MTJAG has a great post up about the 5th ODI and the consequences of being Sachin Tendulkar. A similar discussion can be seen all over the blog world about why India lost to the most inferior Australian side in years. So I'm proposing a few answers. Most of them are debatable.
1. It's the curse of having a Sachin Tendulkar in your team. There is no one like him, there possibly will never be. When you have a Tendulkar in your team and he is at the crease playing one of the best innings of his life (there are so many of these!), do you ever think you will lose? When Sachin goes out, because believe it or not, it can happen, instead of taking responsibility, the others panic. Then they lose and everybody blames Sachin for not finishing the game. Last time I checked, the team was called India, not Tendulkar. And cricket traditionally tends to have 11 men teams. Now, if Sachin had 10 kids and they all played for India, it would be different.
2. The Indian bowlers gave away 350 runs. You know your opponent team's bowling attack is weaker than your grandma's knees and you know the batsmen are going to come after you to make up for that. So clearly, the obvious answer is to allow their top order to make 350 runs. All at strike rates of hundred and above. And please don't start all that batting pitch nonsense. 10 Indian batsmen combined made 155 runs...and 17 out of India's 347 came from the Aussie bowlers.
3. Ravindra Jadeja wanted to be a hero. As did Harbajan, with that stupid shot which got him caught behind, but Jadeja took it to the next level. The minute Sachin got out, he started itching like a man having withdrawal symptoms. He was so upset with the Aussies for not being able to run him out that he let them have a go again and again. Did anybody catch Praveen Kumar's face when the Aussies finally did get him? I crossed my fingers so tight for Praveen to go up and slap him that they were nearly drained of blood. Alas, Harbajan hasn't taught Praveen the correct way to deal with eager youngsters yet.
4. This is Australia. Taken from Ricky Ponting's facebook fan page:
"Plenty of press about India attacking us today because we are wounded with all our injuries! That's just the way I like to go into a game with a bunch of guys like we have. India can't afford to be off their game at all as we will be on the attack right from the opening ball today."
As much as I hate to admit it (man, why do I have to be so sensible sometimes?), you just don't piss off Australia and get away with it. Even if they have put together a team straight from Cricket Australia's day care. When Australian cricketers are made, they are injected with a fluid that runs through their blood yelling 'I don't know the meaning of giving up even if I am shit. I don't like losing at all. And fuck you for thinking otherwise'.
I opened up an Aussie cricketer once to meet this bugger. Tough little sneaky bastards. That's what the Aussies are made of. Unfortunately.
5 comments:
Generally if a side gets 350 in an ODI, you're pretty comfy. And then comes Tendulkar. I am still too stunned to say anything else.
Then came Tendulkar alright. Luckily, the others stayed in the change rooms watching in admiration.
He really looked like he was in his mid-20's or so, he moved so easily around the crease. Punter has been raving about the innings. I've never known another captain to ooze that sort of little kid fandom for a player from another country.
I think Praveen wanted to kick Jadeja rather than hit him.
Some excellent points and some good trademark humour there! :-)
1. The first point is so true. It highlights the importance of playing your role in a situation. The others (except Raina- only to a certain extent) did not. There has to be something called accountability drilled into players heads.
2. Bowling - I don't think any thought went into it at all. Discipline is a more of a myth for many of them.
3. The body language of the players is so important. Once Sachin was gone, you could almost see the shoulders of the other players drooping a little bit. You guys are players too GODDAMMIT! not fans! You give a team like Australia a chance to sniff blood, they're gonna take it.
4. Hats off to them. They do have the winning mentality imprinted in their DNA now.
If I have to get to see Tendlya play like this, I wouldn't really mind the team losing.
The rest of his team mates were perhaps awe-struck. Bolt from the blue.
Sorry for the late reply guys, had a busy day yesterday!
Sid, true. But given their bowling attack and Tendulkar, I can understand.
Vim, I wish Praveen had kicked him. Then the match would have had everything.
Sujith, thanks. I explicitly didn't mention Raina. The Indians might give Tendulkar's role to him after he retires and go about their merry ways of not taking responsibility.
Scorpi, really? I would think you would be disappointed that the rest of the team let Sachin down.
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