the top-scorer of the match, Sachin Tendulkar, escape this criticism? Certainly not. He was as guilty as the others, if not even more, in not doing what this team best — play attacking cricket.
In limited-overs cricket, an imposing target is a big challenge, but a modest one can turn out to be like a Rubik’s Cube, so easy to handle yet so difficult to resolve. This once again happened in the case of the Indian team. The eminently gettable total was targeted in a most uncharacteristic manner by what is reputed to be the strongest batting line-up in international cricket. The ultra-cautious approach eventually proved the team’s undoing.
Pointing fingers at the inanimate is only a lame excuse. The wicket at the Premadasa Stadium may not have been a fifty-fifty track, as one would have expected for a final, or for that matter, any One-Day International. The ball did not come on to the bat and the pitch became a turner quite early in the game. In view of these conditions and some brilliant bowling by part-timers, Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag, India gave themselves a very moderate target of 229 runs and an excellent opportunity to win. But quite shockingly, the best stroke-players restrained themselves to a point of no return. Sehwag was once again a big disappointment and his constant failure must surely raise questions over his being the right partner for Tendulkar. A big opening partnership has become only a memory.
Tendulkar’s self-denial when he patted back even half-volleys became all too contagious. And when he tried to break the shackles, desperation crept into his stroke-play. Ganguly and Dravid came and went like high wind and Laxman looked far from fit both in the field and at the batting crease. Yuvraj Singh was the worst culprit, just failing to get bat on ball and wasted so many deliveries.
The target of little over four and a half an over began to magnify and for the rest of the batting, it was just panic. Some lusty hitting by Zaheer Khan helped to bridge the margin of defeat to just 25. There can be no denying the fact, however, that India were beaten fairly and squarely, the state of the pitch notwithstanding. Despite the fact that Indians bowled remarkably well, they choked in the end. This is the twelfth time in 13 finals that Indian have failed to beat their opponents. The Indian team looked unrecognizable as the one that had triumphed in Pakistan in both forms of the game. What did the Indian team achieve in the Asia Cup? Losing the final capped a miserable performance by the team. In six matches, they had only one victory over a team of any consequence. That was in their repeat meeting with Sri Lanka, a break-or-make game for them. Otherwise, they lost to Pakistan, twice to Sri Lanka and only fluffed themselves up with big victories over weak United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh. Nothing to shout about, really.
No introspection on this poor display will be complete if finger is not put on what, I believe, is the root cause of the uncalled for decline. It is the fitness of some key players, and more importantly, the methodology of passing them fit. You cannot fool all the people all the time on this sore point. However, much the team physio may certify their fitness, Zaheer Khan and V.V.S Laxman were just lame ducks.
The new system of having 20 players on the elite list for contractual payment is making matters worse. The present team management is protecting some undeserving players, on account of their lack of fitness, so that their places do not go to others who are waiting for their break. Whatever the reputation of players, you just cannot have weak links in the playing squad.
