India's spectacular yet freak win
Srimant Acharya - 28 Aug 2002

I consider myself to be the most patriotic fan of our cricket team, yet I'm not overly ecstatic about India's victory because each time we have won a Test match abroad recently we have lost the next one - in Sri Lanka, in Zimbabwe and also in the West Indies. That said, I'd dearly like to be proved wrong this time around.

The main reason why these sordid letdowns have occurred with great frequency in recent times is because Indian cricketers play with their heart and not with their mind. That is precisely also why some of the wins are so spectacular and could only be achieved by India - be it the Kolkata Test or the NatWest finals at Lord's, both of which were not planned victories but just came about because certain players played with passion.

This Indian trait is in sharp contrast to the attitude of the Australians who play with such clinical precision that they plan everything right down to the minutest detail. Before every important series, they run down their opponents in the print, going on to accomplish the rest on the field. Each of their players has a defined role and each tries to fulfill it, for they know that failing to do so would lead to their ouster.

It is this professionalism that India has to imbibe. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly will now have to succeed with much greater collective consistency. The rest of the players, particularly the bowlers, should also pull up their socks, for otherwise we might lose the exuberance and confidence that the glorious win at Headingley has gifted us with.

Our bowlers must continue to put their heart and soul into their job and make up for their weaknesses by becoming more disciplined. They must constantly remind themselves of the virtues of bowling a good line and length and of how sticking to these precepts made Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock such great bowlers.

The batting is less of a worry but I still feel Shiv Sunder Das must play at The Oval. Sanjay Bangar's batting did play a vital role in laying the platform for the Indian win at Headingley but as he cannot take wickets at Oval, I think he has to go. Also, Ratra must replace Parthiv Patel as the former's now fit. Remember, Ratra was the first choice keeper anyway. What is Patel's USP - the fact that he is only 17 years old? Sorry, as far as I am concerned that alone does not make him a deserving candidate. There is no doubting Patel's talent but in Ratra's defence it must be said that he did not commit any crime to deserve this fate.

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