Column

The meek surrender in the final ODI would have taken some sheen off India’s series win and perhaps skipper MS Dhoni was articulating his personal disappointment at this turn of events when he apologized publicly to fans after the defeat. But if he hasn’t had a stiff word with his teammates too, the apology would be just tokenism.

The performance that day appeared too loose and self-indulgent, suggesting that just perhaps victory was taken for granted. In any sport, even against the weakest side in the world, this is a recipe for disaster. Remember India’s memorable victory in the 1983 World Cup final against odds-on favourites West Indies?

On the face of it, there is nothing terribly wrong with losing one match out of four. That’s how the law of averages would probably work out in any case for a side which plays as freely as does this Indian team. Also, the defeat came after the series had been won, so it can also be argued that the focus of the players may have got diluted just that wee bit.

Yet, a defeat like this on the eve of a Test series can upset the momentum of the team apart, of course, from boosting the confidence of the opponents. There is no comparison between the two sides: India’s talent quotient is significantly higher. But then again, cricket is played so much in the mind. For the most part of the ODI series, New Zealand were hopelessly outclassed, but now suddenly, they go into the Tests believing that India are beatable after all.

These are very interesting and topsy-turvy times in international cricket, which couldn’t have escaped MS Dhoni’s attention.
Australia, after being convincingly beaten by South Africa at home, have exacted sweet revenge by winning the return series in a ruthless display, even sending Graeme Smith to hospital to lick his wounds. In the Caribbean, meanwhile, England lost the rubber with some appalling cricket for just one hour in the first Test.

Unlike when the West Indies ruled the sport in the 1970s and 80s, or the Aussies in the past 15 years, there is no clear champion side currently. The battle for supremacy has become almost like a rugby scrum, with India one of the serious contenders along with Australia, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka — not to mention Pakistan when they are playing as a team.
Am I reluctant to include New Zealand in this equation? Yes and no. On paper, they look a depleted side, and shorn of the kind of talent that, say, a Shane Bond or a Craig McMillan possessed. And yet, this is also the opportunity to take a crack at the top teams and rebuild. It is worthwhile remembering that Dan Vettori’s team did not do badly at all when they toured Australia recently.

Nor indeed, how well New Zealand fared the last time India were on tour in 2002. Ganguly’s team too was strong on paper but came completely unstuck. Pitch and weather conditions apart (and these can make a difference as the last ODI showed), India will have to tackle the ‘underdog’ syndrome sensibly. New Zealand have nothing to lose, everything to gain. That’s a great situation to be in.

For Dhoni’s team, both overconfidence and excessive caution can be counter-productive. The approach need not be defensive, but aggression has to be sensibly applied. This is a hugely gifted team that may just have to guard against itself. Flamboyance is of little value if the end result is not victory.