From Sunil Gavaskar
The dream was shat-tered in Melb-ourne. The slim hopes exting-uished at Sydney. The nightmare continues. Just like every parent hopes that his wards will do better than them and fulfill their ambitions, former cricketers like me were so optimistic that this team will do what ours could not and that is win a series in Australia for the first time.
We had been part of teams that came close but were unable to go that extra step. We drew series but never won them. This time the Australians were really vulnerable, they were rattled, they were nervous, they were apprehensive. they had been dismissed for 46 in South Africa, they had been beaten by New Zealand at home just a few days before the India series started and they were being called names by their media which is usually their twelfth man.
It all augured well for India. They went in almost two weeks before the first Test, in fact some of their senior players went even earlier though how that was going to help is debatable since they were not enough people to have good practice. This despite knowing that there is no practice like match practice. All that the players had asked for was given to them.
This is a new generation. They believe in not too much practice but switching off from the game so that they can be mentally and physically fresh for the next one. So we are told.
After Perth, the patient Indian cricket supporter is entitled to ask the question ‘did you forget to flip the switch back on ?’ It sure will be interesting to see what the players will do now that they have two more days off. Hopefully they will show some good sense and not do anything that will raise the hackles of their supporters. Then there will be no need to show the finger to anybody.
The Australians were similarly battered by their media and the fans after the loss to their Trans-Tasman neighbours. They put their heads down and got together for a batting camp where they looked to practice against the swinging ball which was the cause of their down fall against New Zealand and South Africa.
They sacrificed the extra days around Christmas time with their families to work at their perceived weakness. They knew that India’s bowling was centred around swing so they worked diligently at it.
Players like Ricky Ponting with over 12000 runs under his belt and Clarke and Hussey with a few thousand under theirs too, worked on their backlift, they worked on foot movement. They worked hard trying to hone their technique against the seaming ball.
They were all under the kosh and they knew it. There were no verbal jousts at the Indians through the media. Just heads down and practice, practice, practice. They took a day off for Christmas but were back again by lunch time and switched on and how.
We have seen it. Hope the Indian team has too.