Party poopers: It’s time to buck up

After delivering a damp squib in the prestigious Twenty20 World Cup, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni pinned the reason for defeat on the timing of IPL matches, hectic travelling and carousing. DNA finds out if the explanation is justified.

Accept defeat and improvise on the game 

I t is very unfortunate that    the Indian team is out of T20 World Cup. But winning and losing is the part of game and we must accept this fact. The wrong thing that’s happening is that the cricketers are blaming and giving excuses for their defeat, which no other country’s team does. Now they have zeroed down on the IPL revelry, which they wholeheartedly attended when the event was on. They shouldn’t indulge in a blame game but accept their defeat with dignity. They must acknowledge that they haven’t played the matches well enough. The team can still get its act in order by selecting right players.
—Shekhar Suman, anchor and actor

Reduce number of tourneys

The Indian team is playing too much of cricket which is impacting their performance. Late night parties are creating a certain image about the cricketers, which doesn’t make a good impression in the minds of the people. The public feels that the players enjoy parties irrespective of their team’s performance. BCCI should take a cue from the latest T20 World Cup debacle and should seriously consider to reduce the number of cricket tournaments played by India.
—Sushil Mhadgut,  media coordinator

Focus on getting back to form

We have a good team which has won glory for us in the past. It’s true that IPL is more about glamour, than the game itself and being a star-studded league, it’s difficult for players to stay away from parties — as it’s a professional obligation. They barely had a day to rest before the world cup started, so I think Dhoni is justified in saying that. Every player needs adequate rest. Now they must stay low and shun parties, so that they can get back to their potential.
—Anuradha Kelkar, PR professional

Chart out a better game schedule

The Indian team does not lack killer instinct, but seemed physically and mentally fatigued to push themselves for a win. I think Dhoni is being forthright about the IPL schedule being a drain on players. He is also right when he says that cricketers need to be smarter about handling IPL. Parties are integral to the event and need not be banned, but there’s need to regulate them. Managements, players and party organisers need to sit together and plan this better. 
—Vipul Bondal, associate VP

Make the players mentally tough 

We lack the mental conditioning to win high pressure games. We often fail to hold our nerve in tough situations and hope that the other player delivers to carry the team to victory. A lot can be learned from teams like Australia about tactical gameplans. We need to develop better and more competitive training manuals, have transparency in selection procedures. Focus should be put in providing better amenities and camps for players at the grass root level.
—Reby Abraham, associate consultant

Senior players must share skills 

I feel Indian players have the zeal and skills to perform against the world’s best, but I feel there are some things which the team as a whole needs to take care of. For instance, Dhoni as a captain should set out priorities and lead from the front. Top management should cut late night party schedules and increase the preparation schedule as well as fitness practices. Also, there should be constant guidance by senior players like Sachin and Dravid.      —Deric Karunesudas,  consultant

It’s definitely a feeble excuse

It’s a weak excuse by Dhoni. The fact is that they had gone to the World Cup and they were just not good enough. Application and concentration was not there and they cannot complain of fatigue after crashing out. The team has to revisit the basic cricket manual to learn that the game is more important than the parties. For a player, cricket should come first. There is no question of banning the parties. Who was forcing players to attend these IPL parties?
 —Majid Pandit, communications officer

Other teams have better grounding

The initial matches of T20 World Cup worked quite well for the Indian team. However after that we have faltered in all aspects — bowling, fielding and batting. Team India doesn’t seem to have the killer instinct to win like the other teams. Blaming the IPL doesn’t make any sense now, they were aware of the impending T20 World Cup which should ideally be considered more important than the money making and easy IPL tournament series played at home.
—Priyanka Belhawre, student

IPL matches gave them momentum

The only problem I find in the team is the consistency factor. I don’t agree with Dhoni’s version that IPL parties have affected his team’s performance. It is just an excuse. However IPL matches had given good momentum and practice for all the players. But all Indian players didn’t have the same motivation since everyone was not in top form in IPL matches. Even though players have the talent and experience they lack stable confidence level in all the games.
—Rajesh Koduparti, media professional

Cricketers need more stamina

Dhoni is right about the stand on parties, a sportsman needs a lot of stamina. Therefore partying every night means less hours of sleep, this coupled with long travelling hours can take a toll on anybody’s health. Cricket is a sport, which goes on for hours, unlike others, so a cricketer needs more stamina. The Indian team doesn’t lack the killer instinct, they have all the hallmarks of a strong team, but playing and partying has taken a toll on their health.
—Mazahir Mandasaurwala, marketing executive

Foreign players partied, yet scored

Players are human. They tend to get tired and it’s not about playing a match, but putting in hours of practice and balancing the pressure. Parties could hardly ruin their performance. Most players voluntarily went there. So blaming the IPL for the T20 World Cup failure is stupid. Look at Jayawardena and other foreign players who played in IPL and are still performing well in T20 World Cup. I guess India is still a formidable side. Dhoni needs to get his act together and move on.
—Saumil Bhavsar, businessman