A lost chance and Sportsmanship!

The first test match for India in 2008 has drawn its fair share of controversy. The problem was about the umpiring. There were some horrible decisions against both teams, but India bore the brunt of the wrong decisions. The outcry from the Indian Public, as expected, was of anger, bitterness and accusations. If India wanted to keep alive the series against Australia, they had to draw the Test match in Sydney. Now, they have to win two tests on the trot to level the series. That might be a WORTHY achievement, because AUSTRALIA ARE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

Let me for now focus on two aspects. One is the Umpire vs Technology and the other being Public Outcry vs Sportsmanship. The Sydney test match has shown that Technology has to be employed by umpires in case of doubt. It can be quiet tempting to point out that decisions are made on the basis of instinct and tangibility. But, mistakes happening 5 times in the same match are just unexplainable. But, on the other hand, Technology gives you some doubts regarding instances of Touch and go situations. The Umpire, at the end of the day, will have to rely upon his judgement. So, we are back to square one.

This arguement will now gain momentum in the aftermath of what happened in Sydney. But, it may not lead anywhere. Technology may make the umpire obsolete, but there can be no back up. Machines are also not perfect, and so this debate will occupy centrestage till the time the next match is played on the 16th.

No doubt the Indian team is devastated. So many decisions have gone against them, but such is the sportsmanship of Anil Kumble that he has taken it in his stride. But, unfortunately, the Indian Public, as expected, have not taken it in a sporting manner.

There are two arguements here. India were not looking to win the Match in Sydney, they were battling it out for a draw. That approach always backfires in Australia, because the Aussies are on your case all the time. They never give up, and so will maintain pressure at all times. The Indian Cricket team has always choked, and when it comes to pressure, they do not handle it well. The mindset with which they approached the day was itself wrong. They should have counter-attacked, but thats easier said than done.

When the team has damaged the batting line up and selected favouritism, then this is bound to happen. Any Indian player in India WILL perform on India's countless benign uncompetitive wickets. But, when you face true Quality and pressure in Australia, then the Indian Batsmen will suffer.

Another arguement here is that Sportsmanship is absent and will continue to be absent in the Indian public. On the web, there are hate communities and personal defamations. The media has hounded this issue and ensured that the unmpires involved will have a tough time in the remaining series. They have forgotten that the Umpires themselves are human. I would like to see ordinary people take up the role of an umpire. Having said that, the umpires out there made too many mistakes to be forgiven.

India NEVER stood a chance in Australia. If majority of the people thought that India might win, then they had a heavy dose of Mass-Hallucinating drugs. By this behavior, the public have shown that they are Cry Babies. One only has to look at Kumar Sangakkarra, who himself got a bad decision, but moved on and is playing like a man possessed. This is why Sri Lanka perform better than India anywhere in the world.

Why have people made a mountain of a molehill? The Batsmen are also at fault. The Indian batsmen went in defensively and that cost them. Mark Butcher of Englnd did not do that when England chased down 315 against Australia in Leeds 2001. HE ATTACKED, INDIAN BATSMEN HAVE TO ATTACK. Why blame the Umpires alone? Blame the pathetic batting display of the Indian 'Batsmen', exuding some like Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulakar and Dravid. The tail-enders could not survive a part timer. They could not LAST ONE OVER.

The Indian Batsmen and the Umpires are two agents responsible for this. Both complemented each other well. But, let us not forget that even the AUSSIES ARE NO ANGELS