New Year re "solutions" for Team India

Will Indian cricket fans find reason to cheer this year?

The beginning of another year; it is time for atonement and for resolutions. It’s time when we bestow upon ourselves and our family with gifts and wishes. Most of us consider this to be the ideal time to welcome newness in our life. And Indian cricket cannot consider itself an aberration. The Indian team is now a sample which looks completely solid from the surface but has a number of voids inside it. When the force(opponent) makes a targeted attack on voids, that not only is stressing the solid particles surrounding but also is resulting in the draining of energy from them and eventually the solid, as a whole, gives up, without anyone noticing and without anyone anticipating. This is because we think that the sample is absolutely rigid and will not yield to any force and we just prefer to ignore voids.

The numbers of closely fought matches we have lost in the recent times testify the same. A few missed catches and a couple of misfields are taking the matches away. The feeling just 20 odd more runs on the board and we would have won is persistent. A wish for just one additional partnership is always there. We sometimes get a great opening and fail to turn it big. Some other times, the top order just collapses and finishers do the job of reconstruction. A single bad over just turns the result around. Sometimes we get early wickets and sometimes, the match is already out of of our hands by the time we get them. Just replace the voids with new, energized particles and very soon, we will be the ones on the winning side. An optimized combination of experience and energy for team India is need of the hour now.

The Sehwag and Gambhir partnership – game changing opening pair, dangerous and smashing – is a once upon a time story now. Those flowing runs and the ecstasy that follows when Sehwag is on crease has all become far from reality now. Sehwag’s wicket used to be the most coveted one and that used to mean that opponents have saved themselves from a very dangerous explosion. I really feel sorry that I am using past tense here, but that is the truth – a truth which cannot be given a cursory look. Ajinkya Rahane seems to be a possible replacement now. He, along with Gambhir, who can add both runs and experience to the team, can be a much better opening batsman than Sehwag (in his current form).

Is Rohit Sharma’s time up?

Haven’t Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja been given too many chances already? Their form is ephemeral. It is a very rare occurrence when they contribute to the team’s success. They don’t seem to have enough agility on the field too. May be Cheteshwara Pujara can be given a chance to prove himself in shorter formats too. It is always better to try out new options when we already know that older ones are not working. It is surely better than deploring lost matches.

Despite some hard knocks, we can definitely sense fortunes around the corner. Two all- rounders, one bowling – Ravichandran Ashwin – and one batting – Yuvraj Singh – are in the making and they need to be well groomed and nourished for these roles. We already have a wicket keeper – batsman, Dhoni, who is also playing his captaincy role in a grand manner. With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar coming in and Ashoke Dinda also performing well, our bowling attack also looks strong. Luckily for us, this youngster Bhuvaneshwar, who swings his ball so beautifully, can contribute with his bat too. In this aspect, doesn’t it look like a team ideally composed?

Looks like Indian cricket is on its way to producing a world winning team but it just needs to transcend some obstacles. It needs to make and accept some tough decisions. The team should analyze failures not only when we lose but also when we win. It needs some changes and needs to learn selecting horses for the courses. A little more motivation, little more fighting back and a little more never give-up attitude is all that is needed. The men in blue should break the cocoon of defense and “let go” nature and thus bring the glory of victory to India.

Hope this New Year will bring in nothing but success to team India.