Sourav's dilemma...to bat or not to bat!!
When i see the amount of television time today being consumed by our ex-Captain; I am forced to ponder about the situation.
Just when I had thought that Sourav has had the last laugh, destiny has played a very cruel game with him, yet again.
Where did it all start going wrong? It is ironical that Sourav's slide down the trough started when he was at the doorstep of his greatest success as an Indian captain. His first away series win (away from the sub-continent) in test matches.
After a not so great and ever painful century, the moment Sourav decided to create fuss over the friendly banter that Greg had with him and suggested him about his future as a player as well as the captain of team India, before the media, he started his downward slide.
Although that matter was handled by the BCCI within closed doors(as diplomatically as ever), the seize of power away from Sourav and his eventual loss of place would not have come as a surprise to any prudent skeptic.
Yes, Sourav has given us more reasons to cheer about than any other Indian captain (apart from Kapil maybe in 1983).
Be it the shirt waving syndrome he has, or the way he handled the media pressure created by the Steve, he no doubtedly changed the face of Indian cricket.
But the problems that bugged Sourav were same that happens with many good things; that of over Indulgence and self-obsession.
Somewhere down the line he forgot that Team India was the Super set and he, the subset and thought otherwise.
He thought that he could get away with poor strokes as long as the team was winning, and slowly the feeling that he was a burden started playing in the minds of the Indian cricketers (particularly the ones like Laxman, Zaheer and Nehra who were struggling for a permanent place in the team in spite of doing better than Sourav).
One has to agree that he did all the right things by increasing his fitness levels, playing domestic matches(and restarted bowling once again) to get selected into the team and
the selectors were definitely wrong...wrong not in dropping him but repicking him under political pressure.
This has been proven by the turn of events in the first test match in pakistan.A senior player like Sourav cannot be selected in the team and warm up the bench. So, what do we do? We drop both Gambhir and Jaffer who had centuries in the tour game, create in balance in the team and force a player like Rahul to bat at the start of the innings (Sourav's fear of facing fast bowling is an axiom now-a-days, doesn’t need to be discussed any more) just for the fear that,
some hundred awful supporters who have no better work to do will throng down the streets and start burning effigies. What we forget here is that all these events are sponsored by the
political circles of the state ( which is on the verge of assembly elections) to divert attention.
And to his sheer chagrin, the pitch was a batsman's paradise. Who knows what would have happened had Dada opened the innings?
This is destiny's way of saying 'Son your time's up!!'
Sourav has been good, but he could have been great.How can Sourav be happy when he is selected into the team as a batting all-rounder and not as a fully fledged batsman, when I as one of his countless fans feel deeply humiliated by the statement itself? After facing so many downfalls, as a true fan of his, I deserve at least one more swashbuckling innings from him.
At least one more glorious cover drive, but alas he is hell bent to prove to himself that he is "STILL" good. What he does not want to believe is that he is long past his expiry date as an active player.
Ay Royal Bengal Tiger...Take a Bow.. And leave.. For thy have passed thou time..!!
Just when I had thought that Sourav has had the last laugh, destiny has played a very cruel game with him, yet again.
Where did it all start going wrong? It is ironical that Sourav's slide down the trough started when he was at the doorstep of his greatest success as an Indian captain. His first away series win (away from the sub-continent) in test matches.
After a not so great and ever painful century, the moment Sourav decided to create fuss over the friendly banter that Greg had with him and suggested him about his future as a player as well as the captain of team India, before the media, he started his downward slide.
Although that matter was handled by the BCCI within closed doors(as diplomatically as ever), the seize of power away from Sourav and his eventual loss of place would not have come as a surprise to any prudent skeptic.
Yes, Sourav has given us more reasons to cheer about than any other Indian captain (apart from Kapil maybe in 1983).
Be it the shirt waving syndrome he has, or the way he handled the media pressure created by the Steve, he no doubtedly changed the face of Indian cricket.
But the problems that bugged Sourav were same that happens with many good things; that of over Indulgence and self-obsession.
Somewhere down the line he forgot that Team India was the Super set and he, the subset and thought otherwise.
He thought that he could get away with poor strokes as long as the team was winning, and slowly the feeling that he was a burden started playing in the minds of the Indian cricketers (particularly the ones like Laxman, Zaheer and Nehra who were struggling for a permanent place in the team in spite of doing better than Sourav).
One has to agree that he did all the right things by increasing his fitness levels, playing domestic matches(and restarted bowling once again) to get selected into the team and
the selectors were definitely wrong...wrong not in dropping him but repicking him under political pressure.
This has been proven by the turn of events in the first test match in pakistan.A senior player like Sourav cannot be selected in the team and warm up the bench. So, what do we do? We drop both Gambhir and Jaffer who had centuries in the tour game, create in balance in the team and force a player like Rahul to bat at the start of the innings (Sourav's fear of facing fast bowling is an axiom now-a-days, doesn’t need to be discussed any more) just for the fear that,
some hundred awful supporters who have no better work to do will throng down the streets and start burning effigies. What we forget here is that all these events are sponsored by the
political circles of the state ( which is on the verge of assembly elections) to divert attention.
And to his sheer chagrin, the pitch was a batsman's paradise. Who knows what would have happened had Dada opened the innings?
This is destiny's way of saying 'Son your time's up!!'
Sourav has been good, but he could have been great.How can Sourav be happy when he is selected into the team as a batting all-rounder and not as a fully fledged batsman, when I as one of his countless fans feel deeply humiliated by the statement itself? After facing so many downfalls, as a true fan of his, I deserve at least one more swashbuckling innings from him.
At least one more glorious cover drive, but alas he is hell bent to prove to himself that he is "STILL" good. What he does not want to believe is that he is long past his expiry date as an active player.
Ay Royal Bengal Tiger...Take a Bow.. And leave.. For thy have passed thou time..!!
posted by Perfect Misfit at 2:54 AM
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