Jan 04, 2003 07:35 PM
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(Updated Jan 15, 2003 12:06 PM)
It is that time of the year when every Cricket fan dust up their crystal ball for some intense gazing. But the truth is that predicting the World Cup winner is a sheer waste of time & energy. No one really knows what will happen in the coming World Cup (But we Indians can surely hope for the best…..Go..India Go!!!!). Sadly the knowledge of Indian Cricket team being “consistently inconsistent” haunt the fans & prepare them for their worst nightmare (Imagine India coming back home even before the start of the 2nd round{Khuda na kare}).
For a long time now, the Indian Cricket team, have been a dominant force in international Cricket. And having being blessed with world class players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath; the Indians are expected to create something unusual every time they step out to play for the nation. However, John Wright’s side will have to play with complete commitment & resilience during the forth coming World Cup to put themselves back on the map as one of the top-tier nations of world Cricket.
The dreams of millions of Indians will depend on the motivational qualities of our skipper Saurav Ganguly as well as John Wright. The present Indian squad is a prefect blend of experience with youth. The big guns were always there (I’m talking about Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, Srinath & Kumble); but now that the Young Turks are also complimenting them well (Zaheer, Yuvraj, Shewag, Nehra & Patel).
This Indian side has always been accused of lacking endurance & self-confidence (And looking at the current series in New Zealand, I totally agree with the critics on this argument). Aside from Tendulkar, Zaheer, Dravid & Shewag, all the other players have been unpredictable with their form (Which is not a good sign for India). Star players like our skipper & few others habitually shy away from tough decisions & circumstances.
The Indians always had this problem with their openers, with opening pair barely surviving few overs from the likes of Brett Lee, McGrath, Alan Donald, Wasim Akram & now Daryll Tuffy. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar had to change his technique & batting order to shoulder this additional burden. But now with Virendra Shewag in the side, Sachin & co can breathe a little easier. From Sunny Gavaskar to Ian Chappel, everyone has been full of praise for Virendra Shewag. And not without a reason. In this age of reckless stroke players, it is rare to see a batsman who combines compact technique with fluid strokeplay.
Rahul Dravid is the greatest asset this current Indian team has. His strength lies in his technique & temperament. He is one player who can play both on the front & back foot with complete luxury. Dravid & Sachin are two Indian players who always play close to their body, enjoy wide ranges of strokes & are compact in defense.
The only positive thing to have come out of the entire match fixing drama was the induction of Yuvraj Singh (For Jadeja) & Mohd Kaif (For Mohd Azharuddin). Both these players have sharp reflexes, wide ranges of stroke play & are natural timers of the ball. Though, Yuvraj Singh needs to tighten his technique against the spinners. The ascending graph of India’s recent Cricketing fortunes is directly related to the performance of these youngsters.
Zaheer Khan made his debut against Kenya at the ICC Knock out tournament held in Nairobi some 3 years back. We all remember him for his 2 delectable Yorkers against the Kenyans & his performance against the mighty Australians (Steve Waugh will surely think of that ball for the rest of his life). Zaheer is fast, naturally aggressive in his approach & can bowl the Yorker effectively. In recent time Nehra & Agarkar have performed far below their original caliber. Both these fast bowlers can bowl genuine fast balls & can take wickets at regular interval. Agarkar can also tonk the ball around while batting lower down the order.
Fitness has always been an area of concern of the Indian. Players like Agarkar, Nehra, Kumble, Sachin (To some extent) & Srinath needs to work on their fitness level to be able to play long innings & develop swiftness on the field. Though most of the youngsters are reasonable good athlete, they need to develop strong legs & shoulder to avoid breakdowns.
An acid test is coming for the Indians coming February when they play against the top Cricketing nations in the World Cup. The Indian team will be looking to add the only feather missing from the cap (Apart from a Test series victory in foreign soil) –a World Cup win.
This message is for our Cricket team leaving for South Africa— “You must not be discouraged if the world rushes up to you, demanding the impossible. Neither must you sit down to let the world wonder & believe that you’ll are losers. You must be aggressive in your approach & you must strive to fulfill your aim & ambition”………….Edith Kincaid Butler.
