Yesterday was a day of Shock and Awe for the cricketing world. Two of the cricketing world's strongest contenders for cricket's ultimate prize, were handed rude awakenings at the hands of the so called "minnows" of the tournament. India's shock defeat to Bangladesh has it hanging from a thin thread, while Pakistan's at the hands of Ireland has sent Pakistan packing.
Bangladesh deserved every ounce of the victory that they flawlessly architected against India. They choked the batsmen resourcefully. (mind you they didn't bring 20% of the firepower that Aussies and South Africans are capable of). But they were smart, they played to their strengths, while the Indian team just could not shake off the fact that this match had turned into a dog fight instead of a stroll in the park. Lets just face it, they were very hungry and ate us up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
So does this mean all hope is lost? Yes and No. Yes if we dwell on the defeat, and No if we Dig Deep.
So what do I mean by Dig Deep?
Here are a few ways to clarify the concept-
Stop being cocky: And this is not for just the team, this is for everyone. This includes me, who had decided to not watch the match sitting in that lucky seat that was so influential in making Italy defeat France in the World Cup soccer final ;). This includes the biased commentators like Shivarama Krishnan, who so diplomatically try to ask the Bangladeshi captain "So we all know you obviously cannot be thinking about winning, but as a silver lining for you, What would be the total you would like to restrict our massive batting line up to?".
Stop listening to the media: F... em. They are biased, trying to make a quick buck at your expense, and will obviously abandon you if there isn't money to be made. Shut them out. World Cup comes for you as player only every 4 years. There is always some crappy story for them every day. As a player, look for answers inside yourself, and not what a complete moron wishes to write about you. Remember as a kid, what motivated you to play the game. Listen to that kid.
Stop getting ahead of yourself: Anything is possible on any given day. Bangladesh proved this yesterday. Forget about all the cob webs and pre-conceived notions in your head. Play the game one ball at a time, and don't worry about the final outcome. As long as you give your best on every ball that is bowled, that should be good enough. Don't worry about the McGrath's or the Brett Lees. F.... em too. End of the day its a battle between your bat and that white ball. Focus on the ball, and not who is delivering it. Cricket skill is not the issue here, its whats between the ears that matters at this level. If you had issues with your cricketing skills you would not be here.
Leave everything on the field: Respect your opponents including Bermuda and play all of them like there is no tomorrow. Perform feats that you are not capable of in practice. Need to stop something out of reach, dive for it no matter how clumsy it may look. Above all stop thinking so much out there. Your skills are there, now let yourself execute them without fear. Like Gene Hackman said in "The Replacements"......We need heart.....We need miles and miles of heart.
Play for the team: When stepping on the field, especially the youngsters, don't think about what a great opportunity this is for your career blah blah. Play like a king. Play the way you are used to playing with your friends growing up. There is no pressure about getting selected etc etc. Its just about playing cricket and nothing else. If you didn't bat well today, forget about it, and save 25 runs on the fields and make up the deficit. Better yet, hang on to Adam Gilchrist's half chance, and bam, you saved the team a 100 runs ;)
Always wait for your opportunity in the field, and take it. Don't just try. Do it. Remember, Kapil Dev's mile run backwards to grab Vivian Richards.
Don't try to be a hero: Check your ego at the door. Keep one thing in mind and that is winning. Don't get into sledging matches. Think sleding is fun and take it in stride. Don't give away wickets trying to show someone off. Wait for the right delivery to unleash, and in the mean time convert 80% of possible dot balls into ones or twos.
Play to your strengths: Greg/Rahul, I don't intend to tell you how to do your job. But here are my two cents, take it or leave it. I am a big fan of Sehwag, but the dude is going through a horrible patch. Nothing, that you guys have so patiently tried has worked, so play with what you have. Our top order needs to fire and when that happens we win 90% of our games. We need to win 100% from here on out, so waiting for Sehwag to fire, could send us packing like Pakistan. Remove experimentation from the top order and strengthen the Middle Order in case we are having a bad day like yesterday.
Here is what I suggest and why:
1) Saurav Ganguly - No argument here.
2) Robin Utthapa - Forget about Bangladesh. The dude is young, technique is good. He will fire.
3) Mahendra Singh Dhoni - This is the surprise package. Dhoni is an excellent batsman. He can play within himself and he can devastate the bowling if needed. In the power plays, Dhoni can get us 10 times more runs than he is expected to in the slog overs where he normally does not get the chance to bat himself in.
4) Sachin Tendulkar - No brainer. He is a sleeping giant. My money is still on this big guy.
5) Rahul Dravid - Middle Order Stability
6) Yuvraj Singh - No brainer
7) Sehwag or Dinesh Karthik - Maybe Sehwag can play Dhoni's role here. Maybe with the ball being old and possibly spinners in, Sehwag can deliver the punch. And Karthik ofcourse is reliable and his energy on the field can be a bonus as well
8) Harbhajan Singh
9) Zaheer Khan
10) Munaf Patel
11) Sreesanth/Ajit Agarkar/Irfan Pathan depending on the opposition
Bottomline: This line up is not too different from what you guys have in mind, but only Dhoni is swapped with Sehwag. Who knows, that one adjustment could get us back into that winning mode that we got stuck into 9 mos ago.
Guys, Dig Deep and bring this baby home!!!!!!
