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British economist Joan Robinson famously said, “Whatever you can rightly say about India, the opposite is also true.” This is because India is a country that is both chaotic and orderly at the same time.
Although spoken in a different context, this saying holds true for the current state of the Indian cricket team (men). From scaling the heights of T20 cricket in the latest edition of the T20 cricket World Cup held in the Caribbean and America to sinking against an inexperienced test side (New Zealand) on home soil, we have seen the best and the worst performances from this Indian cricket team.
Barring the dismal performance in the 50-over World Cup final in India in 2023 and the semifinal loss in England in 2019, the Indian cricket team has dominated the last two editions of the 50-over World Cup, only to succumb under pressure in knockout contests. It was only after a stroke of genius from Suryakumar Yadav in the field and good fortune that I feel contributed to the win. Otherwise, that one too would have ended in despair for us. In tests as well, we have conquered most shores and hearts barring the final. Of course, we have made improvements as a side. Change of guard at the helm: new captains, coaching staff, and belligerent mindset. It serves well as long as it does. But when our backs are against the wall, this heedless aggression leads to self-destruction, as was evident in the recently lost test series at home against the Kiwis. Our first series loss at home after 18 test series.
The problem with us is that we tend to ignore the flaws when we are winning and only dissect our performances after humiliating losses. In the last ten years, the matches we have lost in any format bear familiar stories. The flaws in batting technique versus both—the seaming and the spinning ball; tentative footwork; improper reading of conditions; conservative team selections; and over-reliance on marquee players—are all faults that have been glaringly obvious to notice even for an untrained eye. And out of all these factors, the most puzzling factor is the ability of our star studded batting line-up to crumble under the first signs of discomfort and their lack of defensive temperament required as per conditions, playing reckless shots under the garb of playing attacking cricket and throwing their wickets away at crucial junctures. Also, it must be noted that most bowlers who have proved nemesis for Indian batsmen in home conditions or abroad are rookies or one-series wonders at best. Yet they manage to be successful against our immensely experienced batsman. Persisting with senior players who are clearly at the twilight end of their career and providing meagre or inconsistent opportunities to budding talents is making their game and mindset inconsistent as well.
To come over these shortcomings, Indian cricket management and think tanks must surely take bold calls and make a team in mind, keeping conditions, form, and future in mind, rather than putting undue pressure and faith in the old pedigree.
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