A look at India's fortune in 2006 by Dada Rocks

[King]

At the outset let me state that I am more than satiated with the overdose of column looking back on year gone by, still the change in cricketing fortunes of India has seen enough doldrumic cusps in 2006 to warrant a piece of its own. India visited Pakistan in early January/December. Some complained on the overdose of India/Pak cricket but as far as I am concerned and am sure for the millions of others across both side of the border there could never be overdose when these two arch rivals clash. The tour started with a practice game in Baag-e-Jinnah, where all the Indian batsmen had a good tee-off session where a much talked about rookie Pakistani spinner found himself at the wrong end, certainly nothing to be ashamed of for the budding cricketer. After all there are not many spinners if any in world cricket who could come of unscathed in their battle against Indian batsmen. After the appetizer at Baag-e-Jinnah for the main course contingent moved to Gaddafi where they were greeted with one of the most flat stripe masquerading as a cricket pitch you would ever hope to see. Pakistan in its first inning raised a mammoth total in excess of 600, on the back of four centurions in Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi. What followed in reply by India flattered to nearly break the world record opening partnership incidentally held by Indian batsman. In particular, Sehwag?s inning turned out to be a thesis in brutal assault. Needless to say match frittered away in a draw but by no means dull. After the usual exchange of veiled barbs by the captains where each make a claim over the psychological advantage in drawn matches junket shifted to Faisalabad. Pitch here was a little more sporting than Lahore but that?s not saying much in absolute scheme of things once again players were greeted by unresponsive strip as far as bowlers were concerned. Again Pakistan chose to bat first and the batsmen made merry, raising yet another 600+ total. In response India at one stage were 200 odd for five still more than 100 runs adrift the follow-on target. What followed was one of the most magnificent rear-guard action by an aggressive wicket keeper batsman and a front line bowler. Spectators got to watch the fructification of pre-series barbs between Akhtar and Dhoni. Akhtar kept on feeding short ball to Dhoni in a bid to bounce him and Dhoni in his butcher style kept on hooking and pulling them for sixes and fours. At one stage Akhtar got so worked up that he sent a beamer and refused to apologize and to further de-qualify the incident hurled un-parliamentary abuses towards Dhoni?s partner in crime Pathan. Stand-in captain Younus Khan had to intervene and take Shoaib off attack. Once again the match ended in draw. For the third and final test party shifted to Karachi for where pitch was anything but unsporting, it was seamers paradise but given the thick bushy grass it kept on changing character. First inning score was even for the two sides but in the second inning Pakistan raised a mammoth total partly by aid of eased pitch and partly by wayward bowling. India went on to lose the match under the pressure of huge total. The demoralized Indian team after a series loss due to one inning fiasco had to regroup for the one-day series. Few new faces came in the dressing room for one dayers. India was on high in one dayers, it had recently all but butchered Srilanka 6-1 in a seven match series. In the first match at Rawalpindi India raised a huge 300+ total and the match went to the wire in which Pakistan prevailed through Duckworth-Lewis. Pakistani juggernaut was on high after win in Karachi test and the Rawalpindi one day. Talk of whitewashing India started from commentators and armchair critics. But India went on to win the next four matches in emphatic fashion. In final match at Karachi they dropped their star performer Sehwag, Sachin, and Pathan, and still went on to chase the Pakistani total of 280 odd with 8 wickets and few overs to spare. Highlight of the series came in Lahore match where new ball pair of Aasif and Gul was threatening to end the possibility of Indian win before it even started. Indian was two down with hardly anything on board then the two stalwarts of Indian cricket Dravid/Sachin started the counter-attack where they left and played at deliveries with assurity of an astrologist. Sachin?s inning in particular was one of the master-class. When Sachin got out India still needed 100+ runs at clip of more than run a ball. In-walked Dhoni after dismissal of Kaif and unleashed a brutal array of shots around the park sealing the match in favour of India in partnership with Yuvraj Singh. Immediately after the Pakistan tour India hosted England where test series ended in draw where the main characteristic was Dravid?s decision to bowl first on Mumbai pitch, which traditionally aids the spin bowling on fourth and fifth day. In the ensuing one day series once again England team just like Srilankans proved no mach to Indian juggernaut and lost 6-1, only win coming for them in a match where India decided to experiment and rested several of its main players. Next two matches were played against Pakistan in UAE, which ended in 1-1 draw. Real about-turn in cricketing fortunes started with West Indies tour where India a strong favourite was drubbed 4-1 in one days. In test series somehow 1-0 win got eked. In terms of overseas test series win it was a monumental achievement for Indian team but it still fell way short of expectation given the whipping boy status of West Indians in recent past. In yet another masala triangular series involving Australia and West Indies India came third although it did look like going into finals at one stage but it was not to be. Champion?s trophy turned out to be a big fiasco where India registered a solitary win against hapless English team and could not qualify even for semi-finals. At the fag end of the year India toured South Africa where incidentally tour is still on. Even in South Africa Indians abysmal one-day international run continued and they failed to register even a single win in five match series. It all started with world-record successful chasing streak in one day internationals and unceremonious dropping of most successful Indian captain of all time, from first one day eleven and then test eleven. Not many were complaining as long as India?s winning streak continued. But with the advent of abysmal one day run as far as Ganguly?s recall was concerned it was matter of when than if. This old war-horse?s effort with bat has already helped register beleaguered Indian side to come back with an emphatic win in first test match. Unfortunately as I write these words India once again have given away the advantage and lost even the test series 2-1. I am too numb to comment further on this series loss, being a die-hard Ganguly fan this would have been a big gloating moment but this unexpected loss has ruined that thoroughly. "

[King]

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