Why the Indian cricket team isn't as likable as it was earlier

Tendulkar, Dravid and Co. made spectators stick to their television sets

Constants. This universe was built and runs on constants, yet nothing is constant here. The only thing that is constant is change – and time is the factor that controls it. What once wasn’t as appealing could very well become the most coveted thing, and it is time that plays this funny old game.

The opposite could also happen. Something that was once loved could become the subject of sheer disgust and, once again, there is nothing one can do about it.

Once upon a time, the Indian cricket team was one of the most likable teams on the planet. And this love was from the neutrals, who now no longer have India in their good books.

This loss of affection is a direct repercussion of the change that the Indian cricket team has gone through in the last few years. The change, to be fair, wasn’t a sudden one – but looking back, you can’t help but try to pinpoint when it all started.

With the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, the end of an era was concluded. It wasn’t sudden and wasn’t supposed to be shocking given that he had provided indications of it, but it was shattering for Indian cricket nonetheless.

Rahul Dravid had already brought down the curtains to his classy regime the year before that, and India’s most underrated player, V.V.S. Laxman, had bid adieu in the same Test. Virender Sehwag played his last Test a year later and hasn’t been called up since.

All these exits marked that the end was near, that the classiest bunch of Indian batsmen wouldn’t be around forever – something that fans didn’t want to believe.

The man that oversaw the golden generation, Sourav Ganguly, was the first of the five pillars to crack as he retired from the game four years before Dravid and Laxman after a series of bad performances amidst some flares here and there. He divided opinions like no other, but one couldn’t deny his skills as a leader.

That team – with Sachin, Sourav, Sehwag, Laxman and Dravid – endeared fans with their class and fearlessness. And it’s not hard to see that the current Test team falls painfully short in those attributes.

Sehwag’s blistering wrath with the bat gave India the perfect start in many Tests. He absolutely tormented bowlers with his brutality and spared no one, even when he was close to reaching a milestone – caution was never his mantra.

Dravid’s sheer grit and consistency with the bat gave India a man they could rely on without any worries. He was the wall, often unbreakable, and won India many games through his diligence. Sachin’s class and unparalleled ability to score runs gave stability in the middle order. The Little Master was not only a guaranteed source of runs, but also of an ever-flowing fountain of inspiration.

While Ganguly was never as prolific a Test player as the aforementioned players were, he was their captain – someone who led from the front, roared with courage and made some game-changing on-field decisions to alter the course of a game in India’s favour.

And then there was Laxman. There will probably never be another player like him. He might not have a fancy average to boast, but it was never about big innings with Laxman – it was his match-winning attitude on the stickiest of pitches that won him some ardent admirers.

Every Indian cricket team fan knew that the team would struggle in Tests once these heroes had done their time, but what they didn’t expect is the prolonged period for which the struggle has lasted. The resilience and grit needed to succeed in Tests isn’t up to the mark of the current team – something which the earlier team had in spades.

Rahane has shone, but Pujara has failed to impress so far

There was a scent of optimism in the air when Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were groomed into the first team to play along with Virat Kohli. A lot of expectations were placed on these three to live up to the names of their predecessors. But barring Rahane, they have done an underwhelming job so far.

Another reason why the Indian cricket team isn’t as likable as before is the spectre of fixing allegations that constantly surrounds its players. A lot of players have found their names linked to this infamous aspect of the game, and it has dampened the reputation of the team.

Even captain MS Dhoni’s name has been flung to this dark side, and though he hasn’t been proven guilty, the rumour in itself hurts the image of the team given that he is the captain that brought India its only World Cup since 1983.

The IPL has brought a lot of money to Indian cricket. People from all over the world watch the tournament for the talent on display. But what it has also done is make BCCI even hungrier for the greens than ever before.

The Indian cricket board have always been accused of being selfish in their motives, and of oiling already oiled heads to fulfill their wants. And now, with so much money flowing in Indian cricket, the greed is at its pinnacle. That has hurt the team more than one would like to admit.

With all these factors in mind, it is not hard to decipher why the Indian cricket team isn’t as likable as before. People stopped doing their work and glued themselves in front of the television to watch Sachin, Dravid and Co. bat in Tests, something which the current bunch don’t inspire many to do.