As I sat in my hotel room in Sydney in front of the tv on the first day of the Sydney Test in January 2008 trying to combat the jet lag after a tiring journey from New Delhi, I heard the commentators of Channel Nine discussing the state of affairs of Cricket with a former Aussie great who at that time, was commenting on the superiority of the Australian Cricket team. He was of the view that the Australian team were the best team in the world by a huge margin and no Cricket team came even close by any stretch and certainly not this Indian team!! Wonder if he liked the taste of the words as he ate them.
From the second day onwards, I viewed the Test match and was lucky enough to see it in august company, seeing two days of Cricket from the Alan Davidson suite of the SCG and the other two from the box of Cricket Australia. The thing that stood out in the test match (apart from the on field controversies, off field controversies, tremendous Cricket and the great hospitality of Mr. David Gilbert, CEO, CNSW and Mr. Creagh O'Connor, Chairman CA) was the appreciation and love of the Australian people towards the Indian cricketers and their talent. When Laxman and Dravid were on the crease and playing different styles of the game, (Laxman in his flowing element and Dravid with his gutsy stay at the wicket) the Australian public were whole heartedly applauding each shot of Laxman's and the fight that Dravid was putting up. That was still nothing compared to the roar that welcomed the Little Champion Tendulkar. He must love this ground! After the first innings, his average on this ground was a staggering 326!! Well, things did deteriorate and a lot has already been said about that monkey business and I do not think there is any need to add anything to that but after that, the Indian team went from strength to strength and my only gripe is that Virender Sehwag should have been given more weightage in the ODI series. He is a batsman who the Australians fear (any opposition for that matter) and I firmly believe he was not treated properly. The awe that he inspires in the heart of the opposition was clear to me when the Australian administrators, writers and former players were very seriously asking as to why "Se-waag" isn't playing in the Sydney test. Giving credit to him, when he got the chance, he played an important part in turning the series around, goading the captain and Ishant to bowl that extra over to Ponting, which for me was the turning point, on - field, in the series.
In the ODI's Dhoni did lead his team very well, he supported his players, backed them, gave them a long rope and when it mattered they delivered. He has been very supportive of all the players but what got me thinking was, why did Sehwag not have his support? If Yuvraj could be persisted with, so could Veeru, infact he deserved the confidence more than Yuvraj! That the confidence of the captain in a player goes a long way in increasing his confidence is amply clear from the way the youngsters in the team have responded to Dhoni. I am very impressed by his captaincy and full marks to him but not quite full. In his treatment of Sehwag, he may have lost out on another formidable aspect of the game, an opener who not only is one of the most useful men in the team with his presence on the field and understanding of the game but sends shivers down the opposition's spine when he gets going.
Anyway, it makes us proud to have a team like the one we have and they played phenomenally well and deserve all the credit for their wins! Congratulations and GO INDIA!!
As the players assemble at the Ferozeshah Kotla today to be felicitated amidst euphoric celebrations, I would sure like to know if that eminent gentleman liked the taste of his words that the team helped shove down his throat:)!
In the ODI's Dhoni did lead his team very well, he supported his players, backed them, gave them a long rope and when it mattered they delivered. He has been very supportive of all the players but what got me thinking was, why did Sehwag not have his support? If Yuvraj could be persisted with, so could Veeru, infact he deserved the confidence more than Yuvraj! That the confidence of the captain in a player goes a long way in increasing his confidence is amply clear from the way the youngsters in the team have responded to Dhoni. I am very impressed by his captaincy and full marks to him but not quite full. In his treatment of Sehwag, he may have lost out on another formidable aspect of the game, an opener who not only is one of the most useful men in the team with his presence on the field and understanding of the game but sends shivers down the opposition's spine when he gets going.
Anyway, it makes us proud to have a team like the one we have and they played phenomenally well and deserve all the credit for their wins! Congratulations and GO INDIA!!
As the players assemble at the Ferozeshah Kotla today to be felicitated amidst euphoric celebrations, I would sure like to know if that eminent gentleman liked the taste of his words that the team helped shove down his throat:)!
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