When the bubble burst...

The T20 world cup 2009 is far from over, still in round robin stage to be precise but the Indian contingent has hopped in for the next tour of their never ending FTPs. But what was the atmosphere like within the dressing room when they were doomed. In a cricket crazy nation like India, it was the least of all that could happen and the reverberation was deafening on the day when it became ineligible for the knockout stage.

Who do we blame for India’s early exit from the tournament? I feel no one is to be blamed but the keen followers of this damned game. Do not forget the expert analysts at private television channels who vouchsafe for our team’s immortality and rip them apart when the result reverses. The most intriguing factor is how come the newscasters are privy to the captain’s/coach’s thoughts and air them disregarding its authenticity. The truth goes for a toss here and viewers get to mull over the garbled story.

The argument goes by, India being a defending champion, this was totally unexpected. But what was the basis of this expectation on the team? Statistics never lie and a win percentage of less than 50 (around 40) between the end of the previous World Cup and the current suggest that we never were dominating this form of cricket. The Indian team was performing better in other formats but never on this. So why was this hyped?

Coach Kirsten’s comments “we thought we were clever, but the other teams caught up with our strategy.” When did we ever have a strategy? Why are we reluctant to believe that the victory in 2007 was a “flash in a pan”? Consistency has been an issue with the Indian teams throughout their cricketing history and this team is no exception. A bubble was spotted 2 years back and its immediate burst was never acknowledged. It is time to move on rather languishing at our team’s dismal show. After all, it’s just a game. J