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Losing is, after all, a part of the game. There are two teams in the middle, and for a result to come out of it, one team must triumph over the other. But the manner in which one is defeated says a lot about character, and it is difficult to find any positive character traits from India's humiliating defeat at the Basin Reserve. At the end of the second day, followers of the Indian team would have had reason for hope. New Zealand were almost bowled out for a none-too-significant lead, and a solid second-innings batting performance could have given them an outside chance in this game. But a pitiful collapse from the batsmen meant that the match ended within just three days - and remember, almost two whole sessions were lost on the second day. Greatness comes from doing well in adverse conditions, and the Indian batsmen failed to make a case for themselves at Wellington. Apart from the only truly world-class batsmen in the Indian side - Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid - nobody else could even lay bat on ball in a convincing manner. It was almost a replay of India's last tour to Australia when, barring Tendulkar and perhaps Laxman, the batsmen struggled to score runs. The defeat was particularly painful because India's bowlers did such a good job of bringing their side back into the game. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh bowled exceptionally well to concede only a meagre lead to the Kiwis, but their efforts were cast to the wind by the batsmen, who did not show any commitment or application at the crease in the second innings. All credit to the New Zealanders, of course, for this win. They may have been aided by the helpful conditions, but the ball still has to be put in the right place, and the Kiwi batsmen in fact showed far more grit than any Indian except Dravid and Tendulkar. It is telling that a united and committed band of cricketers have beaten our much-hyped bunch. If India are to bounce back in this series, they must find a way of living up to that hype and performing up to their potential and expectations. That is perhaps the only way of assuaging the humiliation meted out in this defeat. © CricInfo |
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