Indians make heavy weather of their task by Partab Ramchand

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Event:

ICC World Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 20th March 2007

 

Trust the Indians to turn a smooth pathway into a bumpy one. With matches against Bangladesh and Bermuda first up they could have made it to the Super Eight the easy way, qualifying with one match still to play. Instead at the moment their progress depends on the calculator, various permutations and combinations and how the other teams fare against each other. Of course it also depends on how the Indians perform against Sri Lanka and such is their plight that even a victory there is no guarantee of a place in the Super Eight.

 

How did the Indians, finalists four years ago, get into this unenviable situation? Actually just one shoddy showing against Bangladesh has now made them virtually a nervous wreck. The batting, bowling and fielding failed against a team they have lost to only once. Quite often in the past the Indians have started badly but recovered to make reasonable progress. One recalls that in 1987 they lost the opener against Australia but won the next five group games to qualify for the semifinals. In 1999 in England they lost the first two matches but won the next three to squeak through into the Super Six. Four years ago they scored an unconvincing victory over Holland and then were thrashed by Australia. But they won the next eight games to make it to the title clash.

 

Unfortunately in the present format the avenues for a comeback are very limited. Just imagine a script wherein even two victories out of three do not guarantee a place in the Super Eight. With an improved Bangladesh and an always strong Sri Lanka it was no wonder that this was called the `group of death.’ Well, as the saying goes when the going gets tough the tough get going. India however have so far been less than tough their World Cup record total against minnows Bermuda notwithstanding. They now will have to turn on the heat and probably need to defeat Sri Lanka by a huge margin (easier said than done) on Friday. Bangladesh have the advantage of playing the final group game against Bermuda on Sunday and will know exactly what they have to do to qualify if everything boils down to net run rate and this is yet another disadvantage for India. The best scenario for India would be for Bangladesh to surprise Sri Lanka on Wednesday. That way Bangladesh would be through but then the India – Sri Lanka encounter becomes a virtual qualifier.

 

How did India manage to make a fair mess of things when things appeared perfectly clear for a smooth passage to the next round? But then haven’t we seen the team make heavy weather of seemingly innocuous opposition? And haven’t we also seen before cricket followers indulging in violent scenes like burning of effigies, stoning of houses and slogan shouting? The cricketers are either lifted to the heavens or brought down to dust. When will sanity and dispassionate behaviour prevail? It is incorrect to display slogans like ``Cricket is religion, Sachin is god’’ just as it is improper to resort to violence when the team puts up a disappointing show. Followers of the game are still to embrace Rudyard Kipling’s twin imposters of triumph and disaster. Such protagonists seem to forget that they are putting even greater pressure on an already beleaguered team. When will restraint, self control and discipline be observed one wonders? In the meantime we will soon come to know whether India’s World Cup campaign ends within the next few days or whether the team against odds somehow survives to make the Super Eight.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 CricketArchive)