Professionalism and consistency are required in each and every field in one’s activity and when it is sports, the element of consistency and sheer dedication to the game are the hallmarks of success and creating and breaking records. All these years, rather for nearly four decades, we have been giving extra ordinary attention to the game of cricket and virtually neglecting others like hockey, football etc. However, it brought into the fore some hidden talent in our country which proved both the selectors as well the players right that what mattered was delivery – not in the absolute sense – that of only hitting to the fences -but fighting it out and wining games and becoming victorious. Over the years, gradually Law of Diminishing Returns started operating especially in test matches and preference was given to ”one day’s”, twenty – twenty overs, Premier Leagues, auctioning of players etc only for money minting – a stark fact, eyeing Bollywood or at least working for commercial ads etc became the preference and the trend of the players of this game. Too much of cricket too brought in the fatigue syndrome among the players affecting their efficiency.
Looking to the above facts, though only a few among too many, consequences as witnessed at Adelaide were expected but it would soon start operating in Indian cricket was not foreseen. There must be a pattern and even grace in losing a match but not getting a humiliating defeat as we witnessed recently in Australia. It was not a defeat per se but a collapse – all batsmen returning to dressing room in almost a queue just for paltry 36.The last we remember of any low was at Durban in 1996 against South Africa where the entire team was out for 66. That, even not one from the “star batsmen ” did make a double digit score and the highest of 9 by Mayank Aggarwal was all -Indian lovers of the Royal Game had to be contented with. Unacceptable this, if not disgusting.
We cannot draw solace by citing instances when at so and so place, whether on domestic pitch or outside, Indian team performed better and came victorious but one recent debacle like at Adelaide where Indian team did skittle out for the lowest 36 will go down in the history of Indian cricket to be the lowest ever test score in an innings beating their previous lowest of 42 against England at Lord’s in 1974, say 46 years ago. That the Indian players continued to be shy if not increasingly scared of the pace, was proved on December 19. Emphatic eight wicket victory by Australia was well deserved by them as they played superbly in each and every area of the game. The Captain under the pretext of “seeing” the new born in the family back home could be a tactical ”retreat” and a disappointing decision which means the rest of the three tests without the Captain and probably a few “key batsmen” too missing .
The analysts would go in different ways but on one hard core point, no one could have dissimilar views that of waiting and watching the outcome of the rest of the test matches to be played to see whether results of the overall tests went in our favour. That, however, should not lose sight of going into the depth of such a hopeless performance and humiliating defeat and as to why the top order of the bat failed so miserably must be made known and if possible, some action even of symbolic nature, taken to bring home that non performance and poor delivery even if ‘once in a while’ did not behove a team which claimed superiority among the best teams in the world. The players must take lessons, moral and professional, from players like Nari Contractor (the victim of Charlie Griffith), Farooq Engineer, Polly Umrigar, Eknath Solkar, Prassana, Wadekar, Sardesia and many others who were paid meagrely rather “pathetically” but who treated the game of Cricket as their mission, goal, ambition and a passion.
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