What went wrong?
Well that is the question on every Indian's mind. Being one among a billion heartbroken fans, that is indeed the question on top of my mind.
Did we not have players who had the ability to match the best? Yes we did.
Did we not have experience in the team? Yes we did.
Then what on earth went so wrong that we are out of the world cup already?
The first and the most important error that the Indians made was in the make up of the team they played. One could sense even when they played the first match that something was wrong with this line up. There was no balance in the team and the wrong players were playing at the wrong positions. Chappel and Dravid might talk about being flexible with the batting line up but the fact remains that certain players have to be played at certain positions. It is well known that Sachin is at his best while opening the innings and that was the major driving force behind India's wonderful run in the last world cup. Why on earth would you bat him at 4 and open with somebody like Uthappa who most certainly lacks the technique to do well against quality attacks. The opening slot is arguably the most important in ODIs as the tone of the match can be set right at the outset. Against Srilanka it was evident the way Vaas managed to set the tone right away as Uthappa played out a maiden and that is where a player like Sachin would have seized the initiative. This mistake of playing Sachin at 4 led to Yuvraj playing at 6 which was another crucial error. Yuvi is the player in best form and 4 was the perfect slot for him to play. Dhoni at 6 and Pathan at 7 would have been ideal to follow Dravid at 5. This batting lineup would have been the most balanced and would have given each of the players the best opportunity to perform to their potential.
The second factor which was pretty evident was a lack of energy in the team. By energy I mean the vitality that the team displayed. As I had said in my earlier post this Indian team needed somebody to give them an impetus and to drive them forward. Ganguly did that brilliantly in the previous world cup but alas Dravid isnt the leader of men that Ganguly was. The team ended up looking flat in the field and their bowling and fielding lacked purpose. The bowlers did bowl well against Lanka but still they let them off the hook when they should have finished them off.
The third and final aspect is that of the spinner they played. They played Harbhajan in the first match and he did not look very impressive. Then they played Kumble against Bermuda and he was his usual self. Again against Lanka they went back to Harbhajan just because Lanka had a few left handers in their line up. It was obvious that between Bhajji and Kumble the latter was in better form and hence it made absolutely no sense to go back to Harbhajan and he bowled poorly against the lankans. Out of the Lankan top 6 only 3 were left handers that too at the top of the order, hence the selection was really illogical.
All in all it was a pathetic performance and they got the deserved result. Ofcourse changes are needed in the team, not because of lack of talent but for lack of vitality. This just goes to show how much a Kaif diving around the covers and screaming words of encouragement can do to a side. I believe he is a future captain and is important to India's future.
The captain and the coach need to take the blame for the debacle and there is no way Chappell will get his contract extended after this.
Final Word: Attitude is as important as talent.
Did we not have players who had the ability to match the best? Yes we did.
Did we not have experience in the team? Yes we did.
Then what on earth went so wrong that we are out of the world cup already?
The first and the most important error that the Indians made was in the make up of the team they played. One could sense even when they played the first match that something was wrong with this line up. There was no balance in the team and the wrong players were playing at the wrong positions. Chappel and Dravid might talk about being flexible with the batting line up but the fact remains that certain players have to be played at certain positions. It is well known that Sachin is at his best while opening the innings and that was the major driving force behind India's wonderful run in the last world cup. Why on earth would you bat him at 4 and open with somebody like Uthappa who most certainly lacks the technique to do well against quality attacks. The opening slot is arguably the most important in ODIs as the tone of the match can be set right at the outset. Against Srilanka it was evident the way Vaas managed to set the tone right away as Uthappa played out a maiden and that is where a player like Sachin would have seized the initiative. This mistake of playing Sachin at 4 led to Yuvraj playing at 6 which was another crucial error. Yuvi is the player in best form and 4 was the perfect slot for him to play. Dhoni at 6 and Pathan at 7 would have been ideal to follow Dravid at 5. This batting lineup would have been the most balanced and would have given each of the players the best opportunity to perform to their potential.
The second factor which was pretty evident was a lack of energy in the team. By energy I mean the vitality that the team displayed. As I had said in my earlier post this Indian team needed somebody to give them an impetus and to drive them forward. Ganguly did that brilliantly in the previous world cup but alas Dravid isnt the leader of men that Ganguly was. The team ended up looking flat in the field and their bowling and fielding lacked purpose. The bowlers did bowl well against Lanka but still they let them off the hook when they should have finished them off.
The third and final aspect is that of the spinner they played. They played Harbhajan in the first match and he did not look very impressive. Then they played Kumble against Bermuda and he was his usual self. Again against Lanka they went back to Harbhajan just because Lanka had a few left handers in their line up. It was obvious that between Bhajji and Kumble the latter was in better form and hence it made absolutely no sense to go back to Harbhajan and he bowled poorly against the lankans. Out of the Lankan top 6 only 3 were left handers that too at the top of the order, hence the selection was really illogical.
All in all it was a pathetic performance and they got the deserved result. Ofcourse changes are needed in the team, not because of lack of talent but for lack of vitality. This just goes to show how much a Kaif diving around the covers and screaming words of encouragement can do to a side. I believe he is a future captain and is important to India's future.
The captain and the coach need to take the blame for the debacle and there is no way Chappell will get his contract extended after this.
Final Word: Attitude is as important as talent.
posted by Raj at 5:14 pm
1 Comments:
Good analysis da.
But whatever be the reasons, sometimes things just don't go the way we expect in sports. This is one of the most unpredictable fields.
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