Lanka feast created false all-is-well feeling
The Indian batting collapsed twice but batsmen alone are not responsible for the defeat. The blame lies elsewhere; in bad preparation and flawed decisions taken by others. If an MA student is given nursery books to study then accountability for the result lies with college management.
If India are crestfallen, and South Africa delighted, there would be smiles in the Sri Lankan dressing room in Colombo. The last six months, they were mauled by India — outplayed, thrashed by big margins and made to look inferior. With India at the receiving end now, losing a game within three days in tough batting conditions, don’t think any Sri Lankan is shedding a tear.
India shot themselves in the foot by feasting repeatedly on a weak Sri Lanka. Successive triumphs over substandard opposition created a false ‘all-is-well’ feeling, batting averages got bloated and the team drifted away from reality.
The Cape Town Test once again highlighted Indian cricket’s traditional weaknesses. The truth is, despite frequent tours abroad, the Indian team does not travel well and starts poorly.
Indian batsmen, despite Test averages touching 50, are still to discover ways to cope with fast bowler-friendly conditions.
Driving through the line and hitting on the up with front foot planted down the track is fine in India.
But on pitches overseas this is inviting disaster --- as unsafe as driving against the flow of traffic on a busy highway. Technique guru Sunil Gavaskar, having analysed the problem, made this sharp comment: Without backfoot play, the batsmen will remain on the back-foot!
Virat took the Cape Town blow on the chin, refusing to blame the wicket/ team selection/ lack of preparation and offered no excuses. He, instead, spoke about ‘rectifying mistakes’ and hoped batsmen play with intent.
Actually, as much as players, the BCCI needs to be on the ball. The men in control, whether professionally hired or nominated by the court, must look to advance Indian cricket. It is great to secure fat commercial deals, sort out free pass allocation and disallow needless travel but these are peripherals, not core issues.
A year since the BCCI suffered a surgical strike, Indian cricket is caught in quicksand, stuck with no sign of progress. Rahul Dravid once said the purpose of domestic cricket is to promote quality and develop cricketers who can win matches for India. Sadly, domestic cricket is not aligned to this objective and Ranji is treated in a step-motherly manner. Similarly, international cricket is often meaningless with matches scheduled to satisfy a broadcaster or used as a lollipop gifted to a country that voted in support in a boardroom battle.
Players have to go out and cope with challenges flung at them. To succeed consistently, they need back-end support which takes care of issues of scheduling, rest, workload, financial composition and quality wickets. Coach Shastri announced the team’s desire to win overseas and Kohli has demonstrated he won’t compromise on commitment. The question is: Will BCCI think beyond ‘control’ and look to contribute in this quest for excellence?