The need of the hour
Abhishek Mathur - 11 July 2002

At the time of writing, India still have their last league match to play against Sri Lanka in the triangular NatWest Series in England. While India have done well thus far in the series - extraordinarily well, by their standards - considering the team's performances lately, I think it may still be too early to decide whether the new formula is really helping this Indian cause.

After all, after having won just three matches in a row, with one loss and one abandoned match en route, India is already being compared by the media and the fans to the wonderful 1983 team that lifted the World Cup. Such a comparison must be embarrassing for both the 1983 champions as well as the current squad, for it is unwarranted until the current side proves its mettle as consistently as its predecessor.

A lot has already been said and written about the team and its composition - Rahul Dravid's new dual role, Sachin Tendulkar's comfort in the middle order - and it may be best to stop dwelling on it any longer. We have had sufficient proof that this combination is by far the best that Sourav Ganguly has had during his tenure as captain, but we must move forward to higher things.

Admittedly, India have thus far looked the best team in the tournament. Barring the loss to England in their penultimate league match, I think they have done fairly well in the series. But at this point, with the 2003 World Cup just around the corner, I feel it is important for the team to not just sit back on their laurels but to instead find enough motivation and inspiration to lift themselves by a notch - a quality that India have traditionally lacked.

It is high time that India went on to win cups and trophies regularly, rather than merely being the best side in a three-team event. It is high time that the Indian players make adhering to discipline a matter of routine, play to their potential in every game and start exhibiting that much extra effort, for only that will make this already conceived dream of winning the World Cup a reality.

The infusion of youth into this Indian side has done wonders. Strategically, I have been advocating dropping Tendulkar down the order for long now, but all I got for my pains was scorns and harsh looks from my friends. But it is encouraging to see him in the middle- order today, strengthening it immeasurably. It is also heartening to see each player fight for his place in the eleven, and with such an abundance of riches at their disposal in both batting and bowling departments, just carrying the current attitude to the World Cup should work wonders.

The need of the hour is not to call upon Javagal Srinath to go back on his retirement plans but to mould Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Tinu Yohannan for the big occasion. Srinath can now be given what in corporate parlance is termed the Golden Handshake; break out the youth and the aggression.

The team must also learn not to sit back after ensuring itself a place in the final of a triangular series; rather, it must look upon the next game as yet another chance of improving. The players can give more thought to attacking and blunting every opposition that they come across, and maybe even experiment further - not too much, though, because they do not want to lose the winning habit that they have just discovered!

The time is here, and the time is right, to rise that much higher, to be that much more disciplined. To make this good start a perfect finish, India can start by winning the NatWest trophy and continue a run of wins right up to the World Cup. It is a long race, and the marathon has just started, so the need of the hour is to conserve energy, build up stamina and keep persevering.

Ganguly has done all that he could to get the team he desired, standing staunchly by all the youngsters and the seniors he backed. Now it is each individual's turn to pay his confidence back. I just hope that the Indian team realises this and does not get carried away by the media's hype, for this is just the beginning.

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