<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">var server = '203.197.64.235'; var sitepage = "www.timesofindia.com/india/index.html"; var position ="Bottom1"; if (! (RN)) { var RN = new String (Math.random()); var RNS = RN.substring (2, 11); } var oas='http://' + server + '/RealMedia/ads/'; var oaspage= sitepage + '/1' + RNS + '@' + position; //the belladpart starts here function lrTrim(thestring) { thestring = thestring.replace(/^\s*(.*)/, "$1"); thestring = thestring.replace(/(.*?)\s*$/, "$1"); return thestring; } var xyz=0; var sss = lrTrim(bellyad.innerText).split(/^/m); strpart = new Array(sss.length); for (i=0;i<sss.length;i++) iflrtrimsssi.length=""> 60) { strpart[xyz] = lrTrim(sss[i]); xyz = xyz+1; } } if(xyz > 1) var xcounter=1; else var xcounter=0; var ifirstsub = bellyad.innerHTML.indexOf(lrTrim(strpart[xcounter]).substring(0,30)); if (ifirstsub == -1) ifirstsub=bellyad.innerHTML.lastIndexOf(lrTrim(strpart[0]).substring(strpart[0].length-15,strpart[0].length)); var sfirst = bellyad.innerHTML.substring(0,ifirstsub); var sSecond = bellyad.innerHTML.substring(sfirst.length , bellyad.innerHTML.length); if (doweshowbellyad==1) bellyad.innerHTML = sfirst + '<a href="' + oas + 'click_nx.ads/'+ oaspage + '" target="_top"><img align="right" vspace="10" hspace="10" src="' + oas + 'adstream_nx.ads/' + oaspage + '" border="0" alt="Cliquez ici !" /></a>' + sSecond;</sss.length;i++)></script></div> <div align="center" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="center" border="0" width="70.3%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal" style="" text-align:="" center=""><img src="/photo/974278.cms" alt="/photo/974278.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal" style="" text-align:="" center=""><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">It remains to be seen whether Team India has learnt from its follies in the year gone by and can use the crucial net practice against Bangladesh to beat arch-rivals Pakistan in February, 2005! (AFP) </span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><br />Cricket today, is not entertainment alone. It’s a virtual battleground complete with speedguns, master blasters and the third eye! Ironically, India’s greatest challenge lies not in beating the opposition but in fulfilling the almost insatiable appetite for success that followers of cricket in India have. <br /><br />Now, that India have expectedly thrashed minnows Bangladesh, post-series stock-taking has some eye-opening revelations - some beamers have left lasting scars on the team that may not augur well for the future.<br /><br />Having come into the Bangladesh Test series as the pre-dominant favourite, India did not disappoint by racing on to huge victories in both the Tests. Innings and 140 in first Test (Dhaka) and innings and 83 runs in second (Chittagong).<br /><br />The star for India was Irfan Pathan in Test series. He bagged 18 wickets at 11.88 in two Tests to win the Man of the Series award. He also went on to claim his first five-wicket haul and his maiden 10-wickets in a Test. <br /><br />In batting Sachin Tendulkar (284 runs at an average of 65.43), followed by opener Gautam Gambhir (174 at an average of 70.73), Rahul Dravid (160 at an average of 80) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (159 at an average of 79.50) also burnished their stats. <br /><br />While there would be calls for keeping the perspective correct, with B''desh being babes in international cricket, yet for the players, and the nation as a whole, triumphs have been at a premium and, they would argue, a win is a win.<br /><br />These victories ensured that India ended a terribly dry season on a high note. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">A mixed bag</span><br /><br />India, in 2004, played 32 ODIs, won 15, lost 16, while one ended with a no result. The minus factor ensured India remained without a major ODI trophy (except the one against Pak).<br /><br />Tests were a bit better, but, the major series of the year (vs Australia) was lost at home. India played 12 matches, triumphed in six, lost three, and drew an equal number. <br /><br />India struggled in the Test and ODI arena since the Asia Cup that started in July 2004, although they had ended the last season on a high with victories in Australia in winter of 2003/04 and Pakistan in March-April 2004 to give that warm feel in the stomach that only success can give.<br /><br />Since then, a collective batsmen-bowlers hara kiri brought the nation down to earth with a thud and its reverberations are being felt even today.<br /><br />The list was endless. Videocon Cup, NatWest Challenge, and ICC Champions Cup. It was capped by the historic loss that came in the form of a drubbing at the hands of Australia, giving the sub-continental giants their first home defeat against the team from Down Under in 35 years. The so-called ''Final Frontier'' fell like a house of cards.<br /><br />India ended the last season by drubbing the major league teams. It began the new season by losing everything in sight but are ending 2004 by getting into stride by beating the heck out of the microcosms of international cricket.<br /><br />So be it.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Hindsight high</span><br /><br />Looking back, India went to Australia in winter of 2003 off a disappointing drawn 2-Test series versus NZ at home. <br /><br />So, it was surprising to see India box out the Aussie kangaroo by drawing the series there, winning one and losing one with one drawn Test. Sachin Tendulkar was at his best, blasting 241 in a Test, VVS Laxman regained his touch to India''s profit, Anil Kumble clawed back his slot by becoming the highest wicket-taker for India. India lost the final of the ODI tri-series to Australia there (third team Zimbabwe).<br /><br />Nevertheless, the tough away series served as a nice backdrop preparation for history to be re-written in the amazing tour to Pakistan that India won by a 2-1 margin (ODIs by 3-2). Who can forget the wonderful knocks by Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and the incisive bowling of Irfan Pathan and L Balaji.<br /><br />It gave India the kind of towering feeling that they had when Kapil & Co won the 1983 World Cup by defeating the indomitable West Indies.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Back to the future</span><br /><br />Looking forward, however, the South African and Bangladesh victories don''t really seem to add up to adequate match practise for the February 2005 match-up with arch foes Pakistan. <br /><br />A more formidable preparation for the arduous series against our neighbours would have been if India had faced a more pugilistic opposition. <br /><br />Has the BCCI, in its effort to garner as much lucre as possible, erred by sending Team India on a fool''s errand to Bangladesh and thereby ensured that it goes into the Pak series underprepared?<br /><br />India would be imperfectly match fit after a two month sabbatical post-, an easy, B''desh series. In the pressure cooker situation of a sub-continental clash, India would be found wanting. <br /><br />In fact, India would have something to fear - Pakistan would be coming off a very difficult Australia tour (expectedly a drubbing). <br /><br />It would give the Pakistanis the much-needed match practise going into the series against India on tour. The example that fits would be that of the Sri Lankans. They came back to the Asia Cup after a forgettable Australian tour in June-July and went on to beat teams like India and Pakistan on way to the trophy.<br /><br />Considering that their new coach Bob Woolmer has had a positive effect on the side till the Aussie series happened to them, and the fact that Indian coach John Wright is not being able to effect the wonder increase in personal contributions by players that he was famous for, the initiative can easily slide out of India''s hands.<br /><br />Also, it is no secret that India are notoriously slow starters after a long lay-off. As such, everything is stacked against the home side. <br /><br />To make things worse, even the public is not as much on its side as it was post-Pak tour. The chips are stacked against them and the stakes have been raised to the nth degree for the forthcoming series. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Past imperfect, future uncertain</span><br /><br />Where does India go from here to ensure it doesn''t finish the 2004-05 season the way it started it - in misery. <br /><br />While the 2004 perfidies have been washed over without any major player getting the axe, a second-rate performance from now on will take its toll on the reputation of such stalwarts like Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and yes even Sachin Tendulkar. <br /><br />With Cricket Australia setting the pace in the new millennium by jettisoning big names like Steve Waugh as well as even, arguably, the best ODI batsman in the world Michael Bevan, the BCCI will surely follow in their wake if they want to improve upon their present third place in international Test cricket.<br /><br />With numerous tyros on the sidelines baying at the heels of established players things can only hot up for Team India members. And a misfiring team will create an inferno of demands for wholesale changes. <br /><br />Will the new year usher in, horrors, a new-look Team India sans Sachin, Rahul, Sourav, VVS?<br /><br />The only way Sourav & Co, the sitting czars of cricket, can avoid becoming history is to up their winning habits.<br /><br />Reputations are passé, the future belongs to those who perform day in day out, season after season. Period. <br /></div> </div>
