Author: Bobji

Before you go on to read frustrating to follow Indian cricket team, modern times, please read the earlier version of this story here.

Yes, the subsequent liberalisation brought quite a windfall. TV rights were sold to the highest bidder. Coverage of the game became professional. What the Indian fans saw and were spellbound in Australia, they were able to see the same sort of coverage for Indian games. The Indian board started to realise the enormous potential the game has. In that Bindra and Jagmohan Dalmiya were quite instrumental in raising the stakes of the game in the country. Cricketers were paid more and the first class players too started to receive higher salaries for their efforts. More became professional when previously, working at a bank or at railways while playing Ranji was quite common.

As a result of such a sudden burst of funds and resources, the base expanded and so too the talent from remote regions. Now, it became possible to earn a living out of cricket. Not just at the international level but even at the national level. Aspirations increased and so did the expectations. Needless to say, they were again let down by the team.

Azharuddin and the worst team

The series win in England in 1986 was thought of as a possible breakout but it only proved an one off event. Mohammed Azharuddin took over the team which was probably the worst ever but was labelled as the team of the millennium by the board. Series loss after series loss, outside of India followed. So much so that Indians completely lost all hope of ever seeing their beloved team win anything outside the country. To please the fans, atleast in India, the team became sort of tigers. Number of wins increased and the number of loss decreased. Nevertheless, the Indian fan always longed for wins outside India and most specifically, outside the sub-continent.

Indian fan longed for acceptance

The Indian fan longed for legitimacy. We wanted the team to be respected everywhere. We wanted the team to be recognised and thought of as genuine contenders. More than the team itself, it was the supporter who expected some sort of justification to continue with their support. Afterall, victories at Asian Games, Olympics, Commonwealth and other sporting events were not forthcoming. Cricket was and is the only game in which India is at the least expected to compete and hence for the supporters to convince themselves that the Indian team is indeed worth supporting, it is important that the team wins outside the sub-continent. The supporters wanted to the team to be accepted universally as the best in the world. Especially, from the cynical Brits and Aussies. It was built in the psyche of almost every Indian to look for acceptance.

Alas, the Indian team continued to deceive their supporters. 1991 tour to Australia was a disaster and so was 1999. England tours during the 90s proved to be run-fest for the English team. Graham Gooch helped himself to a triple hundred. Added to the mix came South Africa who proved too good for India right from the beginning. Chastening defeats whenever India visited South Africa. Yet, the Indian supporter persevered. They were hoping against hope that the fortunes will turnaround. 

Advent of the new generation of cricketers

Towards the latter half of 1990s with the advent of good batters and with Ganguly’s imaginative captaincy, expectation increased. The 2001 series against Australia boasted the confidence that was battered by match-fixing allegations as well as the resignation of Sachin Tendulkar from captaincy.

Certainly, from now on, the Indian team will do no wrong. Outside wins are just on the horizon. To prove that the Indian team have turned a decisive corner, the subsequent results too pointed to the right direction. Wins in West Indies, England and Australia, though one test apiece, was enough to arouse the sentiments of the Indians. Nevertheless, series wins still eluded but to have drawn a series in Australia when they are in their absolute prime was such a creditable achievement. Now, it was just a matter of time before overseas wins becomes the norm rather than the exception. It did. We won in New Zealand in 2007. Expectations rose. Australia, England and South Africa left to be conquered. Wait SEA, we are on the our way. We are going to hammer you on your own pitches.

2011 arrived and insipid Dhoni

and India went to England as the number one ranked team. Dhoni had all the resources. Experience, world class batters and a decent bowling attack. Sachin was chasing his 100^th hundred in international cricket. Zaheer Khan was bowling well. Ashwin wanted to prove himself. England were on a high as well. The series started. Zaheer Khan was waylaid on the very first day and the entire tour disintegrated into chaos. The Indian team were hapless. They were insipid. Indians were like lambs to the slaughter. Dhoni just didn’t know what to do. The tour officially became a farce when R P Singh, who was in America on vacation was called for the 4^th test and played immediately. A disastrous 0-4 in England’s favour did everything to shatter the Indian supporter’s expectations.

This shellacking was followed by another in Australia. It was even worse because Australia were a pale shadow of the all-conquering one. Ponting & Hussey who struggled for more than 3 years helped himself to a double hundred and few hundreds. Clarke scored a triple to boot. Absolute nadir was achieved when England managed to win in India. I am sure Indian cricket lost lot of supporters at that point. This was followed by more heart breaks. Lost in South Africa, lost in New Zealand. Another humiliation in England and a further annihiliation in Australia. Four series, all of them where it mattered and all of them lost.

Lack of fight or lack of interest?

It wasn’t just the loss that put off everyone but it was the manner of each loss. Multiple innings defeats, opposition running up huge scores and the Indian batters folding up like a touch me not flower. There was absolutely no fight within the team. They waited for things to happen rather than make them happen. It felt as though the players didn’t care. They didn’t care whether it was a victory or defeat. If the supporters felt cheated, they cannot be faulted. Not once did the team score in excess of 300 in 16 innings.

The players were criticised but it didn’t seem to have any influence. No attempt was made to change the team or change the combination. It is miracle that the Indian team still has fans despite such joke of a performance. Consistently. No captain would have survived such a horror run. Dhoni who wasn’t removed from the captaincy after the previous horror run resigned, longtime overdue.

Only series wins of note

Then followed a whole gamut of series wins. All of them in India. Everyone talked of India being the best. It is hard to defeat this Indian team. Things turned out differently again. Loss in South Africa followed by another massacre in England. The saving grace emerged in the form of India’s first series win in Australia. However, an asterix will always attached to that win because it was achieved against a Warner and more importantly, Smith less Australia. India redeemed that part a couple of years later with another series win.

In over 75 years of playing the game, it was the first time the Indian supporter felt good about the team. Not even when India won the 1983 or 2007 or 2011 World Cups. Series win against a fully fit Australia is by far the hardest in the game. To achieve to consecutive series wins in that nation is unprecedented.

Only time will tell whether India will go on and realise the enormous potential it has and become the greatest team ever to have roamed on the face of the earth.

I have called it. It is really frustrating to follow Indian cricket team. Too many dawns and too many failures. Too much of hope and too many heartbreaks. All those talk to this being a wonderful team and that the Indian team is on their way to world domination is utter nonsense. At the sametime, it is tough not to follow the team either. It is a catch-22 situation. You know pretty well that they are going to fail. Especially in SENA countries. You know that the batters will not be able to cope with the bounce or the swing. Yet, all of us, the Indian fans, still follow them. Still hope for a miracle. Still expect that one odd win when the team must be dominating. In a sense, it is tough being an Indian cricket team supporter.

Ever since the 1987 World Cup was held in India and the game blossomed after restrictions were relaxed in 1992, expectations have risen sky high. Prior to that, whatever the Indian team was able to achieve, it was considered a bonus. There wasn’t much expectation anyway. The days of Bishen Singh Bedi applauding the batter for every six hit of his bowling is still fresh in the memory. Opposition making merry of the Indian bowlers and the Indian batsmen unable to cope with pace and bounce were a regular feature. As a result even a draw was considered a big achievement. During this period, wins in one day internationals kept the interest going. There were far too many 3 nations, 4 nations tournament, mostly held in India. India won most of them and it sort of kept the fans engaged.

Two halves

The Indian cricketing history can be split into two halves. Before and After. Before liberalisation and after liberalisation because before liberalisation, wins were more or less non-existent. Whatever was achieved was a bonus. However, after liberalisation, when the big bucks started to pour into the game, expectations rose only to be belied time and again. Let me get into a bit of the pre-liberalisation period to understand the magnitude of the frustration that we the fans have to endure everytime India tours.

Before liberalisation, that is before 1991

Indian cricket and the fans went with the flow. Any victory, in India is welcome. Any victory outside India was something unexpected. It was treated as an aberration. It was termed fluke or the opposition were extremely weak. Mind you, India started to play the game in 1932 and not for the next 30 years did we manage to win our very first test. After New Zealand, India was the slowest to record our first test victory. Every other team recorded their first test win within 10-15 years of playing the game. It took a further 15 years for India to record their first overseas series win in 1967 in New Zealand.

Granted that test series during that period wasn’t as frequent as now. India hardly played 5-7 tests a year unlike now when 12-13 is the norm. Teams like Australia, England and New Zealand simply refused to tour India because of their preconceived perceptions. Nonetheless, it took a very long time for India to establish themselves as a cricketing nation. Blackwash, whitewash and any other wash was pretty regular. The number of games that India lost to England, Australia and West Indies was mindboggling. There was absolutely no quality in the ranks of the Indian team save for a couple of individuals.

I can only imagine the state of mind of the supporters of that era. They must have been frustrated to the core. Not because of lack of results but because of lack of application. Lack of anything and everything. Yet, Indian cricket endured.

Change of fortune, for the better

There was a glimmer of hope towards the start of the 1970s. Suddenly, out of the blue, India won 2 consecutive test series. In the West Indies and England. This was unprecedented. Now that I come to think of it, this has not been achieved even during the current period. India does not have a record of winning 2 consecutive series outside India. This is shocking. They have won one but it was usually followed by heavy defeats. Nevertheless, these wins heralded a new awakening. Not that India became world beaters. Far from it. Nonetheless, India started to win at the least, one test in almost every series that was played in India. Wins outside India still proved elusive. Never mind that but it was progress, albeit, 50 years after starting to play the game.

Things started to improve much faster with the unearthing of players of the calibre of Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Vishwanath, Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna & Venkatraghavan. There must surely have been a huge reception for the team when they won a couple of tests in Australia in 1979 and the Kapil Dev inspired win at Melbourne in 1982 that helped to draw the series in Australia. It was a significant achievement. Winning and squaring the series in Australia was and is always considered an excellent achievement. Not for nothing is Australia known as the trendsetters when it comes to the game. They are the only team in history to have had a positive record against the West Indies when the team from the islands were ruling the world.

Unable to win outside

The fact that these are still remembered shows the paucity of results even after all these years. Never once was India considered a world class team despite the sizeable population. Indian cricket supporters were always looking for series wins in England, Australia, New Zealand and during those times, West Indies. With the exception of New Zealand, the rest were deemed impossible. After the 1971 win, it took India another 15 years to win another series in England and a further 21 years to win there again. The same can be said about Australia and England too because they took more than 30 years and 25 years between their wins in India but that will be missing the point. India with its population and cricketing base was always expected to dominate but the team failed.

The 1983 World Cup win

Against all odds, India won the 1983 World Cup defeating the mighty West Indies in the finals. They followed it up with another World Championship win 1985. Two significant wins albeit in the shorter format. These events proved a catalyst for change. More people started to play the game, follow the game and the team. I myself developed a liking for the game after the 1983 win. As a result, the cricketing base expanded even further. 1987 World Cup and the subsequent liberalisation brought huge funds into the game. Cricket stars became overnight millionaires.

This leads me to the next part of the story.

Other articles about Indian team can be read here, here and here.

It is real and it is staring us right on the eyes. Indian cricket’s lower order problem. This has become serious problem off late. The Indian lower order are absolute mug with the bat. It is better if they are made to stand in a line and the bowler bowl just one delivery to get all of them out. Terrible is the batting ability of the tailenders. For a side aspiring to be world beaters like Australia or the West Indies, this glaring problem must be addressed with immediate urgency.

The Indian lower order is absolute mug with the bat

The Indian lower order is manned by such eminent personalities like Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. Chahal and Kuldeep in the shorter formats. Replacements being Siraj, Natarajan, Rahul, Deepak, Kumar, Shardul and a few others. Except for Kumar and Shardul, the rest are incapable of batting for a period of time. This is a severe cause for concern. Around the world, teams have got bowlers who can hold their own at the crease. Take the case of Nathan Lyon. He fought with Chris Martin for the tag of worst number 11. Now, he is more than capable of scoring 30s and 40s with relative ease. We all know about the quality English tail possess.

Australian bowlers can all bat. In the sense, they may not be able to score 50s and 100s consistently but they are more than capable of scoring 20s and 30s. So can the New Zealand and South African bowlers.

A cursory glance at the Indian fast bowlers in the current squad on their tour of England, there are multiple no.11s. The recent WTC finals is a case in point. The Indian bowlers were unable to score runs. A combined aggregate of 50-60 runs in both the innings would have been the difference between a loss and a draw. However, the situation in the Indian team is that if they are 7 down, it is all down.

Not much is expected of the lower order

Bumrah & Shami are indispensable for the team’s plan. As such they are expected to play in all the games if they are not injured or rested. Hence it is necessary for them to improve their batting. Shami can hit but that is not what is expected. Bumrah can neither hit nor can he hold the bat. All that they are expected to do is to improve their batting sufficiently enough to be able to bat for 15-17 overs and contribute 20-25 runs. This is all the more vital if a batter is at the other end.

Far too many losses comes to mind because of the lower order’s inability with the bat. 2 tests in England in 2018, WTC finals, a couple of tests in South African and New Zealand. Agreed it is not the job of the bowlers to score runs. It is the job of the batter to score sufficient runs and help the bowlers to defend that score. When batter are not expected to take wickets, why are bowlers expected to score runs? Valid indeed. The reason why batter are not expected to take wickets but the bowlers are expected to bat is multiple.

One, during the course of a day, 90 overs or 50 overs or 20 overs, only 4 or at the maximum 5 bowlers will be able to bowl adequate number of overs to be able to get wickets. Batter are expected to make life difficult for the bowlers. As such, bowlers will have to keep running to pick up wickets.

Prediction for the India vs England series

Some of the former greats have predicted for India to win the series against England. Gavaskar has predicted 4-0 or 3-1 in India’s favour. Michael Vaughan 3-1 for India and quite a few others almost similar scoreline.

“In case you have a situation where the weather is going to be a factor, then I think India will win 3-1, but I think India will still go on to win, because England is now a very depleted side, and their batting, as we saw in the series against New Zealand, is being brittle,” Gavaskar said 

How ridiculous have all these predictions have come in the past is well known. Yet, these cricketers continue to predict the scoreline. Before 2018 tour of England, everyone thought that India will win comfortably. Some even said that India will humiliate England in their own country. What happened at the end is quite to the contrary. It was England who humiliated India. The score was 4-1 in England’s favour.

Indian batting completely came apart. Who is to say that the same will not happen this time around? Afterall, Pujara, Kohli and Rahane, over the last 4 years are in outrageous form. With Rahul at the top of the order who is still unproven at the test level, there is every bit of a chance that the score will be repeated. It is better for all the former players to not predict anything because they don’t really know.

Anil Kumble. The name conjures up image of a tall, bespectacled bowler who runs in like a spinner but hurls the ball like a medium pacer. The batter is startled by the pace on the ball. He tries to adjust to the length and the pace of the ball but before he realises, he is caught in two minds. Whether to go forward or stay right of the backfoot. The split second indecision spells his doom. It was really India’s fortune that Kumble started his career at a time when wins even at home were proving to be elusive if not rare. The genial giant Anil Kumble changed the face of Indian cricket for the foreseeable future.

18 years. That is the length of Kumble’s career. Only Sachin Tendulkar played for more number of years atleast amongst the Indians. An underrated giant. The pillar of Indian cricket. He is greatest Indian match winner. Yes all these anecdotes will suit well with Kumble. He has afterall won more tests for India than the spin quartet.

High praise from cricketers of his era

Mohammed Kaif, who played alongside Kumble paid glowing tributes to him after his retirement.

“hand-held a generation of cricketers & I can vouch for this.. I can’t forget his reassuring presence at the non-striker’s end when I got my first ODI hundred. A mentor, a role model, a legend, the career of this @icc Hall of Famer is definitely worth celebrating,” Kaif wrote.

Kumar Sangakkara, the greatest Sri Lankan batsman and one of the best of his era also paid tributes

“Kumble has given me a few sleepless nights as a batsman. He was not your orthodox leg-spinner. This big, tall gangly bowler running in and bowling with very high arm action. Bowling fast, bowling straight and accurately. It was not at all easy to get him away for runs.”

Harbhajan Singh calls Kumble India’s greatest match winner. Truly so.

There were so many other cricketers who had only words of appreciation for the unassuming cricketer. It shows the amount of respect that Kumble deserves and what he has earned.

Kumble’s earlier career

Back in 1990, the 19 year old Kumble began his international journey as a legspinner. He didn’t turn the ball. He was too quick through the air. Critics were having none of it. He was dropped and returned after a couple of years. The spinner who barely spun the ball completed his career as the third highest wicket taker in the history of the sport. Behind only the greats Muthiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

Kumble was certainly affected by the critics as he began to evolve later in his career. More of that below.

Kumble injected the team with confidence and winning mentality

Kumble brought to Indian cricket some steel that was missing earlier. The advent of Kumble inspired the then captain Azharuddin and the coach Ajit Wadekar to form a spin oriented attack in Asian conditions. In this, Kumble was ably assisted by Rajesh Chauhan and Venkatapathy Raju. Together the trio formed a formidable combination. In the very first series, they decimated England. This induced much needed confidence into the Indian team. They were reeling under successive losses in South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies and even against Pakistan in India. The fans gave up hope. The entire scene around Indian cricket was gloomy. I still remember those dark days. Ridiculed by the entire cricketing world as a team that cannot play fast bowling anywhere. It was scary being an Indian supporter.

Tendulkar was there but he wasn’t winning any game. The Indian fraternity looked upto Kumble for some magic. Some inspiration. That Kumble delivered time and time again during the 90s slowly but surely lifted the entire cricketing fraternity around the country.

The selfless performer

Anyone who had the privilege of watching a Kumble with his jaw bandaged and running upto to bowl to Brian Lara, will always remember that day. Our hearts sank but our spirits rose.

“It was one of the bravest things I’ve seen on the field of play,” said Viv Richards.

Kumble went out of his comfort zone to help Harbhajan Singh before the famous 2001 series oblivious to the thought that Harbhajan might actually replace him in the team.

The way Kumble left the international game will always be a lesson for anyone who has overstayed their welcome. He was the captain but had to sit out of one of the test against Australia. He saw Dhoni captaining the team well and he also saw Amit Mishra pick up 5 wickets. Then he decided enough is enough and announced his retirement with immediate effect. Not even the excellent Indian batsmen of his era, Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag and Laxman can claim that.

“It’s very tough when you’ve been playing for 18 years,” he said with a stoic expression at the press conference. “My body gave me the decision. I didn’t want to let the team down, and I thought it would be fitting to finish here.”

Kumble being remembered for the negatives

Despite all of these, Kumble was defined by negatives. Critics said that he didn’t turn the delivery. That he does not have the leg spinner’s classical loop. He was too quick to take any advantage of the pitch. It was completely negative. Kumble was certainly affected as later events showed. Post the new millennium, he introduced lot of changes in his bowling. Previously, where he used to runup quickly, he now sort of slowed his approach to the crease. He gave the ball much more loop as against sending them as missiles. He also turned the ball a lot more than he usually did. Yes, these brought him wickets. Wickets in some unlikely countries like Australia & England. However, the cost per wicket was higher.

How did I view Kumble?

Let us remember. Kumble played the game when 2 of the greatest spinners ever to have played the game were around. Muralitharan & Warne. These bowlers were picking up wickets by the bucketful and in the case of Warne, he made the Englishmen, Pakistanis, New Zealanders and the Africans dance to his tune. That too on completely unhelpful wickets. Here was Kumble struggling to take wickets outside of India. My impression of him during his earlier playing career was also negative.

Gradually, my opinion changed. I understood that it is not easier for a spinner from the subcontinent to start performing in countries that does not assist spinners without proper days and months of practise. Kumble evolved and became much more successful overseas and it showed in India winning games outside the subcontinent in over 15 years. As a result, I saw Kumble in new light and my respect for him grew manifold.

Other reads about Kumble’s finest series as captain

Let us face it. It was Rahul Dravid who was responsible for the loss in the 3^rd ODI against Sri Lanka. India were expected to wallop Sri Lanka in all the 6 games but have already dropped one. Courtesy, Rahul Dravid because I do not think that Shikhar Dhawan, though the captain, has the capacity to question someone of Rahul’s stature. No, Shikhar does not have it. He was perhaps overawed by Dravid. This must have been Dravid’s and only Dravid’s decision. It was a mistake to replace 5 players.

Chetan Sakariya, Rahul Chahar, Nitish Rana, Krishnappa Gowtham & Sanju Samson made their debut during the 3^rd ODI against Sri Lanka. Out went some players who performed during the previous couple of games with Krunal Pandya & Deepak Chahar among them. It is not wrong for players to make their debut. Afterall every player must make their debut at some point in their career. However, to make 5 changes to a winning combination with rookies was downright irresponsible.

Playing for India is not a joke

Rahul Dravid of all the cricketers must know the value of international games. He himself had to slog at the domestic level before making his debut. He must know how tough it is to play at the international level. For him to handover debut to 5 players at just one stroke was something unDravid like.

He must have known better. Giving chances to players is onething but winning the game is much more important. International wins is something that is cherished and it must not be sacrificed for the benefit of a few.

It is alright for players like Rana, Gowtham & Sakariya to be part of an expanded  squad of 20 but to make them play in a game albeit a dead rubber, speaks of not caring for the players who have been in the system for a longer time and have done reasonably well. If a left hander was required, Unadkat was a better prospect than Sakariya.

Take the case of Gowtham

He is hardly known to anyone even within Karnataka. In 10 years of first class cricket, he hasn’t performed extraordinarily and he was also involved in a controversy when he skipped Duleep Trophy citing illness but played in the Karnataka Premier League. This shows the attitude of a player who did not care. How was he even in the expanded squad is beyond me. At 33 years of age, he is unlikely to replace Jadeja, Chahal or Kuldeep or even Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya in the limited overs team. What was the point in taking him to Sri Lanka and on top of that, make him play? It was ridiculous.

Chetan Sakariya

His first class career is modest. So far. He does not have the built of a fast bowler. He can neither swing the ball nor can he bowl quick. Sakariya really has had a tough year with twin tragedy at a personal level. Whether that was the reason for his selection in the squad? I do not know.

What Dravid must have done?

If at all Dravid wanted to change the team, he must have stopped at 2 or at the most 3 players. He could have dropped the non-performing players like Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya. More about them later. Krunal Pandya has done reasonably well in the 5 games that he has played so far. He was economical with the ball in the first and second games. He must have played instead of Hardik. Kumar and Chahar who hardly get to play any game must have played as well. Especially, after their match and series winning partnership.

It is understandable that Sanju Samson, who is the first choice wicket keeper, made his debut. He replaced Ishan Kishan the second wicket keeper made sense. Rahul Chahar taking over from either Kuldeep or Chahal was alright too but I do not see any merit in the rest of the selection.

Aakash Chopra is correct.

“But when you are talking about young kids, who are just cutting their teeth into international cricket… Ishan Kishan just made his debut two matches ago, Prithvi Shaw has played as many as four One-Day games. There isn’t a lot of cricket these guys have played and now you want to change them to try somebody else. What will you find out in one game? I don’t know.”

What did Dravid hope to find out by giving these players just one game? It is baffling.

The curious case of Manish Pandey

I think Manish Pandey has certainly played his last games for India. This was a golden opportunity for him to stamp his authority. This was an opportunity for him to remind the Indian selectors and the Indian team management what they have missed. He failed. Utterly. Three games against a Sri Lankan side not exactly brimming with confidence, if I were in Pandey’s shoes, I would have wanted to score atleast one hundred. He got lot of overs in all the 3 games and he wasted every single one of them. Other players like Surya, Ishan, Sanju, Shreyas have gained a march over him that at 33, he is not going to effective any longer. Though his fielding remains an asset. However, you do not play international cricket just for your fielding unless you are Jonty Rhodes. It is time he is shown the door.

Another curious care of Hardik Pandya

Pandya is another cricketer who is giving the impression that he does not really care. He is outrageously talented but he seems to have his priorities elsewhere. Probably with Mumbai Indians. His bowling has regressed for him to be considered an allrounder. He struggled for runs in the recent England limited overs series where he could hardly get the ball off the square and in Sri Lanka. It is time the board has a discussion with him to understand what his priority is. If he is content playing in IPL, so be it. India will have to look elsewhere for a seam bowling allrounder. If he wants to play for India, then he must be told to shape up quickly. There were talks of making Hardik the captain for the Sri Lanka series. It is good that he wasn’t. He does not deserve to be the captain.

Other topics related to Rahul Dravid

Dravid refused to release Shaw

Dravid wants to win the series

The Indian team deserve appreciation. Let me tell you the reason. Let us try to imagine this. You have just travelled to a foreign country. Immediately upon landing, you are frisked by a group of security guards and transported to a hotel. Now, you have officially entered the bio-secure bubble. There you are expected to stay within the confines of the 4 walls for 7 days. Thereafter, you are allowed to go out but not out of the bubble even for a minute. Unless your family members had travelled with you or has entered the bubble with you, you are not allowed to meet them. Friends are completely ruled out. You are stuck to watch Netflix, Prime and other streaming services.

Now, imagine this. All of the above, after you had already underwent a similar bubble in your country of birth. It went for about 2 weeks. Imagine doing the same over and over again over the last 12 months. It will take a huge toll on not only your performance but your mental health, relationship with family and friends and the sheer hopelessness. This is what the Indian team as a whole, have undergone over the last 12 months. It is only a miracle that most of them are still standing and ready to fight with England next month. This commands nothing but our highest respect. Atleast from the Indian fans.

Now, let us go over the entire period

The Indian players started getting into the bubble, though individually, for the IPL 2020 in the month of September 2020. Ofcourse, the players were all part of different franchises and as such weren’t playing for India. Nonetheless, a bubble is a bubble irrespective of one plays for his country or franchise. The IPL finals was played on 10 November 2020. That is just short of 2.5 months.

Most of the players went straight to Australia directly from Dubai. That series the entire bubble lasted for 2 months. Granted some of the players were injured and had return home. In the case of Kohli, he had a very short tour. Except for a few, the core remained in Australia though some of them were injured. Ashwin, Bumrah, Vihari to name a few.

It was followed by a short gap of a week when players were allowed to leave the bubble and a week hardly counts.

England’s Tour

England arrived on these shores and were locked in across 2 months in tests, ODIs and T20s followed by another round of IPL which was mercifully cut short in about a month. Nevertheless, a month of life inside the bubble. The Indian players were finally able to break free of the bubble albeit for 20 days when they had to quarantine in Mumbai before travelling to England for the WTC finals and the England series. This will go on till the middle of September. It is 12 months of being inside the bubble. Credit to the players because during this period, India won in Australia against all odds and won the England series, Tests, ODIs & T20s. Ofcourse, the WTC finals was lost but credit to New Zealand for that.

It is extremely difficult to keep up performance during this challenging phase. All the teams have to go through similar exercise. However, there isn’t much merit in that argument.

Other teams

South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan & Bangladesh have hardly played any length of meaningful cricket during the period. Yes, they have played few limited overs series and a couple of test series but there were relatively a large gap between the series. Except for Pakistan, every other cricket playing nation is involved in the IPL and as such they would have spent the same volume of time as the Indians. Is that so? It is not true. Only the cream of the players from these countries are hired by the various IPL franchises. Whereas in the case of India, every Indian player is involved. Even a Pujara who is normally overlooked in every IPL auction was hired in 2021.

Australians have enjoyed an extended break after the India series. We all know the rotation policy followed by the English Cricket Board.  The point is none of the player from other countries have had to endure the sort of difficulty the Indian team is under. Except for Kohli, Shami because of his injury and to a certain extent Ishant & Bumrah, the rest have not had a meaningful time away from the bubble. Therein lies the problem. A problem that does not have an easy solution. Nonetheless, I salute the Indian team for their endurance and if they manage to win the England series, it will be an extraordinary achievement.

Other topics to read while the team is in England.

Dravid’s refusal

Hard not to criticise Pujara

Did the Indian batsmen messed up?

Did the Indian bowlers messed up?

India and Sri Lanka will be engaged in a series of limited over games from the 18^th of July. India have sent a team to the island that cannot really be called a second string one. However, Ranatunga does not seem to like it. He has been pretty vocal about it. Let me dissect Ranatunga’s criticism of the Indian team.

Ranatunga’s criticism

“This is a second string Indian team and their coming here is an insult on our cricket. I blame the current administration for agreeing to play with them due to television marketing needs. India sent their best team to England and sent a weaker side to play here. I blame our board for that.”

Well, Ranatunga is entitled to his opinion. However, the current team in the island consists of Shikhar Dhawan, the Pandya brothers, Ishan Kishan, Kumar, Prasidh Krishna who were all part of the last one day series against England. Apart from these players, most of the rest have already played for India at various levels. Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who not too long ago formed a successful combination and won so many games are part of the squad as well. This is not really a second string team. Rather it is the Indian second team. India at the moment has so many cricketers of international repute that it is possible to field 2 and if need be even 3 teams and not suffer for too much of quality deviation.

Ranatunga will hope that the last series result is not repeated

Ranatunga will do well to reflect on the sad state of affairs of his country’s cricket team. Despite the absence of Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah and a host of others, India is still considered red hot favourites to not only win the series but to clean sweep all the games. The last time India toured Sri Lanka, India won all the 9 games. If a similar score is repeated, I wonder Ranatunga will still call this as second string team.

Dinesh Chandimal is asking the Sri Lankan board for answers

There seems to be a problem within the Sri Lankan cricket setup. Dinesh Chandimal is at loggerheads with the board. He has asked for explanation from the board over his position. He has showcased his statistics and has compared with the past players during the same stage of their career. Chandimal remains overlooked from representing Sri Lanka in any format. This has certainly miffed him and he has sought explanation from the Sri Lankan board.

My performance statistics and my health statistics indicate I am more than capable of performing at the highest level at the moment. I am certain given the opportunity, I will be able to perform as expected and contribute towards Sri Lanka cricket in a positive manner. I would like to discuss my future with Sri Lanka cricket and as this is my profession, at this juncture it is very important for me to make the correct and most informed decisions for my future.”

These are sort of problems Ranatunga must be worried about. He will do a great deal of service if he comes back into Lankan cricket and concentrates on running the game in the country.

Sri Lankan cricket is searching for relevance

Sri Lankan cricket is in serious identify crisis. Lack of contracts for the players, lack of money to pay the players. Absolutely no talent coming through. The fans are completely disgruntled of the players. A lot of fans have unfollowed the cricketers on social media. Not that it is going to make any difference to the standing of the players but it will ensure that the fans aren’t that thrilled with the performance of the players and that they are being watched.

“The aim of the campaign is to unfollow failed Sri Lankan cricketers from their verified profiles on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,” the popular website said.

Ranatunga’s real task rather than blaming India

The recent defeat in England have completely eroded confidence on the players. Ranatunga has rightly chastised the players.

“We must stop watching matches even on TV. What we saw during the England tour is the culmination of accumulated mismanagement, corruption, and indiscipline. The board is responsible for this sorry state of affairs,” he said according to Island Cricket.

If only he could channel this energy into running the game in the country, Sri Lankan cricket will be better off. Afterall, Ranatunga was the captain when Sri Lanka won the world cup against all odds. He will know a thing or two about hard labour. Whether Ranatunga will be allowed into cricket administration is a different matter.

Sri Lanka’s recent performance does not inspire any confidence. Just 7 wins across 33 games with one of them against the hapless Zimbabwe. The stocks of Sri Lankan cricket has fallen drastically and swiftly.

If this continues in the future, former players like Ranatunga will have to silently accept their fate if when India send a real second string team to the island nation.

Sri Lanka cricket have fallen into an abyss. They are struggling to find any way out of it but are not doing enough either. If it continues for a few more years, then SLC will keep falling down and maybe get lost in the history books soon. 

Other reads

Dravid’s refusal to release Shaw & Padikkal

Something is wrong with Sri Lankan cricket

BCCI’s genuine model

It has now emerged that Rishabh Pant has been tested positive for Covid 19. He will not be travelling with the Indian team to Durham for the practice game and instead he will quarantine himself in his hotel room. Apart from Pant, three support staff have also been found positive. It is one thing if they were careful and still tested positive for the virus but it is irresponsible if the players themselves were careless. Let me pour my frustration about the irresponsible player and support staff.

It is not immediately clear who are the support staff who are infected and how were they infected. Hence, I will not be discussing about them. I will stick to Rishabh Pant.

Break is much needed and essential

We all know that the Indian team has been in a prolonged lockdown inside the bubble. As such they need a break. The team had reached England on June 3^rd for the WTC finals. Between the end of the finals and the start of the first test against England, there is a six weeks gap. This is too long to be confined inside a bubble especially when normal life seems to have returned in England. Hence, the players were given 20 days break to go out of the bubble and meet their friends and acquaintances. It was a welcome and much needed break. I supported this move because after the loss in the WTC finals, it is important for the players rejuvenate themselves and come back stronger for the England series.

The players must be extra careful

The onus once the players are out of the bubble, lies squarely with the players and the support staff. They must have been much more careful, now that they are out in the open and are vulnerable for being infected with the virus.

However, by the looks of it, it seems some of the players and the head coach weren’t that responsible. Wimbledon Tennis Championship and Euro 2021 Football tournament were held to packed stadium. It was shocking to see more than 90% of the spectators without mask. Agreed, UK have asked their citizens not to wear a mask if they are vaccinated. However, the crowd was so high, it hardly matters whether someone is fully vaccinated. Even if one person had the virus, it will spread drastically.

In such a scenario, having gone there to England to play a full series, it is the basic requirement for the Indian players to be careful. However, the head coach, Ravi Shastri, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah were seen watching Wimbledon and Euro from the stadium and that too without a mask and within the close proximity of others. This is criminal negligence. Especially, the coach who must lead by example.

The classic case of Rishabh Pant

Pant being one of the mainstay of the Indian team ought to have been extra careful. No one would have had any qualms if he had gone to England on his personal capacity. In that case, he is free to visit wherever he wants to. That wasn’t the case. He went to England as part of the Indian team who are about to embark on an important series. A series that is tough to win. A country where over the last 3 series, the Indians were annihilated.

Having lost the WTC finals, the Indian team must win the series to regain some of the lost fans. They need every important player to be fit and fine. As we know, this virus affects the health of anyone who contracts it. It literally means that Pant’s fitness is compromised and he may not be physically fit to take on the might of England. The worst fear will be realised if he had infected few other players who turns up being unfit for a major part of the series.

How stupid is Saurav Ganguly.

“We have seen Euro Championship and Wimbledon in England. Rules have changed (with crowd being allowed inside venues). They were on leave and it’s physically impossible to wear mask all the time.”

Does Ganguly even think while speaking? Ever since, he lost his captaincy, most of the time all he does is he rambles on without making any sense. If the board president is of this opinion, tough luck on the team.

It is perfectly alright to visit the tourist attractions or visit some waterfalls like Ishant Sharma. Those areas are likely to be less crowded. Maintaining social distance will naturally be possible but to visit crowded stadiums when the pandemic is still raging, is downright stupidity and pure negligence.  

Well done Ashwin

Ashwin instead did the unthinkable. He went away and played a county game for Surrey. This was actually good preparation. The fact that he was among the wickets was an added bonus. If Ashwin has a major impact on the series, thank Surrey for giving him the chance. It is another matter how Surrey agreed for Ashwin to play only one game is beyond me.

Conclusion

I do not advocate any action to be taken against any of them but they must be severely warned. They could have easily jeopardised the team’s chance in the series with more infections.

The Indian team can only hope that Pant and the support staff have not infected the rest. Now that the players have returned and are inside one more bubble, such crassness must not be encouraged.

Other topics to read while the team is in England.

Dravid’s refusal

Hard not to criticise Pujara

Did the Indian batsmen messed up?

Did the Indian bowlers messed up?