To Gary....with Love!

Dear Gary,

After yet another meek surrender from Team India, as an Indian fan, I had to write this letter to you.I know you must be busy with your team taking on the Kiwis but you must have had an eye on how a team that you built had crumbled like a cookie over the last ten months!

Gary after you left, the wheels have started to come off – the Poms and the Aussies humiliated us, Tendulkar hasn’t got his 100th ton, Laxman can’t score in the second innings, The WALL castled repeatedly, Sehwag can’t get his uppercut over third man and most importantly MS Dhoni has lost his Midas touch.

Latest blow – our most beloved Yuvraj Singh sidelined with cancer.

But it’s the same team, Gary.

What was it Gary that you did? Was there a magic wand? Why is our magician Dhoni looking like a mere muggle who, forgot winning matches, can’t even get the toss right?

You officially took over the reins on the 1st of March, 2008. Your first full series in charge was against your home country, South Africa where we drew 1-1.

During your tenure, the team won a home series against Australia 2-0 clinching the Border-Gavaskar trophy. We also won the first bilateral series in Sri Lanka and our first ODI series victory against New Zealand in New Zealand after 40 years. India also won the Compaq Cup defeating Sri Lanka in 2009.

Most importantly Gary, You gave us the night of 2nd April 2011!

You converted the Great Indian Dream into reality by proper planning. You chose the resources smartly and the nucleus of the side seemed nice and tight. You, along with your support team, filled up the gaping holes in the bowling beautifully by an unlikely Munaf Patel and an IPL star R. Ashwin. The Kohlis and Rainas perked up the pace on the park.

Still, India began the tournament as an unsettled favorite, faltering and stumbling through the league phase. But it all changed after the game against the Aussies- the Men in Blue looked different. The fielders dived and chased the ball while Yuvraj and Raina kept their cool when chasing in front of a large crowd at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

After that we knew that the Cup is ours. You made a struggling team stand up on its feet and took it all the way by beating Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a row.

India’s World Cup glory was the result of proper planning and a collective effort from the “bits and pieces” players like Munaf Patel and Suresh Raina, a revelation named Yuvraj Singh and from a “wounded” few left with an unfinished business from the Wanderers in 2003.

But for me, your biggest contribution was that you brought a sense of self-belief and the trust in the dressing room that went missing during your predecessor’s era. You perhaps worked the hardest by delivering dossiers to a distracted Yuvraj and relentless throw downs to a determined Tendulkar. You kept it simple – worked behind the scenes, followed the processes and squashed dressing room squabbles. Your calm face always gave us the feeling that All is well with our side!

Gary, you made Indians all over the world Bleed Blue…and boy we bled!

Today again we are bleeding, this time profusely – beaten and bruised. I know you left because of your family but aren’t we a part of it too? Your family needs you Gary. Come back and make us smile again because for me you are the real magician……you’re our Gary Potter!