Gideon Haigh: Abject Indians oblivious to their own failings

[Karan114]

Abject Indians oblivious to their own failings BY: GIDEON HAIGH From: The Australian January 30, 2012 AS a sports writer, you grow accustomed to examining teams under pressure for signs of panic, of disorganisation, of fraying tempers, of dissolving patience. The eeriest aspect of India's absolute pizzling by Australia this summer was that these routine sights and sounds of defeat were missing. If it is possible to cruise to defeat, MS Dhoni's team did so. Over four Tests lost by colossal margins, India made just one unforced change - and that, replacing the handy all-rounder Ravi Ashwin with the 10th-rate trundler Vinay Kumar at Perth, was probably a mistake. Their permanently dysfunctional top six remained unaltered in personnel and positions. Long periods passed in the field with little semblance of plan or purpose. The approach parallels India's last disastrous overseas sojourn, in England, where the only changes to the similarly whitewashed team were occasioned by injury, even if orders were tampered with. Yet in some respects, this was worse. In agreeing to just five days of second-class cricket at Manuka Oval prior to four consecutive Test matches, the Board of Control for Cricket in India made light of Australian conditions, if not their Australian opponents. India's batsmen certainly arrived confidently, on the basis of run-rich tours in 2003-04 and 2007-08, when Australia's fast bowlers operated at lengths that suited the Indians' partiality to the ball arriving at waist height. They were caught completely unprepared for the siege that Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris and James Pattinson laid on their front foot techniques, and stuck obdurately to the tried, trusted and failed, as Virender Sehwag as good as admitted: 'I don't think technically there is a fault. "Nobody was working on their technical thing because they think they have played enough cricket and they have experience and they can handle it." Only volatile Virat Kohli advanced among the batsmen, handling himself well under the pressure of the first innings at Adelaide Oval; in the second innings, however, he took an unnecessary run to protect an unnecessary nightwatchman and became an unnecessary wicket, which somehow summed up the wastefulness of the whole squad. The captain was powerless to inspire, his technique looking shot to pieces. The tail sold itself cheaply and risibly. The bowlers probably fared just a little better than anticipated, considering that none of them arrived in Australia with much form or fitness to speak of. Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav had their moments; Ashwin persevered; Zaheer Khan was guileful with the new ball and resourceful with the old. They were let down by fielding straight out of Indian cricket's bad old days: it is not an exaggeration to say that in this series Australian fielders patrolled to intercept, Indian fielders rambled to retrieve. The Indians managed one run out, a flick from silly point, in 629 overs. Few fielders were comfortable diving; some were not even happy running. Their captain was finally a victim of the team's overall lethargy. Yet if skill was the sole issue around India, the tourists would be no worse than some of the shambolic teams that England sent here in the 1990s, or more recent rabbles from the West Indies and Pakistan. There's no crime in not being good enough; there's actually a certain nobility in sticking to an unavailing task. But, in acute contrast to their last two tours, when they were led by imperious Sourav Ganguly and dignified Anil Kumble respectively, the Indian team left local audiences altogether non-plussed. They dished plenty out on the field then whimpered when this was reciprocated; they kvetched about the pitches as though they should have been permitted to unroll their own; they denied over and again that any change to their first-choice line-up was advisable, arguing in effect that the selectors were answerable to the players and not vice versa. They were pampered the length and breadth of the land, to the extent of travelling with their own chef. Yet they seethed about having to wait to meet Australia's prime minister, slurred and slagged off home fans, and excluded even their own well-wishers from practice sessions. Their media manager belongs to the same administrative school as that infamous English manager of yore, Alan Smith, noted for his signature response to questions: "No comment, but don't quote me on that." To the host broadcaster, India provided squat. To press conferences, which by convention involve senior or successful players, they sent individuals who had taken 0 for 100, who weren't playing, or who spoke little English . . . but not once Sachin Tendulkar, fast becoming cricket's Harpo Marx, who declined to speak even when a presentation was made to him in Adelaide in gratitude for his career. Not once did an Indian player profess any pleasure at or enthusiasm for being in Australia; where Michael Clarke repeatedly stressed his respect for his opponents, to an almost cloying degree, the Indians were generally loath to acknowledge their hosts' manifest on-field superiority. Just wait till we get you in India, they leered, like a bully fancying his chances only in a dark alley with a few mates at his back. What has changed in the four years since Kumble's team won many Australian hearts and minds? The most obvious alteration to the landscape is the Indian Premier League, awash with cash, cachet and unearned kudos. As millionaires many times over, no wonder the members of this Indian team feel unaccountable and unassailable. In an environment that worships wealth and exalts the free market, they are winners. That they turn into losers on the Test cricket field hardly counts, does it? Is it any wonder, too, that the accent of Indian cricket falls increasingly on individual achievement, rather than collective ambition? Saturday brings the biggest day of the cricket calendar in India: the IPL auction, when avarice meets vanity and the result is a rain of rupees. It is arguable that this is the scoreboard on which modern cricket accomplishment is truly ascertained. No wonder this team is calm, and radiates such a solid sense of entitlement. It's almost pay day. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/abject-indians-oblivious-to-their-own-failings/story-fnb58rpk-1226256698661

[Prakat]

word. tfs.

[achilles]

What a brilliant piece. Don't understand why Indian netizens slag Gideon off so much. Also, I agree with his observation about the press conferences. It was funny to see how the Senior pros like Sachin, Dravid, VVS were scared to face the media. Sending in Ashwin, Virat is akin to sending fall-guys. Shameful to say the least and talks volumes of the accountability of the seniors to the fans. All the culprits want to consciously keep a low profile.

[jairamesh]

:hysterical: I enjoy these articles, read similar from the English media ranting on similar lines. An Australian journalist ranting on how the current players have not acknowledged their opposition as superior...umm becoz they aren't. This is still a mediocre Australian cricket team.

Not once did an Indian player profess any pleasure at or enthusiasm for being in Australia; where Michael Clarke repeatedly stressed his respect for his opponents, to an almost cloying degree, the Indians were generally loath to acknowledge their hosts' manifest on-field superiority. Just wait till we get you in India, they leered, like a bully fancying his chances only in a dark alley with a few mates at his back.

And the last one is again the classic cliche from the Anglo-Oz media trying to convince themselves and the others that cricket in Asia just isn't cricket.

[BeautifulGame]

As usual an idiotic article article from Haigh.Not really surprising considering his usual pathetic low standards of Journalism.

[achilles]

As for Gideon's claims that Tests and overseas series losses in general are not important to India, I would disagree with him. We lost in England and we continue our shambolic performance in Australia. Let me safely assure our international readers that the Indians have stopped following their team's matches. And the ad rates, revenue have nosedived quite heavily. Economically, it is stupid to lose. Moreso, in the fashion we are. And if the trends are not checked, we will see a rerun of the poor attendances we saw during the so-called "revenge" series vs England.

[vvvslaxman]

Unaccountable - that is very true.

[Zelch]

This is one of the greatest articles I have ever read on Cricket, predictably written by a Gora.Hat tip to Gideon Haigh

[neutral_fan]

what a brilliant brilliant piece, although just a little over top about the IPL. I think Ian Chappelle had similar views about the Star culture in India on his podcast on cricinfo

[sumvell]

vinay kumar- 10th rate trundler.... :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[BeautifulGame]

Ian chappel was bang on target about our star culture being the detriment to our team.But Haigh is as usually just writes rubbish.

[vvvslaxman]

Ian chappel was bang on target about our star culture being the detriment to our team.But Haigh is as usually just writes rubbish.

I disagree with you. He is spot on about most of the things. Infact most of sentiments are echoed by our own fans. You cannot possibly sweepingly deny each and every point he has made. That means you are living in total denial.

[asterix]

Haigh is spot on and Indian fans should do some introspection.

[Robelinda]

Brilliant article.

[punjabi_khota]

Ipl ? :WTF:

[Chalks]

Haigh is a well-known India hater, but meh, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Old guy]

some points are valid like 10 grade tundler :hysterical: but blaming ipl ? :WTF: thesep layers were super rich even before ipl he is lil misinformed i guess lol

[NeutralCat]

Gideon should be the head of the investigation into Indian cricket, the guy is brilliant and love cricket. Great article by him, most of his articles are well researched and thought out.

[Pakistan]

What a brilliant piece. Don't understand why Indian netizens slag Gideon off so much. Also, I agree with his observation about the press conferences. It was funny to see how the Senior pros like Sachin, Dravid, VVS were scared to face the media. Sending in Ashwin, Virat is akin to sending fall-guys. Shameful to say the least and talks volumes of the accountability of the seniors to the fans. All the culprits want to consciously keep a low profile.

Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan.

[The Outsider]

Obviously, Indians are oblivious to their failings and worshiping mediocrity. Someone like Dhoni who is neither good enough to be in the team as a captain, wicket keeper, or batsman is being sold as a "package" and our junta is lapping on to it. The first principle of building a test match team is that you don't build it on bits and pieces cricketers. But we do and we love it, when Kaptaan Kool twirls a bat after Gambhir wins the World Cup. It's just so much in the psyche of India - worshiping mediocrity. Not good enough, let's try the Bhagwaan - He decides when he plays ODIs and when he doesn't without giving any indication of what his future plans for the biggest trophy in ODIs is. Rahane is supposed to sit at home watch Him get his 100th 100. He averages 35 (with most of the runs coming on pattas in lost causes) , but He deserves to call his retirement. At the same time we castigate performers like Zaheer, who have been able to lend some amount of respectability to the Indian team. The entire structure is messed up, but it's so convenient to blame Haigh because he does not hold an Indian passport.