It's all about the team

“When I wear this jersey I wear it on my heart”

These were the very words Darren Sammy said at the post-match press conference. It was a very happy Darren Sammy as his team had just won the World T20. It was the same Darren Sammy who stood by his team when everybody else mocked it. I always said that West Indies needed only three players – Gayle to make a quickfire 200, Narine to get the opposition all out and Dwayne Bravo for fielding.

West Indies has a very strong team. By winning this title, West Indies have proven the critics and the other teams wrong and have had the last laugh. At the end of the day, it’s about going out on the field and playing like your life depended on it. It’s about fighting hard even when there’s no hope of winning. It’s all about the passion and commitment to the game of cricket.

Now this article is not only a tribute to West Indies, it is also for the other teams and players and their passion for the game. Along with skill, passion for the game can also win matches for a team. The West Indies team are a very good example of this love for the game. Very few teams can make a total like 138 seem good enough to win a match – let alone a World T20 final against a team like Sri Lanka with their kind of batting line up.

We must also acknowledge the Sri Lankan team. They are a very deserving team and have already been in four finals. They made it through to the 2011 World Cup finals without even being paid a single penny. Try to beat that kind of commitment!

As for the Indian team – as of now – not many players are really performing. Our openers, Gambhir and Sehwag have had bad seasons. The once dynamic duo have had a few matches where they have played well, but never together; and they haven’t been able to set up a good partnership for the team. Raina has had a pretty average time as well, only chipping in occasionally as a finisher.

Rohit Sharma hasn’t yet performed except against England in one match. Then of course, there’s our skipper Dhoni. People complain that his best total is 23, and while he has not been at his best, it must be noted that he has come in only post-sixteenth over in most matches. The bowlers have been pretty average, barring Aswin and Harbhajan.

November 15th in Ahmedabad at precisely 9:30 am IST (if weather permits), the first test between India and England will commence. The fans will be at the stadium – tricolour flying  high, faces painted saffron, white and green, with their blue jerseys – if I may use this phrase – on their hearts. The question is – what about the team?