Turning point of the modern Indian team

[coffee_rules]

I feel India started becoming a champion team from 2002 Eng series. Till then, the Indians were considered Home kings and overseas losers. That was the first time India drew a abroad series (outside subcontinent post-86). After that series, the team rarely likes to lose. There have been a few exceptions (Bangalore 05, Mumbai '06 etc.), but the attitude of hating to lose is a post-2000 thingy that this team has developed and has continued to excel. Some say it is 2001 WI series as we won a abroad test after a decade and half (0 wins after 1986).

[dr_tooley]

The Turning point was quite simple. Eden Gardens 2001. Against one of the Best Teams of all time. Following on, they showed there is nothing to fear. It defined the Border Gavaskar Trophy and India Cricket for the next 10 years. Thank you Saurav and VVS.

[maniac]

^ Please add Dravid and Bhajji.Not to forget that the little master finally got some credible backup after all the years of carrying dead weight on his shoulders.

[Ram]

There are several reasons that can be attributed to our turnaround. Here are a few, in no particular order; Sehwag A middle order coming into its prime. A Coach with brain. A Captain with balls. A team free of negative influences (read match-fixers.)

[dr_tooley]

There are several reasons that can be attributed to our turnaround. Here are a few, in no particular order; Sehwag A middle order coming into its prime. A Coach with brain. A Captain with balls. A team free of negative influences (read match-fixers.)

In the world of Australian cricket, although Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh are seen as more successful captain, the one they have most reverence for is Alan Border....by a long way. He reconstructed a shambolic team and gave it the belief it could win and win anywhere against any opposition. Ganguly was such a captain and that Eden Gardens Test the anvil upon which the aura of Australian invincibility was crushed. There were other more minor turns along the way but none so seismically significant. Yes Bhajji, Sachin Dravid all played important roles. But it was VVS and Ganguly who lead the charge. Only when one looks into the Abyss does one really understand who one is.

[dial_100]

There are several reasons that can be attributed to our turnaround. Here are a few, in no particular order; A Sehwag A middle order coming into its prime. A Coach with brain. A Captain with balls. A team free of negative influences (read match-fixers.)

I agree. We have 8-9 players pledging 100% to the team. So it is easy for new comers to adopt. Our commitment is lot more compare with 90s. Read in this order. Sehwag and SG need special mention in this. A Middle order coming into its prime (Incl. SRT, RD and VVS) A Sehwag A Captain with balls (SG, he has contributed lot) A team free of negative influences (read match-fixers.) A Coach with brain. A Bit to new ball bowlers (ZK, IS, SS, RPS)

[Ram]

In the world of Australian cricket, although Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh are seen as more successful captain, the one they have most reverence for is Alan Border....by a long way. He reconstructed a shambolic team and gave it the belief it could win and win anywhere against any opposition. Ganguly was such a captain and that Eden Gardens Test the anvil upon which the aura of Australian invincibility was crushed. There were other more minor turns along the way but none so seismically significant.Yes Bhajji, Sachin Dravid all played important roles. But it was VVS and Ganguly who lead the charge. Only when one looks into the Abyss does one really understand who one is.

That might be a bit of an exaggeration.

I agree. We have 8-9 players pledging 100% to the team. So it is easy for new comers to adopt. Our commitment is lot more compare with 90s. Read in this order. Sehwag and SG need special mention in this. A Middle order coming into its prime (Incl. SRT, RD and VVS) A Sehwag A Captain with balls (SG, he has contributed lot) A team free of negative influences (read match-fixers.) A Coach with brain. A Bit to new ball bowlers (ZK, IS, SS, RPS)

Our fast bowlers came into the act much later, but you’re right, they did play a significant role as well. John Wright was probably the first coach we’ve had with even a semblance of scientific approach to coaching. Before that, we had guys like Madan Lal, Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad for crying out loud. As far as I can tell, the only momentous thing to come out of Kapil Dev’s mouth so far was his accusation that Sachin fails to perform under pressure and even that turned out to be crap. Other than that, our team before 2002 was pretty much a bunch of rabble held together by some sincere performers who were constantly undermined by a group of criminals.

[dial_100]

That might be a bit of an exaggeration. Our fast bowlers came into the act much later, but you’re right, they did play a significant role as well. John Wright was probably the first coach we’ve had with even a semblance of scientific approach to coaching. Before that, we had guys like Madan Lal, Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad for crying out loud. As far as I can tell, the only momentous thing to come out of Kapil Dev’s mouth so far was his accusation that Sachin fails to perform under pressure and even that turned out to be crap. Other than that, our team before 2002 was pretty much a bunch of rabble held together by some sincere performers who were constantly undermined by a group of criminals.

Outside India, Our fast bowlers defnitely contributed in a big way. Of course they had full support from strong batting line-up, that extra cushion was always provided by our fab 4 lead by VS.

[maniac]

Before that, we had guys like Madan Lal, Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad for crying out loud. As far as I can tell, the only momentous thing to come out of Kapil Dev’s mouth so far was his accusation that Sachin fails to perform under pressure and even that turned out to be crap.

If any one has ever earned a rigt to express an opinion on Sachin it's Kapil.That was not an accusation but an opinion.This is a guy who was Wisden's Indian cricketer of the CENTURY ahead of SSachin and Gavaskar. Befoe this turns into a Kapil vs Sachin thread,I pretty much agree withh evertyhing else you said

[Ram]

If any one has ever earned a rigt to express an opinion on Sachin it's Kapil.That was not an accusation but an opinion.This is a guy who was Wisden's Indian cricketer of the CENTURY ahead of SSachin and Gavaskar. Befoe this turns into a Kapil vs Sachin thread,I pretty much agree withh evertyhing else you said

Nobody said he didn’t have a right to express his opinion or belittle his contribution to Indian cricket. He was, undeniably, one of the greatest Indian cricketers of all time who probably spawned a whole new generation of crickets from whom we still benefiting today. But I speak from a perspective of having him as a coach of our national team. I thought his emotional personality was not suitable for coaching. He didn’t seem to be a good man-manager, which is what most coaches should be, first and foremost. And going by his comments on Sachin, he doesn’t seem to have terribly smart cricketing brain either.

[Shakthi]

2001 Kolkata test was turning Point for Tests 2002 Natwest Final was turning Point for Odis.

[kabira]

Cricket was already popular sport, we always had enough talent. But we missed belief. We got that belief under Ganguly. After long time we had a TEAM not individuals. zonal politics took backseat and performance based selection took front sit. We got Sehwag in Tests, and Yuvraj in ODIs. Bhajji, Zaheer etc came into the fold. We all forgot Kumble. He started to perform abroad as well.

[coffee_rules]

Winning at home was never a rare thing. We decimated the Aussies twice at home in the 90s. Winning abroad was never heard of in the 90s. So, we won outside the subcontinent after 15 years in WI 2001. So, that is the turning point I am talking about. I think the team started to believe in itself only after we got a few players who jelled as a team. The coach is an invalid IMO. The team is bigger than the coach or even the captain. Look at what Buchanan and later Ponting did after he lost the core team. We got our core team in 2001! Got a quality opener in 2002 (Sehwag started to open in Eng), and the MO paid a big price on their wicket. Bowling backed the batting. Bowling wise, I don't think we have had a major turnaround.

[maniac]

well a more recent turning point would be the 2007 t20 win.Gave birth to IPL and a new breed of batsmen like YKP, Tiwary who are even considered to be playing for this Indian team. which leads to another turning point...their innings leads to finally the removal of Jaddu...Hopefully

[Late Cut]

I think the Greg Chappell era helped too. It forged an identity and unity of thought of what we dont need as a cricketing nation.

[ravishingravi]

Def. 2001 series against Aus. under Ganguly. He essentially reformed the team under hi, gave it the self belief that it could do well abroad. He is arguably India's best captain and MSD has just benefitted from his legacy.

[Sachin=GOD]

the 2001 series against Aus (and specifically the Kolkata test) has to be the tuning point. That was the series where we got the confidence that we can beat ay team in the world. In ODIs I'd say the 2003 World Cup could be called a turning point - against all odds we performed very well in the tournament and that IMO gave a lot of self belief to the team.

[fineleg]

We are talking turning points in Indian cricket and there is a post talking abt YKP, S.Tiwary, Jadoo :headshake: Them and Manish Pandey are the cowlashing points of Indian kirket. Well, Sir Jadeja - he took Indian cricket to a different planet! (alien abduction). Anyway - I think the turning points are: Calcutta Test and then 2004 Aus tour

[vamos_rafa]

Winning at home was never a rare thing. We decimated the Aussies twice at home in the 90s. Winning abroad was never heard of in the 90s. So' date=' we won outside the subcontinent after 15 years in WI 2001. So, that is the turning point I am talking about. I think the team started to believe in itself only after we got a few players who jelled as a team. The coach is an invalid IMO. The team is bigger than the coach or even the captain. Look at what Buchanan and later Ponting did after he lost the core team. We got our core team in 2001! Got a quality opener in 2002 (Sehwag started to open in Eng), and the MO paid a big price on their wicket. Bowling backed the batting. Bowling wise, I don't think we have had a major turnaround.[/quote'] I would disagree. The turning point has to be the Kolkata test. You are talking about winning abroad, we were on the verge of losing a test series in India twice in 2 years(prior to that we lost a series against SA in 2000). Imagine the kind of effect that would have had on the morale of the team and specially dada's captaincy.

[vamos_rafa]

If any one has ever earned a rigt to express an opinion on Sachin it's Kapil.That was not an accusation but an opinion.This is a guy who was Wisden's Indian cricketer of the CENTURY ahead of SSachin and Gavaskar. Befoe this turns into a Kapil vs Sachin thread,I pretty much agree withh evertyhing else you said

Dude Kapil might have been rated the Wisden Cricketer of the Century and has the right to air his opinions on anyone but he certainly is not the most deserving candidate to do so. He was the guy who played for 5 years,imagine 5 years, to get that record of Hadlee. He was at best a liability on the team during that period. And he openly criticized Sachin for playing for his records. And being the national Coach, it is not at all sensible to speak about your star batsman and captain, who was performing exceptionally well. We hate Guru Greg for this, then why does Kapil Dev get this reprieve? I am not trying to turn this into a Kapil v/s Sachin thread but then facts are facts.