By Suvajit Mustafi
Day One pretty much says us that it’s going to be 4-0 but the win will mean a lot to our beloved fabulous five – Dada, Wall, Master, Jumbo and VVS, the men whose efforts seem to be going in vain.
It looks to be a daunting task ahead and especially after day one fans once again will have given up their hopes. But who can forget what the Wall did at the same venue in 2003 even as Australia dominated major part of the Test. The memories of our Dada jumping with joy and then hugging his vice captain will remain etched in our hearts forever.
We are 3-0 in the series and why should the boys give it the best shot to win? Well everyone plays to win, or many see it as revenge or whatever but I want a win desperately in Adelaide, for the few good men who gave everything they could to our cricket proving that ‘yes’ we can win away. It just needs grit, determination and belief. For the last decade and half, these men have toiled hard to take Indian cricket to where it stands. All their efforts will go in vain as when they leave we are back to ‘tigers at home and lambs away’. But surprisingly this tag doesn’t seem to bother much to our next gen and they seem comfortable with it. Why? Read below
It’s really disheartening when a few say that Sourav Ganguly chickened out of the Nagpur Test of 2004, while lauding MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir who echo similar views that India must prepare rank turners. I myself am a believer that every team should play to their home advantage while it seams in England; it bounces in Australia and spins in the subcontinent. That’s what makes the game special. And a team that does well in all the conditions are to be hailed. It’s similar in Tennis as well. A Nadal isn’t as comfortable in a grass court in Wimbeldon as he is in clay at French Open. But what makes them champs are that they have proven themselves to be the best at grass, clay or turf!
What irks me is Gautam Gambhir’s timing of comment on rank turners because so far all the Tests played in Australia have been on good sporting wickets. You have been beaten outright 3-0 and when you make such a comment it leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. Post England, Dhoni had said that the purpose of traveling abroad is to improve as cricketers and the reason technique isn’t given as much importance is because we play major chunk of our cricket at home, maybe that was his defense on the recent struggles but what comes out is we are happy winning at home and filling up our pockets in the IPL. Even Virat Kohli, a bright prospect that he is, has in the recent times chosen his mouth and finger to do the talking. His jibe at David Warner’s brilliance at Perth was that it’s going to be a different story in India. Kohli I can understand but he has examples to follow. When Indian captains and senior guys like Dhoni and Gambhir set examples, then the present group’s mindset becomes a concern. It all comes out as bullied kids crying ‘come to my locality, I ll beat you up!’
This attitude of the current generation worries me. The humility has been replaced by stubbornness and arrogance. The golden generation unfortunately is still a part of it. Dada taught us to win. He told us slap back when you get slapped but appreciate and learn, when you are being outplayed. The likes of Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble will not just be remembered for the wins they have been part of but rather the contributions they have made in changing the soul and belief of the team. These guys were worshipped not for the percentage of wins but the learning they gave us. They were role models.
Dada, someone who many term as selfish and some feel ran away from chin music (we can anyways see who is comfortable against quality short stuff), actually was a man who taught the individuals to play for each other, to back ones own ability, and made sacrifices. Remember the chin music he faced in Melbourne in 2003 to protect his out of form star batsman Tendulkar when he came into bat at number four during the closure of a day.
The Wall, someone who stood like a pillar in all conditions – undeterred by situations. Selflessly contributing in every department and telling the world that talent without grit is nothing. A team man who has selflessly let his performance speak over the years.
The Master, who for 22 years has given it the best he could. Someone who has been the face and pride of the nation. Someone who still glues millions to TV sets and still fills the stands. His dedication to the game is unmatched.
VVS, an artist with the bat and how often we have seen him thrive in conditions where all hopes had faded. Someone who irrespective of situations wears a smile on his face and will greet you warmly. A gentleman like him is rare.
Jumbo is one who has won us the most number of Test matches. It’s sheer determination; whatever he achieved has been the result of his more than 100% that he has given. He went out to pose a threat. He wasn’t a Warne or a Murali but he showed you don’t have to be a natural magician to outclass. Willing to excel will make you excel.
These guys helped us shed off the poor travelers’ tag. What they did for Indian cricket was not for their bank balances and personal hails. What they did was to give direction to Indian cricket and it’s because of whom what the game is today in this country. They were aggressive when they needed to be. They refused to be intimidated. When they lost, they accepted it, there were no excuses, they learned and tried to better their efforts. That’s what made them special.
There is no doubt about the talent of next generation and it wouldn’t be a surprise if few of them end with averages in mid 50’s. But half of the game in played in the mind. Their general conduct has always worried me but what is even more worrying is that their mind setup seems to have taken an even more timid course than two decades back.
With a few of the great men gone, and a few other staring an end, I wanted a Adelaide win so that they end with a feeling that we still can win abroad. So that it comes to an end for them with a feeling that our recent losses were just a bad phase, not back to square one from where we started even though their thought might be illusionary.
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