It's Time

It's that time of the year, when everyone is trying to get back into their usual routine, especially after the new year holidays & much needed rest/break. Not so for an Indian cricket fan, I guess, who have been left in bad taste, of what has transpired in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. 

Nothing to take away from how Pat Cummins led his troops on the field, gave ultimate freedom to newbies on his team, never engaged in any verbal spats / confrontations whatsoever, stayed away from any theatrics on the field, allowed his batting, bowling & gamesmanship to do all the talking & strangled India, to let go of the coveted BGT after 10 years & fill a decade void that has been missing from Aussie victories memorabilia. 

Australian tours predominantly have never been easy for any touring team, let alone India, especially visiting there after a series whitewash 3-0 vs Kiwis at home. Some hope was rekindled after the first Perth test though, where I thought India surprised everyone, including themselves. But Australia knows how to claw back & that's what exactly they did in the remaining tests. The scoreline could have been 4-1, but for the rain in Brisbane, that could be thanked for. Melbourne was the test that India could have saved by applying themselves in, just like they had done on prior tours, but the Aussies looked more determined & clinical to win it. With all hopes pinned on the last Sydney test, albeit all of the captaincy & resting drama around rohit Sharma, it was an uphill task from there in my opinion. Its very easy to be critical in the hindsight, as the event has already occurred but the manner in which it was handled, was a bit baffling to me personally. It looked like a club game where the current captain was told to rest/ step down & Jasprit Bumrah was asked to lead. I would have preferred Rohit Sharma & Gautam Gambhir, the coach, to come out together in a press conference, well before the match & clear the air & then play with a clear, free mind with rest of the squad. What transpired instead helped no one. Let alone the players & the administrators, the general cricket loving people also questioned the manner in which all this outplayed, when series was on the line!

It's said that, events occuring in our lives, often come with initial indicators. One has to be open minded & willing to understand these signs, which are a sort of precursor to what's in store ahead. Following list in my opinion, ultimately led to the downfall & handing over the BGT to Australia, who were far better in bowling & fielding departments & more importantly had a fierce leader of the pack.

• Not looking beyond the so called super stars, who were woefully out of form, coming into the BGT series. There was a proper test playing pool available & is even today, but the reluctance of the Indian think tank to have totally separate teams for the longest version vs white ball team never seemed to exist.
• Rahane & Pujara were conveniently overlooked citing age / form concerns, when in fact they had worked wonderfully well in the last BGT. There were reports floating that Gautam wanted Pujara back for this series, but was turned down by the selectors.     
• It is no surprise that the former Indian Captain (read Rohit here) has never been a force to reckon in the longest version of the game. There are enough numbers already to back this fact. His absence in the first test in fact, was a blessing in disguise. The Indian think tank should not have called him back from his sabbatical leave. Jasprit had already proven his mettle in the first Perth test leading from the front. All the drama of resting Rohit in the last test could have been easily avoided, if Rohit were not to be called back to play. A pretty harsh decision to take, but time proved, how costly it was in the end. It would have worked well for Rohit as well to be with his newborn kid & the Indian Think tank would have had lesser questions to answer that way as well.
• Not having Ashwin in the playing 11, ultimately, had a devastating effect. He is known to polish off the tail & his batting average supposedly was better than Rohit's. Aussie tail wagged a lot in both innings of Melbourne & was missed sorely there.   
• It would have made sense to open with Gill ( with Rohit dropped ), who is a specialist opener to do the job. Traditionally, visiting teams in Aus lose their battle in the opening slot itself. Consistent failures of opening batsmen mean, direct exposure of middle order to the new swinging ball. Add to that the 3 skillful fast bowlers in the opposition & you have a perfect recipe for disaster at the top.
• Unlike Rohit in test matches, Virat was a force to reckon before his weakness was exploited by Boland not once, not twice but good 7-8 times this series. His trigger movement on the front foot made him commit even before the ball could seam off the pitch & led to his ultimate downfall. How contrast is this, with Sachin's 241 on the same SCG pitch, where he just refused to play any drives. Two men of almost equal caliber, having achieved so much at the international level, but the mindset & application made a huge difference in the outcomes. What happens hereon with Virat is best left for the time to answer, but it saddens me, that a cricketer of his caliber would fail so often with the same weakness consistently. Technical flaws can be & would be corrected but what about mental flaws? is it age? is it the lack of match practise? or is it the lack of skills required for the longer version? It's all combined unfortunately. The road ahead does not look promising. Aggression suits better when it's combined with a stellar performances on the field.  Only aggression by itself equates to theatrics & any sport by its own nature, demands performance first.
• Slip catching has always let India down, especially in the SENA countries- unless this issue is mitigated, we would keep missing chances,thus allowing comebacks by oppositions batsmen. There is a clear difference b/w how Aussie slip cordon stands with their hands down with a slightly bent back Vs Indian slip corden, who have hands on their knees. That split sec delay in getting to the ball/ reacting for a reflex catch, makes a world of difference in slip catching. 
• Not using a well directed bouncer enough to catch the batsman off-guard. Aussie bowlers executed this ploy very well to push the batter on the back foot & err in the shot, thereby producing edges at will.
• Australia were led by a very shrewd bowler who brought on himself & took that important wickets, time & again. Its was a clear cut case, like the saying : "An army of sheep, led by a LION is better than an army of LIONS, led by a SHEEP".
• Got to feel for Bumrah who always looked to manufacture a wicket at will, throughout the series but the support from the other end was lacking. He always bowled his heart out, every single time but it took a toll on his body eventually, when he was needed the most, for the series decider in SCG.
  

So, it's time for the Indian think tank to plan ahead & look beyond the non-performers, if they are to pose any threat to the opposition teams, especially in the longest version of the game.Its rightly called "The Test" for a reason. Some hard decisions would need to be taken for sure. Come Feb-March, winds of IPL would start flowing again, but on a personal note, I would not be even tempted to peek there. All out of form souls would suddenly find form & start plundering sixes & fours again.

There is a lot to learn from the debacle, provided we accept it & take measures to correct it. My salute to Pat Cummins, for leading from the front, never being aggressive in body language, but being fiercely aggressive with his tactics & field placings. He reminds me of the great West Indian team of the 80's - loads of talent, but never a word of aggression from the mouth, no pushing/ shoving or swearing/ sledging- only nerves of steel with dogging ruthless determination & clinical execution of plans.
Just plain hard cricket & that's all, that is needed to see yourself & your team through to the finish line.