The Indian one day team arrived in Bangladesh today keen to play again after their early exit and humiliation at the World Cup. It is ironic that the defeat by Bangladesh in the first round was a prime cause of their exit. This tour has a greater significance than any previous tours and there is more at stake with India having a point to prove.
The hot and sultry conditions will be a test for a side that seems to have had all the stuffing knocked out of it and is sitting at the bottom of the pile after a heady period under Wright and Ganguly, where they were seemingly threatening Australia for the top spot. There now lies a huge gap between these two teams that renders any comparison worthless.
There does not appear to be unity within the camp, with the Board and players at loggerheads about contracts or the withdrawal of them, amount of payments to the team, restrictions on endorsements and the apparent 'resting' of Tendulkar and Ganguly. The BCCI are acting like strict fathers who are punishing their children for not performing well and attributing all the blame to them. Can such a heavy handed approach lead to harmony within the team or cause greater distance and dissatisfaction in Team India?
All the talk is of putting the World Cup debacle behind them and looking to the future and a plea to the media and fans to be more patient. This is easier said than done, when all the focus for the last 4 years has been on the World Cup and elevated expectations of how well India were going to perform. The entire planning for the team including the selection of coach was based on this event so it is not a scar that is easily healed.
The team has little option but to look ahead and begin to rebuild by playing and winning well. They indeed have a point to prove against Bangladesh but if they win and win well, that will only be expected, as they are still the more established and better side, on paper at least. There will be no great celebrations or praise heaped on them. If they win by a narrow margin or worse still loose, the criticism will continue. Once the standards and expectations are raised of being world beaters, there is a long way to go before you can satisfy those expectations again.
Bangladesh on the other hand are on a high, with unity and great team spirit, which was so evident in the World Cup, where they lost the tag of minnows and proved that they are a force to contend with, at least in the one day game. They will know that India are at low ebb and will use this to their benefit along with the fact they have home advantage. They can only gain from the series, as a defeat will not hurt them too much but a close contest or a win will further enhance their growing reputation.
This is probably India's most important tour to Bangladesh,and whatever the result, they have a long road ahead of them before they can finally repair the damage inflicted by a disappointing World Cup and regain the confidence of their passionate fans.
The hot and sultry conditions will be a test for a side that seems to have had all the stuffing knocked out of it and is sitting at the bottom of the pile after a heady period under Wright and Ganguly, where they were seemingly threatening Australia for the top spot. There now lies a huge gap between these two teams that renders any comparison worthless.
There does not appear to be unity within the camp, with the Board and players at loggerheads about contracts or the withdrawal of them, amount of payments to the team, restrictions on endorsements and the apparent 'resting' of Tendulkar and Ganguly. The BCCI are acting like strict fathers who are punishing their children for not performing well and attributing all the blame to them. Can such a heavy handed approach lead to harmony within the team or cause greater distance and dissatisfaction in Team India?
All the talk is of putting the World Cup debacle behind them and looking to the future and a plea to the media and fans to be more patient. This is easier said than done, when all the focus for the last 4 years has been on the World Cup and elevated expectations of how well India were going to perform. The entire planning for the team including the selection of coach was based on this event so it is not a scar that is easily healed.
The team has little option but to look ahead and begin to rebuild by playing and winning well. They indeed have a point to prove against Bangladesh but if they win and win well, that will only be expected, as they are still the more established and better side, on paper at least. There will be no great celebrations or praise heaped on them. If they win by a narrow margin or worse still loose, the criticism will continue. Once the standards and expectations are raised of being world beaters, there is a long way to go before you can satisfy those expectations again.
Bangladesh on the other hand are on a high, with unity and great team spirit, which was so evident in the World Cup, where they lost the tag of minnows and proved that they are a force to contend with, at least in the one day game. They will know that India are at low ebb and will use this to their benefit along with the fact they have home advantage. They can only gain from the series, as a defeat will not hurt them too much but a close contest or a win will further enhance their growing reputation.
This is probably India's most important tour to Bangladesh,and whatever the result, they have a long road ahead of them before they can finally repair the damage inflicted by a disappointing World Cup and regain the confidence of their passionate fans.
6 comments:
Now, us Indians are never the kind that clutch at straws, but I'd have you remember that a team that surpasses its own expectations - like Bangladesh did in the World Cup - usually feel the pressure of living it up, particularly at home. Much like we did after a 1983 World cup win. Those West Indians came and beat us 5-0.
Not that I'm saying anything really. Just crossed my mind so I thought I'd mention. :)
Fair point,lets see which team comes out on top as both are under pressure in different ways.
The only tangible gain would be Rahuls captaincy.
If he can show a little more flair instead of playing by the numbers, esp in ODIs, India will have gained significantly.
I get the feeling that Rahul seems uncomfortable with Saurav and Sachin around,especially evident in the WC.He definitely needs to improve as captain and not be influenced as he seemed to be by Chappell before.
Hmm, not quite true, this tour could well be used as a launch pad for future tough assignments like England and Australia tours.
I dont think so that Rahul is awed by the presence of Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar.
India should still yet win ODIs and Tests without dropping or drawing a game. Better said than done.
Look at mine views on http://willowandleatherblog.blogspot.com.
Ironically today I have written same post on series prospects....Do drop in by.
Thanks for dropping in. I will look at your comments with interest.
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