Be Man Enough

India faced an opponent in Mohali who, even in the best of days, are not easyto overcome. The odds become longer if you are out of sorts. Then nothing ismuch of help, not the best pitch of the competition nor a few sparks of revivalvisible.

Hence, it wouldn't serve much purpose to pick on India's follies which, as weall know, look graver in moments of defeat. One could debate endlessly if it wasthe better option to bat first in Mohali or if the eleven was right or whetherMahendra Singh Dhoni, and not Dinesh Mongia, should have been at number three.

Many would have an issue with our scoring rate; some would insist theoutrageous option of throwing spinners at Ricky Ponting in the power play wasthe way to go. Excuse me if I am missing out on a few of your very own favouritenotions. All this would serve little.

All said and done, India for me did most things right. The decision to batfirst was the right one as was the composition of the team. Only one thoughtDhoni ahead of Mohammad Kaif was the better option especially with Rahul Dravidplaying as well as he was. That could have made a difference to the end scorewhich I thought was competitive when you consider it being a knockout contest.

The disappointing aspect though was the body language in the field once acouple of boundaries were hit. India needed to be more at Australia early onthinking wickets at all times.

The bowling with the new ball was ordinary and missed the zing. This allowedAustralia to get away. Still, I liked what I saw of Sreesanth and I do believehe should never have been out of the team in the first place. He has a wicket-taking ability and aggression which can be groomed and enhanced. His secondspell to Ponting and Damien Martyn was the most positive thing from India'spoint of view in the entire day.

Glenn McGrath was a revelation for Australia and Shane Watson a big asset.The Pigeon's ability to up the ante on the big day is what makes him special.His first spell set the tone for things to follow in spite of Virender Sehwag'sbelligerence.

I am now worried about what lies ahead. Does India continue with itsexperiments or now fall back upon its proven if ageing warriors? Is it time toreturn to the seniors and some experience or should the investment in youthcontinue given they need their own space and time to grow?

How do you handle the impatience of the nation and media given the proximityof the World Cup with your own beliefs and theory which you have held on to sodearly? These are some central issues to India's woes.

The judgment against VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble in the one-dayers has onlybeen about their fielding. Nobody doubts their quality in their respectivefields. They are still central to India's Test plans.

I feel India would have to be a little spacious about this argument as itneeds a temporary fix. Both its batting and bowling could do with a little bitof class. Both are enormously respected by opponents all around the world.Youngsters also tend to get inspired by the presence of proven talents.

I also feel Wasim Jaffer and Gautam Gambhir are the men who are needed sincesorting out a good top order is more important when you go on a tour thanpacking the lower middle order.

In moments such as these, the authority of the men in command is usuallyeroded. Dravid would survive such a pitfall because he is unquestionably achampion, one of India's truly greats. Greg Chappell too is old enough tounderstand if a corrective is required in his approach.

It is foolhardy to push on with your mistakes when accepting them perhaps isthe way forward. After all, to err is human and it takes a brave man to acceptit.

PTI