Celebrate, But Dont Lose Your Head

Having lost the war, India are content with winning a minor battle or two these days. It is a small consolation, but consolation nevertheless, for a nation starved of success in the recent past. India have won a one-day series against South Africa, but only after losing five successive Tests, including a home series in 13 years.

The victories in one-dayers will not erase the Test nightmare in Australia as well as at home, but will certainly suppress it for the time being. Suppression of bitter memories is precisely the tonic India need at this stage to look ahead with confidence.

 

It is premature to say that the change in captaincy has led to the change in India's fortunes. Sourav Ganguly may not be a captain with the Midas touch, but is definitely a captain in tremendous nick.

He has turned out to be more of an exemplar than a motivator, considering his strokeful 31 at Kochi and an unbeaten 105 at Jamshedpur and a strokeful 56 at Faridabad and an 87 at Baroda in four matches.

Ganguly, at least, showed the courage to deviate from the norm. He tried to do something new in pursuit of success. He attempted to remind Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that they were bowlers, too, giving them long spells at Kochi.

"Captaincy is ninety per cent luck and ten per cent skill... but, for heaven's sake, don't try it without that little10 per cent," once remarked former Australian skipper and now noted commentator, Richie Benaud. Captaincy is also about taking calculated risks and following hunches. And Ganguly was only willing to do that.

Let's celebrate India's present triumphs, but without losing our heads. It is necessary to put success as well as failure in the right perspective. Let's not forget that one-dayers usually hide what Tests expose.

India were indebted not to only Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly, also to veterans for their wins. The more Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh play and contribute, the more we admire them. The more we admire them, the more we lament the youth. We forget in euphoria the failure of the youth, considered talented and skilful to replace the experienced.

Azharuddin, 37, and Robin, 36, are still better than many a 24-year-old. The way they batted in the hot and humid conditions at Kochi under pressure of a big South African total (301) proved that age is no barrier in pursuit of excellence. Jadeja has an uncanny knack of scoring at the right time. His survival instinct is stronger than others', for he is among runs whenever there is a slight threat to his berth.

That the Indian veterans have been performing better than the youngsters shows that the past is perfect in the present, but the future is uncertain. The former's grit can never be challenged by the latter's frailty. Laudable that the old are still delivering; sad that there is none to replace them.

The current triumphs don't make India a complete team -- equally formidable in Tests as well as one-dayers. Robin and Jadeja are still as strangers to Tests as they are familiar to one-dayers. This is unlikely to change in the near future, considering their age and inclination. It is as if they themselves have begun to believe that they are horses for short courses. India's problems in the longer version of the game persist.

What about youngsters? The least said about them the better. Ajit Agarkar has yet to prove his all-round credentials at the highest level. When he bowls, he does not bat. When he bats, he does not bowl. Something is awfully wrong with our definition of all-rounder, if Agrkar is still called 'a promising all-rounder'.

T Kumaran bowls only to show that he is not the one to replace either Javagal Srinath or Venkatesh Prasad.

And Sunil Joshi remembers left-arm spin bowling in one match, only to forget it in the next. The bowlers' lack of consistency has often put India in a quandary, from where they have to win matches through their batsmen. This was precisely what Ganguly and Tendulkar did at Baroda.

As it is, India don't mind who is winning matches for them as long as they are winning. They are on a winning spree these days. It can be called a 'spree', especially after seven defeats in eight one-dayers in Australia.