Indian batting has performed and bowling and fielding have underperformed, according to her ardent fans.All media and fans were praising Dhoni before. Now they are after his blood ! Perceived complaceny and bowling frailties are criticised by its 500 million plus fans !
If the population of England is just 51 million and Aus 24 million, then its cric fans are also less. Not so the mighty Elephant ! Dhoni has to answer 500 million cric cracks, who would go to any length to see Sachin hold the coveted Trophy on Apr 2nd ! ( The overpopulation of Ind is generally described as a minus point. But, in cricket, it becomes a plus point ).
Th cric crazy Indian fan now wants Greg Chappel as coach. He is a severe critic of Ind bowling and fielding ( A nation of one billion plus cannot produce a genuine fast bowler ! ). Ashwin is a magician and should be allowed to play. Ashwin can be Ind's trump card and he can give the Cup to India ( Just like Imran said that if Umar plays well, Pak will win the Cup! ). Too much chances had been given to the leggie, Chawla ! Dhoni's intransigence is resposible for this calamity. Sidhu attacked Dhoni's stubbornness. Nehra should be replaced by Sreeshant. Raina is a good allrounder and should play. Now whether two offies are needed in the team is a factor which worries Dhoni and Kirsten. Ashwin can withstand pressure !
India began well, with Sehwag hitting the first ball of the WC for four ( he has done it five times ) and hitting two more in the first over of the WC ! A score of 370/4 is laudable. But it is not batting, it is bowling and fielding which have underperformed. Munaf and Nehra are liabilities in the field !
India is still searching for the ideal combination, which will bring home the bacon ! The Indian debacle of losing 9 wickets for just 29 runs did not go well with the public. But Dhoni said these adversities are good for the team, as they are learning curves ! Adversity is the best teacher, said Sidhu.
"It's good that everyone is getting game time and each and every batsman is
getting a go in the 50 overs so that's a big positive for us." Dhoni said.
"It's good if you play crunch games before you go to the crucial stages
where it means most of your talent will have been tested."
Despite the positive thinking of the Indian skipper, the Indian fan thinks that India has underperformed.
Meanwhile, the WI coach, Otis Gibson says WI will beat India.
"We are starting to show the resilience we are going to need," Gibson said.
"There's a stat flying around that we haven't beaten a top team in 20 months
so we would like to do that ... we are getting closer, that's all I can
say."
If new youngsters like Russell, Roach, Bishoo and Darren impress for the WI, along with the indomitable Gayle and Pollard, and if India fails to find its groove, Gibson may be right !
The greatest hit to the Indian fan is the batting debacle, in which India lost 9/29, against SA. Dhoni criticised his star studded batting lineup, who tried to blast the SA bowlers, as if they were a Club side !
"You need to curb your thinking," Dhoni said, after some quality batsmen fell to reckless shots, giving the impression that the WC is just wild slogging .( Did they emulate Afridi ? ) "Different people have
different responsibilities. You need to bat 50 overs. That's foremost. You should be able to bat 50 overs and the more you bat the more runs you get."
The Indian cric fan believes that Raina, Sreeshant and Ashwin will play well in Chennai. If they also fail, it can only add to Indian worries.
( Frankly speaking, I am not so optimistic. I have been watching Indian cricket for the last 30 years and what happens is that if you remove a fellow and bring in another fellow, he also fails ! The replacement becomes as bad as the original. Look at Eng. Pietersen was replaced by Morgan, He shone in one match and failed in the other ! ). So there is no point in chopping and changing. It can only hurt the morale of the team.As Ganguly says, in Indian cricket, two plus two is equal to twenty two. Australian selectors persist with the XI, despite failures. They know the guy who scores a century may go for a blob in the next. Such a game of chance or luck is cricket ! ).
I shudder to think what will happen if Ind does not get the Cup. The public will throw stones and commit mayhem on public property ! So much so for the gentleman's game !
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