Indian Cricket....On their Way...

“Zaheer scampers through for the second. India has won! This is an amazing win! Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh have scripted one of India’s most amazing wins.” Commentator Ravi Shastri could not contain his joy even while on air as India chased a near-impossible target of 326 runs set by England at the ‘Mecca of Cricket’, Lords, in July 2002. The then Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was seen doing a bare-chested dance, waving his blue Indian jersey over his head, at the Lords balcony mouthing a few ‘words’ aimed at the English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff who had performed a similar ‘jig’ in front of a packed Wankhede crowd and Ganguly in Mumbai.

On the pitch, the two 21-year-olds, Singh and Kaif, had made the cricketing world take notice of the ‘Men in Blue’. With the right combination of youth and experience, the Indians seemed like the only ones who could threaten the mighty Aussies. But, the Indians surrendered meekly to the mighty men from down under in the 2003 World Cup finals.

Then came the slump in form. The victory against Pakistan on their home soil in 2004 was the last decent performance of a side that had shown a lot of promise. Pakistan returned the ‘favour’ on their Indian tour in 2005 and Indian cricket was suddenly looking down the barrel, when a need to shake the system was felt. A new coach was appointed and a new captain was selected. The old skipper, despite all that he had done for Indian cricket, was asked to prove his form and fitness to regain his place. The message was clear—‘There was no place for under-performers’.

With the influx of new, fresh and energetic legs in the squad, the Kaifs and the Singhs took the mantle of ‘senior players’. Virender Sehwag donned the deputy-skipper’s crown. The cricketing fraternity witnessed a whole new India. Not just with regard to new and young faces, but in relation to the attitude and performance. A new era had dawned on the horizon of Indian cricket. The older successful era had been during the reign of Sourav Ganguly.

Lesser known states on the cricketing map, like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Kerala, now find their representatives in the Indian team. India can now also boast of possessing world-class allrounders who are not just bits-and-pieces cricketers. Players like Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have lessened captain Rahul Dravid’s burden in the batting department. In fielding, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have made the thirty-yard circle their home. Indian bowling attack no longer revolves around spin. A flood of genuine pace bowling talents have given Dravid a problem that he will want to have throughout his reign as captain—the problem of choice.

India’s tag of ‘chokers while chasing’ is a thing of the past. A world record 15 victorious run-chases in succession is testimony to this fact. Besides, most of these were done without any significant contribution from Sachin Tendulkar shows that Indian batting no longer lives under the Little Master’s shadow.

It is very important that India does not get too carried away for most of these wins happened in the sub-continent. The real test will come when India visits the Caribbean next month as the World Cup will take place there in 2007. They have to maintain the standards they have set and prove, more to themselves, that they are ready to rule the world. But right now, India has the perfect team to light-up the Caribbean and bring home the World Cup in 2007.

Note: Special thanks to Pooja for her editing!