It's been a long time coming, so I guess being a West Indian, I share the joyof the people of my region. It's a series triumph which nobody had foreseen,certainly not by a 4-1 margin.
It adds to the zing if you remember that in the last nine or 10 matches WestIndies have won, Brian Lara has contributed only one half century. For long,people have held that this team cannot do without Lara's hand. Now others tooare beginning to make a difference.
I would not rush to say this team is a world-beater yet, but certainly theyhave men who can perform more than just one role. There is a growing number ofall-rounders in the side and senior batsmen are putting up their hands moreoften. The string of wins are beginning to bring the best out of these guys.
I have watched this Indian team from close quarters in the last few monthsand I can sense the disappointment of millions of their fans. There is now apointed concern if they have gone about preparing for the World Cup in not themost ideal way.
I personally feel that looking at the World Cup at this stage couldcomplicate things. India needs to worry about the forthcoming Tests and not losesleep over a tournament which is still eight months away.
India needs to look at the balance of its Test side, I worry if they have theright blend of youth and experience and whether they could pull it off. It wouldbe a major cause to cherish if Rahul Dravid's men emerge victorious in theTests. It still is the booty which is closest to the cricketers' hearts.
The win in the Tests could also restore the sense of well-being in this side.This is the one-day side which has been the toast of the nation in the past fewmonths and there is no reason why they cannot still be the darling of themasses. But they need to do a few things differently than they have been doingat home.
It is not a major ask. If you are a good cricketer, you should be able tomake that sort of adjustment. Otherwise, perhaps you were not good enough in thefirst place.
I can understand if the bowlers find themselves at their wits' end in thesegames because you cannot overnight find an alternative to seam and swing whichthese conditions do not support. But there is no excuse for the batsmen. Theseare still slow wickets and they ought to find a way of manouvering the ballrather than attack it all the time.
This I think has been the most disappointing aspect of the Indian team onthis tour. It might be unfair to pick on somebody like Suresh Raina who is youngand undeniably talented but for the second game running, he perished trying toplay that stupid shot. He came in a situation when just by pushing the singlesin the gaps, India could have come closer to victory.
In that sense, even Harbhajan Singh cannot escape the blame. He had broughtIndia into a situation where if the eighth wicket pair had continued to pick itssingles and brought the matter to a head till the final two overs, India wouldhave been deemed favourites. Instead, he tried a mighty loft when a long-offfielder was perfectly positioned for such indiscretion.
Still, I would say that India has missed the experience of someone like VVSLaxman on this trip. India needed men who could play long innings and experienceis key on such issues. Laxman is the kind of batsman who can work the ballaround and consolidate the score without having to take recourse to big,indiscreet hitting. He is like Dravid in this regard.
If India wants to be positive in this defeat, they can look at it as part ofthe learning curve. Defeats are only terminal if you do not have the mettle andI do not think that is the case with these young Indian boys.
Men with less talent and weak minds can be shattered by setbacks but inDhonis, Rainas, Sreesanths and Pathans hopefully that is not a worry.
PTI
