As you all know a game like cricket is played and won only when the entire team member gel together as a very good cohesive unit. It’s a team Game. Individual Brilliances can pull off victories but not on a consistent basis. Teams with no great players can still manage to win with the help of cooperation among its teammates. The Best example for this is the Srilankan team which took everyone by surprise when it won the 1996 World Cup. So now our point of discussion is how good is India as a team. Again here we have to see to different teams one for the Test matches and the other for the shorter version of the game.
In this Article, I discuss about our One-day team with my little known knowledge of the game. To start with lets look at the ICC One day International Team Ranking, where India is in a very sad state at the 8th position ahead of only the three minnows (Bangladesh, Kenya and Zimbabwe). Though it is seen that the difference in points is just 3, separating the 3rd position and the eighth position. Our One-day team’s consistency is always wayward. One day they would perform magnificently and the very next day would slump down to a very mediocre performance. There are a few drawbacks in our team, which makes the difference between winning and losing the game.
· Lack of consistency:
We aren’t consistent at all. These are major drawbacks we need set us a standard and should never perform below par to that. We should formulate a way to perform evenly. Each player should be clearly explained his role in the team and what they expect out of him. This would make sure that each player concentrates on his particular responsibility, which results in the overall betterment of the team. This would avoid the team to give sporadic performances.
· Fielding and Fitness:
One of the main drawbacks of our team for many years has been the fielding and fitness aspect of the game. Our fielding when compared to many top teams is very substandard. We haven’t found a safe slip corridor ever since the retirement of Azhar.Seeing a direct hit by an Indian fielder has become a total rarity. These poor standards of fielding are a direct implication of the lack of fitness in the Indian camp. With the advent of foreign physicians and trainers the standard has seem to improve slowly. But the fast bowlers are always found be down with several injuries.
· Never Ending search for a genuine All rounder:
A country that produced one of the game’s greatest all rounder Kapil Dev is having a never ending search for a genuine all rounder for few years or so. A good all rounder would make such a difference to the team and lend flexibility to the teams batting order. Irfan pathan has generated a ray of hope, and only time will tell if it’s going to turn to reality. We need to groom young all rounders more
· Faltering during the big day:
It’s become habitual for the Indian cricket team to lose out in a final of any tournament they play. The team looks like having a big mental block on these big days. The come up with a dismal show. The pressure of winning seems to overtake their minds and their game ultimately. They end up choking and succumb under pressure. They have to get an attitude change over.
All said and done under the regime of the new coach and the captaincy of Dravid, let’s hope Indians perform well. Let fresh thoughts bring in refreshing approaches and newness to our game plan. With the correct blend of matured senior players and the exuberant youth bring in better prosperity to our Team this season. Lets hope for the best. Go India Go!!!