Ever since the news leaked out that the Indian players were not keen to tour Pak for security reasons, I’ve been having this feeling that something’s cooking. Now it seems there is another reason not to go.
What makes the Indian team dither on Pak tour
BOBBILLI VIJAY KUMAR
TIMES NEWS NETWORK TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2004 01:16:53 AM ]
HOBART : The Indian team is quietly worrying about the impending tour to Pakistan .
Some players voiced their fears during a team meeting, at the height of the Test series against Australia , and the others had no hesitation is signing up too.
But now, they refuse to even acknowledge the predicament; the Board has already declared that it is not aware of any such concerns.
It is, however, reliably learnt that at least three senior players are worried about more than their own personal safety; they are also wondering if a normal cricket tour is possible at a time when the two countries are at volatile crossroads.
They are, of course, totally justified in thinking about their security and well-being; but they probably have more compelling reasons to seek a postponement, if not outright cancellation, to the tour: and it has everything to do with cricket.
Just one look at the players is enough to prove your worst fears: they are all physically exhausted after being 50 days on the tour; they are also emotionally drained after the exhilarating but energy-sapping cricket.
You can’t expect them to be at the top of their games with drooping bodies and numb minds. They will need much more than good wishes and hope to beat Pakistan in Pakistan ; if they do that, they will be swept aside by the Ides of March.
Any other time, Sourav Ganguly and his confident Men in Blue would have accepted the tour as a new and acceptable challenge: they have already conquered the first, and probably tougher, frontier (at least for the record) and would have eyed it as the final frontier.
But these are not normal conditions: India ’s batting may be purring like a well-oiled machine but their bowling is in poor health. As they prepare for their second game in the VB series here on Wednesday, they are actually wondering if they can defend 350 against Australia or take ten wickets against even Zimbabwe on Friday.
How things have changed: just a few months ago, the bowling looked like a brand new sedan; now it looks like a broken-down jalopy. Its parts have come apart, bit by bit, until it can’t move even one extra mile.
It all started with Javagal Srinath giving up hope and announcing his retirement; Harbhajan Singh took a chance with his bowling fingers and paid the price; Ashish Nehra is still walking on ginger ankles while Zaheer Khan is also limping.
None of them will be back, or fit enough, to spearhead the team’s dreams in Pakistan . They have left it on the slender arms of Ajit Agarkar, tiring fingers of Anil Kumble and raw fire of Irfan Pathan. Murali Kartik, on the other hand, might count himself lucky if he’s not on the same flight with any cricket team for some time.
Ganguly is, of course, a proud captain: he wouldn’t like to go to Pakistan with an under-nourished attack; he wouldn’t like to come back without giving a fitting fight, and winning at least a couple of them.
The team also faces a grave risk: it is riding on a high after its sensational performance in Australia . If its performance doesn’t rise to expectations, all the hard work will be wasted and all the goodwill that it has earned will evaporate quickly. Why put them at stake when there is an escape route?
