Smells Like Team Spirit

Few days are special and January 19.2008 will be etched in memories of Indian cricket lovers for a long time. Whacking Australians at WACA takes something and mind you saying so is a gross understatement. And this “something” has been done finally. Kudos to India.

Well with too much cricket played all around, with players complaining of sore limbs and tired shoulders, these days every match stands like an entity going down in record books. Few tons scored, few fifers taken and adding up to statisticians’ delight.

Among these matches, Perth test match would be remembered because it was most unlikely venue for an Indian conquest. Not long back bowlers around the world used to boast of making Indian do hip hop on chin music treatment. Tennis ball bounce, deliveries precariously close to ears and green hard belt of a 22 yard strip;demons started playing in minds of Indian team before they really took few on their knuckles. Opposition bowlers were deemed undertakers ready to provide merciful killing for our hapless willow wielders. And all we could have as a team was a 15 minutes of glory provided by certain Gavaskar and in later years by another mumbaikar Tendulkar. But team surrendered arms too tamely, thinking they did not have ammunition to fight anyways.

So it was pleasant surprise to see bunch of 11 gentlemen in white flannels emerge as super fighters and take wind out of Aussies’ sails. What was even more pleasing was the team coming as a winner sans any single piece of individual brilliance. There were notable contributions but in the end they gelled as a team celebrating each other’s moments of success and consoling few moments of despair. The desperation to give it back to hosts was palpable on every single Indian face. None symbolized it better than Dhoni’s desperate run to deep third man to hold onto a remote offering by Clark. I have always been an admirer of Kumble and to this date I would rate him along with Dravid as two most crucial components of great Indian conquests. Kumble is a humble and silent person whose action speaks louder than thousand words. One has to marvel at his grit and determination, bowling over after over with a broken jaw against windies springs to my mind when asked to describe Indian skipper.

Excellent victory to savor gentlemen, we all await many more over somewhat overweening Aussies. Soar like a Team and your ear to ear grins will be maintained.

PS: Win at Perth is another big hurdle overcome; as I started watching cricket I always felt there are few venues on “eternally cursed list” for Indians, winning it meant another name gets vanished from that list. Here is what the list looked like few years back.

Leeds, Headinglay ; England

Old Trafford, Manchaster: England ( famous for India’s caving in for 42 runs )

WACA, Perth: Australia

Bridgetown, Barbados : West Indies

Kingston, Jamaica: West Indies

Christchurch : New Zealand

Port Elizabeth : South Africa

Leeds, WACA and Kingston are already off this cursed list, awaiting others to follow the suit soon….