Guys, guys, why are we fighting over this? For some reason, each side (and supposedly you have to be on one or the other; Chappell v. Ganguly; each side for the most part labeling the other as evil) feels the need to rub in victories or losses into the others faces. Am I the only one that thinks that is a little petty? Flute is right in that it is a very good accomplishment-- we are playing some very good ODI cricket overall right now, BUT bouncer also has a point that we still need to perform well in ODIs outside the subcontinent (the WI will be the first opportunity to do so). However, even winning in the subcontinent, 4 times in a row against a very strong Pakistani side, as they once again proved by anhilating Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, and then beating an admittedly understrength English side (really only Trescothick is the player they desperately miss in the ODIs; Vaughn has a horrendous ODI record and may actually never play ODI cricket again, Giles' ODI record is no great shakes, and yeah...they do miss Harmison to an extent, although he is yet to really perform well in the subcontinent.) 4 times in a row is quite an accomplishment. It is not that we weren't favored to win the series, but that this sort of consistency in ODI cricket is generally not associated with Indian cricket, even at home. We almost never used to beat any team 4 times in a row in a series. We've managed to lose several matches to Zimbabwe, one to Bangladesh, and a couple to Kenya. That is nothing new-- we've always had those moments of compalcency and inconsistent performances, losing matches we had no right losing, but what I like is that it seems the team comes prepared to give the same effort whether the scoreline is 0-0 or if it is 3-0. I hope we continue to show the same intensity in the so-called "dead rubbers," because it is really easy to lose focus and intensity, but that is not the sign of a professional side trying to become the best. We need to finish off the series emphatically, winning by at least a 6-1 margin, much like we did against Sri Lanka. And not playing some of the stars should not be an excuse...others need to step up and fill the void. Basically, it is a very good achievement to win consistently at home, but it would be a mistake for any of the players and fans to simply bask in the glory. Imran Khan recently said during "Straight Drive" following the Indians defeating the Pakistanis that the truly great teams analyze their victories for faults. I could not agree more. That is constructive criticism I am talking about-- not just bashing. We need to look at the aspects where we can continually improve our game and there is no doubt that right now, the biggest gaping hole performance-wise is the openers slots. Dravid has filled in admirably, but I do not think that is a long-term solution. Sehwag is clearly a huge worry and so is the extremely poor form of Mohammad Kaif-- certainly both Venugopal Rao and Robin Uthappa have to get their opportunities to stake their claims now. The only other slight worry I see is that of the support pacers for Pathan, but unlike with the out of form batsmen, I don't see as many trouble signs there. I think it might be time to get RPS back in for a couple of games.
AuthorTopic: Indian Team World Record (Read 1474 times)
