Controversy around the Champions Trophy refuses to die down. Media is unwilling to let go off of the perceived advantage that India has because they are playing all their games, including the final in one ground, Dubai. As I have written before, India would have happily sat at home and watched other teams struggle to win the trophy. The ultimate losers would have been the ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board. By agreeing to play in the tournament, India have done them huge favours. The Indian coach Gautham Gambhir is again being asked about the same advantage. He however gave them a fitting response. Gambhir also talked about Kohli’s weakness against spin. Rahul keeps wondering the frequent change in his position and I will end with Ashwin’s brilliant take about Varun vs Kuldeep. News from Champions Trophy 2.
Let me first begin with Gambhir press conference in which he spoke about quite a range of subjects. It includes the non-Indian cricketers cribbing about India playing in the same venue every game and how other teams have to travel to Dubai just for one game. In the case of New Zealand, they will again have to travel to Dubai on the basis being the second finalist.
Gambhir’s comments and my comments
“What undue advantage? We are practising at the ICC Academy. The conditions there and at the Dubai International Stadium are completely different. There’s a huge difference between the two wickets. Some people are perpetual cribbers, man. They’ve got to grow up,” he blasted his critics.
He is correct isn’t he? People who talk of undue advantage must realise that this was forced upon us. India have participated in ICC tournament throughout the world. We have stayed in the same hotels where the other teams have stayed. We have played on the same grounds where others have played and we have had the same time period between games. Infact, Indian teams have never complained when we travel. Teams from England, New Zealand, Australia often complain about travelling to India. They complain about the food, the weather, the conditions and everything under the sun. These teams often do complain about the pitches on which they play whereas Indians have not complained about anything. We have accepted that these are part and parcel of the game and that it is our duty to adapt to various situations.
Steve Smith must be appreciated
I must appreciate Steve Smith who admitted that it was the superior Indian team that won and not because of any perceived advantage.
“I’m not buying into it (India’s familiarity with pitch and condition). India obviously played some really good cricket here. The surface kind of suits their style with the spinners that they’ve got,” Smith said during the post-match press conference on Tuesday night. “And they have the seamers at their disposal for a wicket like that. They played well, they outplayed us and they deserve the victory.”
Hats off to Steve Smith for stating the obvious. It goes to show that superior cricketers do not try to find excuses. They would rather win on merit.
Gambhir must care
However, not everything that Gambhir spoke in the press conference has merit. For example, this one when asked about criticism.
“I don’t care about it. Honestly. My job is to be honest to 140 crore Indians and to the people in that dressing room. I don’t care what people talk about, how they talk about it, whether they have agendas. I really don’t care about it. If I am honest to my job, that is all that matters,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir must care about the chatter. He cannot say that he does not care about what people talk. It is because of these people Gambhir is earning his income and fame. Whether the people have agendas or otherwise, he is answerable to the people. If he said that the criticism does not bother or affect him because he is focussed on taking the team forward, that would have been a perfectly legitimate reply. Now, if he does not care about the what the people talk, how can he be honest to the 140 crore Indians? It is completely contradictory.
About Rohit Sharma, “You evaluate from the stats; we evaluate from the impact. As journalists, as experts, you only look at numbers, averages. But as a coach, as a team, we don’t look at numbers or averages. If the captain puts up his hand first, then there is nothing better than that for the dressing room,” he added.
Rohit must understand the difference between aggression and recklessness
I for one, would like to record that the approach of the Indian team is correct. On absolutely flat pitches, be as aggressive as it is needed but on slightly challenging pitches, just be a little bit circumspect. This is the approach that Rohit must take. I do not want to return to the Indian opening strategy till about 5 years ago. Both Rohit and Dhawan were extremely slow for a changed cricketing landscape. Since the twin defeats in World T20, Rohit has changed his approach. The problem is that his partner, Gill, is not that much different from Dhawan. As a result, Rohit is forced to take additional risks.
However, I think Rohit must rethink his approach. It is not ideal to score a quick 20-30 runs and get out because you leave the team nowhere. If he needs to score at 125 but he can prolong his innings and lay a solid foundation at the 25-overs mark, so be it. A slight change in the approach will be good for the team instead of mindless aggression. Gavaskar said, “Therefore, from an aesthetic point of view, from a crowd-pleasing perspective-I am not speaking from the team’s point of view-if he bats for even 25 overs, India will be around 180-200. Imagine if they have lost only a couple of wickets by then; just think what they could do-they could reach 350 or more.”
Other Champions Trophy blogs
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-champions-trophy-squad/
https://icricketcritique.com/a-fabulous-win/
https://icricketcritique.com/news-from-the-champions-trophy/
https://icricketcritique.com/more-from-champions-trophy/
