TEAM INDIA No.1 in TESTS
(for now!!!!)
It is really heartening to see that India finally managed to achieve their so-called 18 month goal of becoming the number 1 test team in the world. at least till January, they will be number 1, a time more than what they managed in the one-day arena!!
According to me, it was not an 18-month dream, but on the contrary, an 18-20 year dream to be the best team in the world. During the process, many have come and gone. Many have made a great deal of difference to this Team India. One person, who I would like to give special credit is Mr. John wright, our first foreign coach. It was he who formed "Team India". Though he did not get the team to be the best in the world, under him, India almost won the World Cup for the second time. But most importantly, he taught the players that cricket is a team game and not an individual's and that any match can be won if and only if they play as a team, enjoying each others success. I am sure this change in mental attitude has played a major part in the team becoming the number 1 test side.
The famous batting quartet and the match-winner, Anil Kumble...
What is so disheartening to see is the fact that though the players enjoy the success, the media just hates to give the credit to all those who deserve. If we see in the last decade, when India rose from being a competitive side to being world-beaters, there are a few players, who played a major major part. Some of them include players like Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Lakshman and Anil Kumble. And of course, who can leave out Sachin Tendulkar. I have nothing against the iconic player, but in the last decade, the others in the team have played a more significant part in India winning, especially abroad, than Mr. Sachin (no offense meant Sir !!). Take for example, the victories in Adelaide, in 2003 or the one in Trent Bridge, in 2002. In these matches, if Rahul Dravid had not played the way he did, then India for sure would not have emerged victorious. Then, there was this innings of Ganguly in Brisbane in the same series in 2003, where if he had not made the century, then India would have lost the match. Then, there are so many instances, where VVS has played some really very very special knocks, especially rallying around with the tail-enders and bailed India out of trouble.
Then, who can forget the contribution of Mr. Consistent, Mr. Anil Kumble ??? How often has he come up and delivered the goods for the country, be it with a rotary cuff problem, or even a broken jaw (in reference to the match against West Indies in 2002). He has contributed the most to the team than anyone else, according to me, in the last 17 years. To get 600 wickets, to be the 3rd most successful bowler in the history of the game, and then, not considered among the likes of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, is a shame for the people who talk about the game.
Just visit the links below to get a glimpse of what people like Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly and Kumble have achieved in International cricket, and compare that with Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin : http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/35320.html
All information courtesy www. cricinfo.com.
All information courtesy www. cricinfo.com.
Am sure, if you look at the numbers, then , you will say that Sachin has a much better record than the others. But what is not evident here is the number of matches the other s have won for India, when compared to Sachin. Rahul Dravid has scored more runs outside India than within, which shows how good a batsman he is.
But all said and done, neither of these four (leaving Sachin) has got the credit he is due. These four are definitely the unsung heroes of the team. They also give their 200 % to the team's cause (who can forget the fact that Dravid decided to keep wickets in the world cup, just to accomodate Mohammed Kaif in the batting order!!!!). But when Sachin does something as trivial as just diving on the field to stop a ball, his efforts are commended long and hard !!!! Thats is sad to see.
So, on this day, when everybody is giving all the accolades to MS Dhoni and his young brigade, I wish to salute the 4 stalwarts of the game, who, in the last decade, changed the course of Indian Cricket and laid a strong foundation for the young brigade to make the team number 1. I bow down to the UNSUNG HEROES of the INDIAN CRICKET TEAM !!!
