Wednesday, September 07, 2005

AGAIN?


Again it is that time when everyone says that India could not do it in a final. Team India is labeled a 'choker' for the lack of success on the big day.

I feel much fuss is made out of the fact that India loses in the finals. The team members and the captain take refuge in the excuse that they have after all reached the finals. Of the 19 or 16 finals that India played in, there is only one victory. But in all this statistics, one thing is cleverly and conveniently ignored. In the two most recent cases, the third team involved in the competition was too weak, making India a certainty in the finals. Of course, there were some anxious moments given by the West Indies and Zimbabwe. It was not a cakewalk to the finals for India. So no big deal in reaching the finals.

The media and the fans expect much from the team without taking the reality into account. The performance in the one-dayers in Zimbabwe was inconsistent and patchy to say the least. Ganguly struggled with the bat and now stronger questions are going to be asked about his place in the team. Dravid was one who was a big factor in the tremendous showing in the one-dayers upto the World Cup of 2003. Now in Zimababwe, he simply could not put his bat to the ball. He was out to spinners, a rare occurrence.

The bowlers were the biggest disappointment in the finals with Nehra and Pathan caned to all parts of the park. Harbhajan makes a mockery of the confidence the captain has in him.

All this brings one thing to the mind, “the sum of the parts may not be equal to the whole”.

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