The current India-New Zealand Test series is turning out to be historic in more ways than one. While the first Test at Kanpur was India’s 500th Test overall, the following Test at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens was the 250th on home soil. And the team lived up to expectations of such important milestones by not only winning both Tests emphatically, but also by regaining the No. 1 ranking.
But things haven’t stopped there. In line with skipper Virat Kohli’s brash and in-your-face nature, he had this to say, “Our aim is to win matches anywhere and everywhere we play. We have shown that over the past one-and-a-half years. So we don’t go out there to prove anything to anyone...When we go on to the pitch we have control of what we can achieve. We have enough belief in our abilities to play good cricket anywhere.”
The clincher was when Kohli added, “It doesn’t mean that we take the foot off the pedal.” And this is where things have changed for India, the desire to win and keep on winning. A change that has been in the making for at least half a century, from the time Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, also known as Tiger Pataudi, instilled a sense of belief and the will to win.
Granted that this winning habit has been one of fits and starts, but there have been positive markers along the way starting from Pataudi’s win over the Kiwis on their home soil. Along the way the team has thrown up players, nay characters, who have taken the fight to the opposition camp. Think of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Krish Srikkanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, V.V.S. Laxman, M.S. Dhoni and now Kohli.
Of course, there have been more losses than wins over the years. India certainly hasn’t won as consistently and as emphatically as have the great West Indian teams of the 70s and 80s and the Australian teams from the 90s and 2000s.
But bear in mind, the all-conquering team that Clive Lloyd led for many years was baptised by fire with a 5-1 chastening at the hands of the marauding pacers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson in Australia.
The team is young, and Kohli has with him a squad which has been brought up on a dose of the aggressive and winning brand of cricket that Australia played so well over the recent decade and half.
The close proximity to the Australian cricketers — and indeed players from all everywhere — over the IPL seasons have also helped the Indian cricketers imbibe their traits and winning habit.
A long Test season beckons. It will be interesting to see if India does keep its foot pressed hard on the pedal and whether Kohli can live up to his boast.
