Last 52 days for the fans of Indian cricket are not for the faint hearted. Seems like BCCI has partnered with Heart Association to get people their cardiac jolts. There hasn’t been an upheaval of sorts in recent memory for any team. We have all learnt how pendulum swings but now we know the fortune of this team has challenged pendulum.
Falling to the new depths was turned around by the conquest of previous unconquered height to the freefall again. It is baffling how things can swing so much within such a short span of time. That’s why I am calling this article “Reverse Swing” which is pun how the fortune swung in the favor of the Englishmen with ability of their oldest warrior to unearth the art of reverse swing on unfavorable Indian pitch on the fifth day of the test. What endured was a sight to love by the cricket afficionados around the world but the most by the tribe of fast bowlers who would marvel looking at the stumps fly. Most importantly for Ajinkya Rahane who was perceived to be the next Talisman of Team India, was subject to some rude awakening.
Indian people by design are melodramatic. They love drama in everything, be it their soap operas, or their sports or movies. Everything needs to have a sob story (tears of joy or sorrow) and mind you, the biggest hobby of 1.3 billion Indians (maybe more if you count people like me who left the shores few years back and still carry same melodrama withing) is to analyze everything. No wonder Indians make the best Business or Data analysts in the world. Indians love to memorize statistics and pour abundance of logic in their daily discussions. Indian people typically have 10-day test matches for the 5 days their players play on the field. Couple of days each before and after are always spent in dissecting the game of those 11 fortunate men who donned the jerseys with their names on the back. Think when in the last 52 days, the emotional palette of us Indians have been offered an opportunity to display our widest range.
Before the England series started, no pundits (and India isn’t called a land of pundits and gurus for no reason) had an iota of doubt that their men would be steamrolling over their British counterparts and be triumphant enough to even have the Queen offer to return the precious Kohinoor with the negotiation chip to spare their men. Number of Indian companies had already started selling vacation packages for June with a stopover in London to be Lord’s as India would lift their world test championship trophy. Nothing, supreme powers included would stop Virat Kohli from having a monumental 2021 – first the birth of Vamika and then the World Test Championships. People had already anointed Vamika (which means Goddess Durga) as the one who would swing the fortunes in the favor of India and bring them the glory. Same people who had blamed Anushka Sharma for losing a game by showing up so yet another reason how Indians can get judgmental. Indians are not bad people; we just take everything about cricket and Bollywood to the heart and that too how we perceive the things.
Anyways, switching back to cricket, fans have pretty short-term memories and what was their crowning glory few days back is now the end of the world and they need a messiah or team of them to bring them back. Can that be done? Is it that difficult? No, they are playing at home, they are not as challenged physically as they were the down under. They can easily have replenishments. They have been their before – being down but not out. What is needed in this hour is the players need to tune the noise out and focus on what matters. Talent is not an issue, confidence neither. Belief is needed and the chose eleven men have to put everything that they have on the line. Focus needs to be on the big game which is to be played for 5 days ending just the day before the big payday – IPL auction. They need to take one session at a time and a day at the most. One of their biggest let downs has been the toss and no expert can turn that around. But then, by the same token, they lost all the tosses in Australia and we all know what the outcome was. Yes, tosses matter more on placid Indian wickets but if an international spinner not named Warne or Murali or few others from neighboring countries can outspin our tweakers and beat them at their game, problem lies within.
Time to get back to the drawing board and also make some tough decisions. It is permissible to change the composition of the team for the greater good. If a big name doesn’t show up for the bigger game, it is acceptable to have them cool their heels.
Next match in Chennai is the true test, going westbound to Ahmedabad to play in the stadium with the largest capacity would come later. Winning next match will ease the pressure of those billion critics and restore glory in the minds of the players. People on the other hand, have not have their knives out and leave the team alone. They know what they are doing, and these are the same men who have been there done that. They could settle for next few weeks offering their critique to other avenues.
All us fans, hold our horses, let the men who put their body on the line battle this out and let’s collectively pray and let the players play. These men have done it before, they will do it again. Trust the process.
