March 23, 2007 - India were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage after losing to Sri Lanka and thus not making it to the Super Eights. India limped back home. Rahul Dravid quit as Captain (he genuinely said his contract was till the World Cup anyway) and Greg Chappell was sacked as coach of Team India. India needed a path. A Path that will help them overcome every possible roadblock and yet reaches the target. It needed that desperately. April 02, 2011 – The day Indians will never forget. The stage was the same. The Opposition was the same. Here is India now the World Champions, beating every possible opponent on their way to the target that the road they followed led them to. The Men in Blue have managed to beat the opponents when it mattered. The pressure was there alright. The way the boys rose to the occasion demands applause.
So what exactly happened in the aftermath of the Caribbean disaster? India thought hard of the way forward. Something similar to the John Wright – Sourav Ganguly combo was needed. In a game like Cricket, it is always the Captain who must be dynamic. The Coach is a very important person but there is a proper way for him to be known as a coach. Rahul Dravid was a calm, cool Captain. He was what he was. You can never see Rahul Dravid command someone. He’ll do things in a Rahul Dravid manner which is everything but dynamic. On the other hand Greg Chappell was an aggressive, ambitious and autocratic manager. Something which will never work in a sport like Cricket, because one cannot set the field from the dressing room. It’s the captain who does that and he should be more active.
The Rise of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the helm brought about a massive change in the Outlook of Indian Cricket. India went to South Africa after a prolonged agitation against the then newest form of the game, the 20-over version. No-one gave India a chance and without any pressure (although it was there back home from India) the Men in Blue dominated the tournament and emerged as Champions. It brought about a huge relief to the country and the cricketers as the memories of 2007 in West Indies slowly began to fade away. India was on the rise. Now they needed a cool headed coach.
Anil Kumble, the then Indian Captain in the longer format was part of the selection process and he had a long meeting with one of the candidates and came out showing his Thumbs Up to the Committee. He was impressed with that man’s vision, his attitude and most importantly his character. Gary Kirsten was finally named India’s coach and the target was set. 1) To make India the No.1 team in Tests and 2) To make India the World Champions in ODIs. The process had just begun.
The results began to improve dramatically. India beat Australia in Australia in a tri-series which never happened before that. The rise was evident. In the longest version, India continued to show marked improvement and kept going with the target. It was in late 2008 when two of India’s greatest Cricketers decided to hang their boots. India bid farewell to Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. Generally when two of the team’s top players retire, the transition will be the most watched aspect.
Despite the retirements India continued to grow. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named Captain for Tests too. Along with Gary Kirsten, Dhoni started to change the team’s methods. He believed in himself, backed the team and led admirably. Kirsten remained behind the screens and India was blossoming in front of it.
No.1 in Tests came soon after. India, thanks to contributions from everyone, is still the No.1 team in test cricket. Team Unity has been good. The players trust each other and the results are evident. Victories everywhere and India is no more a ‘soft’ traveller abroad. Target No.1 was accomplished.
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup proved India’s persistence in achieving their second target. India picked a side that was not necessarily the best side in the tournament but one which was capable of playing well in any condition.
Spin bowling was most talked about and India used it pretty well. Three spinners - R Ashwin was used sparsely but in the important games. Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla did their bit. Not a great tournament for either of them personally, but I’m sure they gave their best possible effort.
In a tournament held in the sub-continent, fast bowlers would generally tend to struggle. So to get a decent wicket tally will satisfy any fast bowler. But to lead the wicket-takers list is something astonishing. Zaheer Khan proved yet again why he is the leader of the bowling attack bowling wonderfully whenever called by the captain. Munaf Patel was reasonably consistent bowling at a military medium pace. His delivery to get rid of Abdul Razzaq in the semi-final game was a memorable one. In fact that, along with Zaheer Khan’s two beauties to Devon Smith and Michael Hussey was the three balls of the tournament by the Indian bowlers.
Gautam Gambhir came to the party just when the innings from him was required. In fact he looked in good form right through but was unfortunate with some ordinary shots and poor running. Virender Sehwag provided some cracking starts opening the innings. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina played some good cricket with the bat and most importantly both contributed immensely in the field.
Yuvraj Singh deservingly won the Player of the Tournament award. After Lance Klusener in 1999, he is the next all-rounder to win the award. Wickets everytime when he was called to bowl, important contributions with the bat, his innings against Australia was a treat. And just when it mattered, we saw the Yuvraj of 2002. Livewire he was in the field. Dived all around and he along with Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina would have saved atleast 15-20 runs in the final. Just imagine the importance of it by adding those runs with Sri Lanka’s total. The match would have been tighter than it was. It just shows how important fielding is. Yuvraj was THE Man who excelled in every department.
If there was one thing Sachin Tendulkar had not achieved in his short career it was being part of the World Cup winning squad. Not anymore. Every player interviewed said it was for Sachin Tendulkar. Virat Kohli said fittingly “This man has carried India’s hopes for 21 years, it’s time we carry him on our shoulders”. Any Indian watching the sight of Sachin Tendulkar being carried by his team-mates would have stood up. Such is the respect the man commands. Not that he was just a part of it. He was sensational with the bat. Hundreds against England and South Africa proved he is playing as well as he ever has. Tears after the World Cup win shows how proud he is to be an Indian. Wonderful player and the greatest sportsman India has produced. A Real Champion.
Every team member looks up to one man to know what they must do. The Captain must be capable of taking bold decisions. Mahendra Singh Dhoni led with distinction. His achievements as a captain are a perfect benchmark for the future captains to look up to and if they are equally successful as MS Dhoni then the future of Indian Cricket is SUN bright. His famous statements in the post-match presentation ceremony show that the man is aware of the environmental pressure he is under. His decisions may have been criticized by many but he stood firmly by it. Be it keeping Ravichandran Ashwin out of the team longer or giving Ashish Nehra the last over against South Africa, he has listened to what the cricketing sense says.
What a farewell party for the quiet yet influencing Gary Kirsten. India owes Kirsten a lot. He has remained very quiet all the time he’s been in India and here he is retiring as the coach of the World Cup winning team. Well done Gary. We respect your contributions to Indian Cricket and you will never be forgotten.
So what a turn-around! Indian Cricket is now blossoming wonderfully and let Mahendra Singh Dhoni lead India to more heights. Well done Team India! We are the World Champions!
