Yet Another Final Loss

Indian cricket fans are probably the most forgiving and -- perhaps consequently -- the most abused in the world. We're like faithful dogs who come back wagging our collective tails and hanging out our slobbering tongues to our abusive owner for scraps of food right after receiving a senseless hiding from him.

Every time the Indian team puts up a half-decent performance we wag our tails. And right after that comes the senseless beating, which goes on for a few matches, till again the team decides to put up a decent performance just to break the monotony of bad ones.

It doesn't matter that the team won against NZ once and against Zimbabwe a couple of times. One or two matches does not contitute a recovery. The trend over the last year and a little longer has been a spiral downwards, and even the most ardent apologist for the team would find it difficult to put a positive spin on it.

It doesn't matter that Yuvraj scored a century against a team that's no better than a second tier Ranji side in an inconsequential game. It doesn't matter that Sehwag gave India a rousing start in the finals. Or that he bowled well when all the others were displaying a level of profligacy that's unusual even for this side. Or that Ganguly progressed beyond the single digits. Because none of this helped win the match, or even come close to it. Dileep Premachandran, in this article on Cricinfo, rightly asks what if Sehwag had not got out to a bad shot, or if Kaif had not got bogged down after scoring his 50. I would go farther and say that it wouldn't have mattered if Sehwag had got out to a rash stroke to the first ball he faced or if Ganguly had been unable to open his account. These would have made no difference to the result of this particular match or the larger trend of the misfortunes of this team.

The team needs men of character, not boys with flash having fun with their toys. And it starts with the captain. Defeat would be far less hurtful if only he stood up and accepted his responsibility instead of repeatedly blaming the rest of the team for the problems. Sure, it's easy to appear a brilliant captain when the team is doing well and a dud when it isn't. But Ganguly is neither brilliant -- as some commentators would like us to believe -- nor is he a dud, as his virulent critics claim. He has severe personal and leadership challenges to face, and if he does not see himself making a big difference soon, he and his legacy would be best served by making a graceful exit when there's still some goodwill left.

Defeat would also be far less hurtful if the team went down trying hard and took these defeats to heart. Neither of this appears to be the case with the team. After a few days of lying low, the stars of the team are going to be back on the ramps, parading the latest watch and activewear or in front of the camera peddling biscuits and colas. And for this, we, the fans of Indian cricket, are to be blamed. We are the ones who turn these flashy, impetuous, spoilt boys into stars. We are willing to forgive a year of unprofessionalism at the sight of a single sixer or a cartwheeling wicket, even if it is against a team that does not deserve to play in international cricket. We are willing to make heroes of mediocre men and lavish praise and riches on those who hardly deserve them. We are willing to hold these men up as representatives of our hopes as a nation, allowing our collective fortunes and sense of well-being to rise and fall with their vagaries on the field. Our cinema isn't the only thing that's escapist. So is our cricket and we get what we deserve.