Yes, the rest 10 million (including me) deserve to enjoy that moment, because we are frustrated at the team’s performance, we jump and cry with them and we spend entire weekends doing nothing else but watch every single ball in the match. But there are others, the 900 million, including some of the senior commentators, who don’t deserve even a single drop of that happiness, if India triumphs in this World Cup. Here are my 10 reasons for saying so:
1. Sachin scores more than 1/3rd of the team’s runs and they still complain that he doesn’t win the matches
2. Sachin’s consistency is always downplayed saying he doesn’t win enough matches and forget that there aren’t many in this CWC, who can smash Morkel and Steyn, the way he did.
3. When English bowlers get hammered by Netherlands or SA bowlers get hammered by Indians or Kenya scores in excess of 250 against Australia, no one observes it. But when Indian bowlers give away runs on flat batting wickets, everyone wants their blood. Why this injustice? Has logic died in this country of emotional fans?
4. None of us or ever will understand the pressure the cricketers are under. True they make mistakes, but they make far less mistakes than what most of us would under such pressure.
5. There were at least 10 columns in the papers about Harbhajan going wicketless. When he took 3 against SA, no one writes a word.
6. People talk about Dhoni being clueless when the opposition is attacking. How much clue did Smith have when Sehwag and Sachin were blasting away? Not a single top order batsman was dismissed through captain’s brilliance or field placements..
7. Ian Botham the great writes in our columns that India were never favourites for him…the same chap who wrote an article 2 weeks back that India were one of the favourites of the tournament! Why do we need to care about what he thinks when he himself couldn’t win the final for his country on more than one occasion?
8. There is a certain amount of luck involved in every single victory if not a lot..when we win, people say Dhoni got lucky..when we lose they will say India played poorly..
9. SA failed to score 170, Kenya scored more than 250 against Australia, Pakistan were clobbered by NZ, Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan on their own home ground, in conditions that favoured them. I don’t even need to talk about England. Why so much focus only on India, which tied an almost lost match on a flat wicket, and lost a very close game to SA?
10. We fail to honour a captain who is honest in Dhoni. At least he isn’t a sore loser like Smith, who doesn’t mention the wicket when the ball bounces chest high from good length like in Durban or when it was good enough for them to chase 300, but who cribs about it when it spins and they are all out..
In spite of all the statistics, observations and basic logic, it is disgusting to see people who are always looking at one way or the other to slam the cricketers when they aren’t doing well. Yes, they do badly sometimes and we are frustrated. We get angry just like we do when our talented friend or brother is ruining himself not standing up to potential. Yes, we agree, they must focus more on cricket and less on glamour. But, let’s give them a chance…at least let us not disturb them until the WC is over…would you fight with your brother a day before his exam and put him under more pressure?
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