A comment on Cricinfo said, “The Indian cricket team is like a faithful spouse, performs only at home.” And no truer words were said. The much vaunted Indian national team has suffered a most humiliating pommelling at the hands of the poms and their offshore woes continue.
The fact that this team was number one should be a disgrace to not only the team itself but to the other teams who were under a team with such mediocre talent. This is not a Pakistan fan’s schadenfreude spilling over after Mohali but objective analysis ringing throughout the cricketing world.
Indians have never had abowling attack to speak of. Neve. The only way to win a cricket match is to take wickets. Ten in ODI’s. Twenty in Tests. Their fastest bowler would be put to shame by medium pacers in Lahore’s alleyways. But the biggest disappointment has been their ‘unmatched’ batting. With the exception of Laxman, Tendulkar and Dravid, their batsmen were shaky and sporadic at best. Sehwag and his ilk have rightly been labelled flat track bullies. Theirold gaurd is now retiring. The Wall, the inimitabel Dravid, has put down his bat. If they don’t nurture a cadre of young players, their woes will only exacerbate. Both our teams are bruised. It’s time for a battle of the battered; I think it’s time for a Pak-India showdown.
NIDA SHEIKH
Lahore