Well, there is nothing wrong in thinking positively, but the question is: Do the newcomers have the stuff to transform the image of Indian attack, described by many as the worst in the world, into a respectable property? The time alone will tell. Till that time the Indian bowlers will have to live with the stigma of being hammered for a world record in both the versions of cricket - by Saeed Anwar in one-day internationals and the Sri Lankans in Tests.

If one is to borrow an expression from economics, one can safely argue that the law of diminishing return has caught on with the Indian team. The more effort they put in, less is the yield. Under such circumstances a heavy dose of victories can only resurrect the confidence of the team. Maybe the route to such new beginning which Tendulkar is talking about starts from Toronto of all places where India will take on Pakistan - also handicapped by the absence of their high-profile attack - in a five-match series for the Sahara Cup from tomorrow.

Is this the surfeit of cricket that has put India on the backfoot or there is lack of motivation or fitness problem in the team? They say Indian team have become jaded after playing non-stop cricket. The players, after all, are human beings, hence cannot be expected to perform with the same degree of perfection. Well, the arguments and advice keep flowing when one is on the receiving end. Nothing of this sort will happen when a team is winning. Sri Lanka, who have played 30 matches over the last 12 months, is a case in point.

The most telling comment came from Brian Basson, the director of umpiring of the South African cricket board. ``Our players also once complained about playing too much cricket, but we (the board) shot down their argument with a single stroke - after all, you are getting paid heavily for your efforts. We are not squeezing or exploiting you.'' Many won't agree with his notion, but then that's their thinking. Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble have all been victims of an overdose of cricket. The latter two have been ``rested'' to recoup energy and how they perform on their return will show whether the rest was worth or ... your guess is as good as mine. Mind it, India have lost most of the matches abroad during the tours of South Africa, the West Indies and Sri Lanka, all taken in quick succession. At home there was nothing wrong with their performances. Is this the attitude problem or the different nature of the overused wickets? Perhaps, the combination of both.

If it is the wicket then what stops the Indian board from laying such turfs? Nobody knows. Money is one thing that flows in cricket. There comes the lackadaisical attitude of the board, who seem more concerned about making money and ``buying'' top posts. Another reason why the board is not paying much attention to wickets could be the thinking that at least India is winning consistently at home, so why change conditions which are suitable to Indian bowlers. The fear of missing out on victories at home also is, perhaps, what is leading to a status quo. Looking into the positive side, the depressing scenario has handed the newcomers in the team - Orissa's medium pace Debashish Mohanty, Pubjab's allrounder Harvinder Sindh and Maharashtra's Hrishinkesh Kanitkar - a glorious chance to become heroes overnight. They certainly can, but the only problem is that Pakistanis are handicapped by the absence of their star bowlers - and not by their star batsmen.