Psychiatrists have said time and time again that it is common for peoplesuffering from extreme cases of vertigo to experience nightmares thatfollow a set pattern
Anand Vasu16-Feb-2003Psychiatrists have said time and time again that it is common for peoplesuffering from extreme cases of vertigo to experience nightmares thatfollow a set pattern. The patient has visions of falling from greatheights, a cliff perhaps, only to have his fall cushioned briefly beforeyet another slip sees the dreamer flying off a skyscraper… repeatedly, tillthe nightmare is nothing but one long free-fall. Eventually, heart beatingseventeen to the dozen, victims wake up, bathed in sweat and frantic.Perhaps, that is how some members of the Indian team feel at the moment.There’s a set pattern to India’s run of disappointing performances thathave left fans livid, supporters distraught, experts frustrated and ofcourse, the team very, very embarrassed. Former Indian legend SunilGavaskar, usually the first man to defend players when any issue arises,has been unusually vitriolic. “India’s pathetic showing in their gameagainst Australia has almost ruined their World Cup chances,” Gavaskarwrote in a Sunday newspaper column. He adds, “lack of application was areason for the batsmen falling like nine pins. It was obvious India had notlearnt anything from the New Zealand tour.”This kind of criticism is hardly new to the Indian cricketers. Most of themanyway claim they do not read the papers and so should hardly be bothered.What will get under the skin, though, is the suggestion by manycommentators that India’s poor showing could be a result of the playersshowing more interest in their commercial contracts than playing cricket.The amount of money current Indian cricketers make has irked fans no end.And naturally, when the performance of the team flags to an abject low likeit has now, there is immense heartburn in a country of a billion problemswhere cricket is meant to be a release from the drudgery.A case in point was when a group of young men decided to take matters intotheir own hands in Kolkata. Reports suggest that a group of men, tonguesloosened by alcohol, marched in front of Sourav Ganguly’s Behala residenceand hurled invective at the Indian skipper. Amidst abuse there were severalcalls for Ganguly to quit the game. Before police could disperse themini-mob they had garlanded posters of leading Indian cricketers with oldor torn slippers and then set fire to the posters…There was a time when one would brush this off as a typical overreactionfrom fans. At the moment, though, the Indian fans’ patience has been testedto the extreme. As many columns as experts write, as many panel discussionsas television pundits hold, we’re yet to hear a single credible explanationfor India’s flatter-than-warm-beer showing.Batsmen have walked out to the wicket, played one ugly slash and returnedto the comfort of the pavilion. Ganguly looks more and more like adesperate man, attempting to hit his way out of trouble rather than toughit out in the middle. Rahul Dravid, generally in good nick, has beententative out in the middle and not even a shadow of the real thing. SachinTendulkar, upon whose broad shoulders rest more responsibility than anyoneelse, has given glimpses of the sublime butfallen well short.Collectively, the batting line-up, most often referred to as the best inthe world, has failed to bat out 50 overs in the last ten one-dayers thatthey’ve played.When there’s such trouble brewing, you can be sure that the Chinese whisperscan’t be too far behind. Ganguly is unhappy that Tendulkar reclaimed hisopening spot, say some. Others reckon that Virender Sehwag is disgruntledthat he is demoted in the batting order even after making two hundreds inNew Zealand. Some former cricketers believe that a lack of team spirit, alack of accountability that stems from the administration itself andimportantly a total lack of planning and application have compounded India’s problems.And yet, if you consider it, so much has gone India’s way. The wicket theyplayed against Australia on was a belter – easy paced with the ball comingonto the bat nicely. And one can’t also blame poor planning by the Board,for the schedule was arranged so the team could go to South Africa well inadvance and get accustomed to the conditions.When speaking to reporters at the end of India’s thrashing at the hands ofAustralia, Ganguly said, “I don’t know what the reason is. If we keep onbatting like this, obviously I don’t have any answer. Somehow we have toput runs on the board.”Sorry, skipper. For all those people who stood behind the team – either therealistic and clear headed or the passionate and emotional – such an”explanation” simply does not cut ice. If things don’t change, and fast, then the team will have to be happy with winning little more than opinion polls like the recent one that apparently saw 500 Durban women vote Ganguly, Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan among the XI sexiest cricketers in the game. Such polls might be fine. This type of cricket, however, certainly isn’t.