Why the Indian cricket team do not deserve so much criticism

The English bowling spear-headed by Jimmy Anderson has been the bane for the Indian side

The fickle nature of Indian cricket fans

How fickle are we Indian cricket fans? Short answer – a lot. Long answer – well, a lot.

But can one blame us? Looking at the way the Indian cricket team is struggling at England – after taking the lead by winning the second Test – one can’t really help but feel frustrated at our sudden and inexplicable problems.

However, despite the creeping frustrations, it isn’t really justified for the vast majority amongst us who choose to pinpoint players’ personal lives to be the influencing factors for their inability to score runs. It’s surprising really that these same players were called to be the lynchpins of the cricket team as it currently stands.

Questions and the counter-questions

Virat Kohli, one of the players in question, has had a slump in his average to about 12.7 runs. It’s the third lowest batting average by a top-four order batsman in over eight innings and in a series. On the face of it, one can’t really believe that this is the same Kohli who was expected to step into the shoes of Sachin Tendulkar, not so long ago.

And yet it isn’t that surprising for this scenario, with different principal casts, has been often repeated in the past considering our habit of tagging players into pre-existing roles and moulds. We are somehow never content to let a player be – retain his individuality – but want him to be like some other past distinguished player.

This aspect of ours isn’t so much a blessing as much as it’s a problem for it never allows the younger players a chance to be himself for a longer, extended run. They do start off their international career with their knowledge sound and solid, but somewhere along the lines our desire to place them as substitutes rather than originals makes them question their abilities plunging them into inconsistencies that irk us further.

Alleviations

At such times, we don’t hesitate to cast these heroes into anti-heroes terming them to be misfits to the cricketing order. However, we ought to consider a small fact before allowing our emotions to get the better of our rationalities. The fact, that barring Dhoni the rest of the Indian cricket team lacks much of test experience and most importantly, experience of previously playing Tests in England. Even Kohli for that matter who, despite being included in the Test squad that last toured England in 2011 didn’t get a chance to play in the Test series.

Moreover, rather than blame the players for their technique and hinting majorly at the vice-captain’s personal life, why not enquire about the silence of Duncan Fletcher. Reticent as the coach may be, his silence is boding ominous for the team who are battling – futilely as it is – to try and give adequate answers for their slump, in spite of having secured the lead comfortably.

Here again, Dhoni is the sole man trying to engage in tactful verbal communication and his frustration too has been showing through. There’s a lot at stake for the man famously termed to be ‘Captain Cool’ and while he has done his bit to accept responsibility, it would do a great deal for the sagging morale of an entire cricketing nature to have Fletcher address the issue rather than maintain his stoic silence.

Conclusion

As a rule, we Indian cricketing fans tend to forgive and forget the cricket team’s lapses quickly. But it’s the amount of time between our feelings of outrage and large-hearted forgiveness that causes the most harm.

We tend to forget that our love for Tendulkar, as sustained as it is, has been the result of the man giving almost 25 years to the sport and to the nation. If we can give him so much love and veneration, why can’t we give these guys a little respite? Cut them a little slack so to speak, for they are the ones who are actually finding it difficult to deal with the English bowlers rather than us, who watch the matches with clarity provided by our television screens.