Treatment for the Indian team - comeuppance is here

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I cannot believe how a collection such humongously talented players and a captain with an actual working brain (for the last one I am told we have to reach back to Pataudi) can manage to not win all the matches they play.

I am not talking about just the pakistan series. Look back to almost every match in the last 2.5 years and somehow these guys have managed not win matches after winning them.

I guess the class and competency has created such complacency that as long as they reach a 50:50 record they don’t get bothered.

I think one of the key reasons is the Sachin effect. Without doubt he was the best batsman in the world and that too at a very young age. A genius with a great temperament if there was ever one. All this made him a national hero by 20, an international star by 23 and the demi God by 25.

Now he has stopped performing - but his lack of blistering 100’s is not the worst problem - all the other Indian players are lulled into the thought that as long as they are somewhere near Sachin’s current performane level, well, that couldn’t be too bad, can it?

So Ganguly scores once in 5, VVS once in 7, all others once in 10 - with the lucky exception of Sehwag and Dravid - who are defining for themselves a class of determination that I don’t believe anyother Indian has shown.

We have to light a fire under some of these guys now. We gotta drop Sachin from one dayers. We gotta make VVS re-earn his cap. We gotta start utilizing others (Kaif, Yuvraj …) lot more.

Ganguly, though not contributing with the bat, is marshalling as best as he can but seems to be mellowing on his arrogant aggression because of the general complacency of the team - and of the fans.

Nobody seems to bay for scalps anymore when matches we won by tea are lost by stumps in some unbelievable manner.

May be we have carried ‘it’s only a game’ a bit too far. It’s a shame cos this team is made of players that are really not second to the Aussies - but they are trying their hardest to prove they have no spirit.

I’d advise every Indian player, including Sachin & Ganguly, to watch Afridi’s hunger, body language and ferocity of the eye when he was bowling on the first day - If you can’t give half as much as that energy and application, which the Inidan team is clearly not, then all your latent talent is a wasted on you and I will start supporting Afridi’s and Clarke’s of this world

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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

well written atlantis…

I can feel your pain…we Pakistanis felt that pain for 10 years when we had genius like wasim akram, waqar younis, saqlain mushtaq and saeed anwar and yet we used to fail all the times because of lack of determination…let me copy osman samiudidn from cricinfo:

“Perhaps because we’re not used to seeing it, we don’t often acknowledge it anymore. Pakistani teams, especially during the 1990s, were many things; freakishly but fitfully brilliant, electric now, flat then. The line between success and failure was often thin enough to be impoverished, delicately balanced on feats of stupendous individual skill; a spell from Wasim here, one from Waqar there, a virtuoso from Saeed Anwar’s wrists or an Inzamam special. Performances were ethereal and success came from an explosion of an individual or two, while failure from an implosion of the collective. If a win often resulted in a streak of them, so too did a loss. Not often was there anything tangible - solidity or resilience - in between.”

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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

lets not lose our perspective logon, one good day doesnt mean that india isnt the stronger side or the one most likely to win the series.

Driving
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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

Phoenix, yes I can see the parallels.

ravage - not because of the 2 centuries yesterday but almost singly because of Afridi's behaviour - I think if one more guy in paki team gets like afridi, yes, I think at that point the scales tip over. This series is turning out to be Sehwag vs Afridi. Now imagine Shoab joining!

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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

shoaib joining huh…shoaib joining huh…shoaib joining huh…shoaib joining…

you think shoaib will join the team and increase the determination of pak team???..bhai meray all those test macthes in which pak team has shown some determination were played without shoaib…remember last year test match win against sri lanka in karachi…shaoib was sitting outside…remember the finals against AUS in VB series in which pak was abt to crush Aus, shoaib was sitting outside…remember Mohali test in which pak was so determined, shoaib was sitting outside…yarr shoaib ko bahar heee rehnay do please…ham par reham karo…

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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

^ so now you know why I want Shoab in your team

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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

I agree,the hunger is somewhat missing now,ganguly seems less aggressive,players seem to be taking it easy.they feel that by getting the tag of probably the best indian team ever,they have acheived everything.looking at this one really can't help but admire the aussies,i mean i don't think there is anything they haven't done but they still go into every match as if it is the be all and end all of it.hats off to them.

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Re: Treatment for the Hindian team - comeuppance is here

Frankly I think this Indian team is talented, but in typical Indian fashion, the media has over hyped them and raised expectations beyond what they are capable of achieving. A decent bowler like Pathan was made out to be Wasim Akram, Tendulkar (though still a good batsman) is still lauded like he is a world beater and the player he was 6-7 yrs ago.........
The fact of the matter is, India is good, but not as good as people, mainly the media, make them out to be.
I would rate Australia, England and Sri Lanka all as better test teams.
In terms of ODI's I think outside of Bancladesh pretty much every Testy playing nation is better than India due to their lack of all rounders.

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Re: Treatment for the Indian team - comeuppance is here

For a second i thought you guys are talking about shoaib malik. He can compliment afridi pretty well in helping the bowlers over the fence :)