Tri-Series IND/SL/ZIM:BCCI's masterstroke

Indian Cricket is having a torrid time. Nothing seems to be going right at present. If the IPL free for all mud slinging has no end in sight, the lean patch of the National Team is getting chronic much to the chargin of fans. To top it all the one wise decision by BCCI in a real long time of not sending a team for Commonwealth Games has been greeted with wide spread criticism. Not that anyone cares for the Commonwealth Games, least of all the Queen, but for Indian Cricket fans once the team starts losing everything to remotely do with cricket is received with hostility.

Not Ready to take the Driving Seat Yet?!

Coming back to the ongoing TriSeries its only now i realise that BCCI has played a masterstroke and actually pulled off the same trick twice in succession successfully. It did the same to self proclaimed experts and the cacophonic Indian Media what it did to Lalit Modi. Made them search for answers. While the first choice team faltered at T20 WC, you wanted MSD out of Captain’s seat? Bhajji and Yuvi to be sacked from team? Fast bowlers to be retired? Encourage young Blood? Lo you got it all when the Team for Tri Series was announced . The youth brigade was summoned who gave even more shoddy and spineless performance than the 90′s team under Md. Azharuddin used to dish out fairly regularly. (Only difference was that team would always make it to the finals of a Tri Series through some backdoor entry or mostly Sachin’s bat would do the job).I am surprised that the mood in country is one of outrage on Team India’s performance. It has cleared all doubts/misconcepts/illusions we had about anyone and put all debates to rest. The biggest head ache before any WC , Football/Cricket/Hockey is to get the team combo right. But what if the team selects itself automatically not based on its good show but beacuse their replacemnets shoot themselves in the foot and eliminate themselves, leaving you with no options. Problem solved without breaking a sweat.

Not Ready to take the Driving Seat Yet?!

1. The Captaincy Debate is settled . MSD is the one. Raina has played for 5 years only and will paly for along time. May be he suffers from some Cricketelexia kinda disease. How is he supposed to know everything. Minor things like playing for Bonus Points or Power Plays can be forgotten. So what if he was the first captain to forget it. He certainly wont be the last. Grooming him should be in MSD’s KRA.

2. Viru and Gautam, The Delhi duo will open in all matches henceforth provided they remain fit and injury free. Murali Vijay proved his IPL fire works was a fluke or perhaps without the home food his arms just did not have enough power. The other opener Dinesh karthick sure has some hidden talents off the field . Do you remember any tour where he has not been part of entourage. And do you rememebr last time when he actually played a worthwhile inning.

3. Even the West Bengal junta was shocked to See Ashok Dinda in Indian colours. They Of course where not at all shocked after his performance. Ditto for Umesh Yadav. Zaheer and Co. get ready for another WC please.

4. Many people believe one day Yusuf will fire and that day the field will be ablaze. Hmm. Perhaps some day someone will develop a Video game where Yusuf will we Prince of Persia ,sry Baroda, slaying bowlers with his bat. Till than let him practice under Warne with the Shetty sisters watching. This Indian Team needs slot for both Rohit and Virat.

5. Another learning for the fans is if we are up against SL in a match taht wil decide progress to next round. Do yoursef a favour , go out and do something better. They will knock us out as they have been since 2007 ODI WC.

6.But the biggest gain is return of Zimbabwe to main stream Cricket. The BCCI seems to be as irritated by the Bangladeshis as i am. Zim had been our favorite underdog forever. Nice good blokes who hardly show any attitude on winning unlike the Dhaka team who would always attribute any surprise win over us as a revenge for the insults heaped on their ancestors by Sehwag’s fore fathers in 18th century. At least we can now go back to supporting the Zimbabweans when they play against anyone but us.

Now as this team catches an early flight home aren’t you secretely glad that the tragic drama is over and we have one more reason to enjoy FIFA WC. Pick up 4-5 teams as your favourite. Thay way you will never have a heart burn when your team loses. Coz if u r a true fan, you would know how much it rankles to see your team going down time and again