High time Indians changed defeatist attitude

Victory has a way of rubbing on to a team, spurring it to greater heights. At the same time, defeat also can send a team to unfathomable depths. Without doubt, India's performance in the Coca-Cola triangular series against the Kiwis on Thursday belongs to the latter category. A stage has been reached where even excuses have dried up for the Indians.

If one can be a bit lenient to the Indians, the loss to New Zealand in the earlier match could be attributed to the bad wicket, but certainly this loss was pathetic. After bowling superbly to restrict New Zealand for 200 runs, the way the Indian batting caved in was outrageous. What did our bowlers do to get this set of batsmen?

The Indians appeared totally disoriented and one could see their body language - totally lacking in confidence. When the Indian batsmen walked in, a defeatist attitude was apparent. Surely, something is wrong with the team's approach. This is not a healthy sign for Indian cricket.

Captain Sourav Ganguly made a big blunder by opening the innings. Why should he do it when he had played so well for India in the middle order in the earlier match? His presence in the middle order would have put pressure on the Kiwis, especially as Indians were chasing. Certainly, Ganguly and the team management look confused and are woefully short of planning. The team desperately tried all types of permutations and combinations. But I am sure nothing will work if the team continues to display this sort of approach.

Virender Sehwag did play a small and sweet knock but he is not my man to open the innings. His effort on Thursday was just a flash in the pan. I strongly feel that the best option under the circumstances would be to open the batting with Reetinder Singh Sodhi and Sameer Dighe. This shuffling in the opening slot is ridiculous and shows how desperate a team can get. All that was required was one decent partnership to bail India out in this match.

Moreover, the Indian team's running between the wickets was juvenile stuff. The way Sodhi, Dighe and Sehwag got out, I think everything was wrong with the basics.

One should give credit where it is due. Bowling wicket to wicket and using its limited resources to the fullest extent, New Zealand's performance was a truly professional one. For an ordinary batting line-up with no great names and with Stephen Fleming too absent, it was definitely a team effort. It shows Indian cricket in a poor light.

The Indians have a lot to learn from these two teams - a positive approach and a determination to fight from the Sri Lankans and the best utilisation of the available talent from the Kiwis.

K. SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com.

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