The fan continues to believe…

Being an Indian cricket fan sure has its pitfalls. Far too often has the fan started believing in the team only to be let down soon after. The current tour of South Africa has been a little different but seems like it would end like any other overseas tour for the Indian fan.

After the humiliation of the ODI series, India were not even outside contenders for the Test series. (Almost) Every fan expected them to turn up, make the numbers, roll over and play dead. Unfortunately for South Africa, that is happening only in the last Test!

For reasons that can only be explained by saying “because it’s the Indian team”, they have decided they do not want to win this one. Believe me, the way they were playing until late in the second Test, they ought to have wrapped up the series right there in Durban. But the last two South Africa partnerships in both innings cost India the match. That was vintage India (sarcasm intended, in case you missed it).

(As you may have guessed by now, I shall refrain from singing paeans about “How the first Test was won”.)

Come the third Test and there seemed to be some fight still left in the Indian team (a rare occurrence). And so they reached all of 250-off for 3 at the end of Day 1. Great visions were being conjured by us, namely the Indian fan, of how we shall bat on for another day, put up a score in excess of 600 runs and call the shots from there on. We, however, overlooked one Indian performance that was yet to make an appearance on this tour: the collapse.

If the rise of the team in the first Test-and-a-half was inexplicable, the collapse was even more baffling. From running the game, they ended up folding for 414 and as I write this, are struggling hard to (a) save the game and (b) catch their flight back to India which supposedly leaves a couple of hours after scheduled close of play. Thank you, BCCI!

So what happened between the first and the final Tests that India are facing defeat? Obviously, the team refused to introspect and make the hard decisions. An out of form Sehwag played, scored 40 on an easy pitch, came to open in the second innings, threw his wicket away and India had lost the momentum. Even rain on the final day was not enough to stave off defeat (and I write this at the start of the final session before the match is actually over. Is it over before it’s over?).

Rahul Dravid was woefully out of form and perhaps it was about time this happened. The Law of Averages had to catch up sometime, and the time was this. Unfortunate for India, but that’s the way it goes. For reasons (yet again, inexplicable) beyond me, Anil Kumble decided that the he will try and spin the ball from leg to off and insisted on a leg stump line. This when defending 500 is ok but not the brightest plan when the opposition is chasing only 211.

Sachin Tendulkar seems to be having an identity crisis. He seems unable to make up his mind about whether he should attack or defend. As a result, India has a middle order that is out of form, out of sorts, on a comeback (Ganguly) and unsure of its place (Laxman).

As an Indian fan, I can tell myself that India won an away Test and put up a brave fight in a country it has routinely routed in. And this could be the start. But I also know that this was as good a chance as any to win a real away series. (With all due respect, the Windies were worse at home in June than we are when playing away).

A rare away series win is still far away. Let’s not kid ourselves. Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Kumble are on their last legs. Another 4 years and none of these guys would be around. The next set of players will take time to come to terms with the vagaries of international cricket and be in a position that today’s seniors are in – high on experience, reputation and an innate understanding of what it will take to win away from home (having almost made it in 2003 in Australia and having completely done it in June in the Windies).

India has squandered its best chance (the score right now is SA 178/4) and my prediction unless it pours in the next five minutes is a 5- or 6-wicket win for South Africa.

But I will continue to believe in my team. I have full faith in them for the World Cup. I just hope they make the tough decisions. Please.