Die Trying!
In
sporting encounters, there is only one winner.
There also exists the view that what matters more is the participation
than winning or losing in a competitive arena. Fans are also not averse to
putting together their hands to applaud their team even if the team hasn’t been
successful. What makes sports endearing is the action on the field and the joy
it brings to those watching it.
When
a young Indian team came up with a stirring win at Lords’ just a week ago,
Indian cricket fans were overjoyed, and with good reason. Conditions were quite not in their favour and
the manner of the win was also one where aggression and game plan worked well.
Had India lost, it would perhaps have been accepted as a game where the odds
were stacked against them and they lacked experience. Euphoria prevailed not just over the win, but
the thought that this team was now growing in maturity and confidence. Was this the beginning of a new era? A new
found confidence that would erase the bitter memories of many a past overseas
tour outside the subcontinent? Yes, only
time would tell.
India
came into Ageas Bowl Test with more aspects in their favour than the home
side. Alastair Cook, the England skipper
was under the hammer. The experienced batsmen in the line-up were under question.
Key strike bowler Stuart Broad suspected of playing with a knee injury. Matt
Prior had stepped down after the Lords defeat. The English side was a in a
free-fall with no win in the last 10 Test, the previous Test victory having
come in August 2013. India had to deal the knock-out blow to bury England. The only negative, if any, had been the
docking of Ravindra Jadeja with a match fine stemming from the
Anderson/Ravindra Jadeja incident.
How
did India and England approach this game?
England won the toss and decided to bat first, which, before the game
started, was seen as a bold move both by a side that was on a winless streak
and by a captain battling for form.
True, India were without their spearhead Ishant Sharma. Great sides are those that overcome
adversities to emerge with honours. Not
those who requires the best of everything to come up winners. The defensive line that Ravindra Jadeja
bowled on the first day was a clear indicator of the mindset of the India
side. True, the catch that Jadeja
dropped to give Alastair Cook a real ‘life’ and probably the first innings
stroke that led to the dismissal of Rohit Sharma may arguably be seen as two
critical incidents that led to the humiliating loss for India. But did a side that start a Test with four
bowlers of whom one was assigned to a negative role really deserve to win?
If
India had it’s legs at the throat of England after the Lords Test, not just did
it weaken it’s hold but stopped low enough to allow Engalnd to grab it where it
hurt the most. Players may perform
remarkably or have failures. No one
deliberately fails, one trusts, in these days and times. When a side that had everything going in its
favour begins a game with no intent to win, it deserved the humiliation Engalnd
handed them. You may be weak but you
will still get some respect if you die trying. India have not just lost a Test
but also all respect, perhaps. The weeks
ahead will tell if the Ageas Bowl Test was an aberration or perhaps reinforce
that feeling that India are presently being led by a think tank with an utterly
negative mindset that refuses to throw the first punch and lurks like a
weakling to catch a weak prey.
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