It is tragic but true. How can a wonderfully compiled hundred go against the team? And not one - Sachin has made so many hundreds which were wonderful to watch, made against great opposition, sometimes with injury. But on the verge of the seemingly well-fought and well-deserved win, the rest of the team has somehow conjured up several different ways to lose. From the loss to Pakistan in Chennai many years ago when Sachin made a valiant 158 with a troubled back and made one indiscretion - of getting out some 17 runs before crossing the line. But then 5 wickets fell in a heap after his wicket, giving Pakistan a most improbable win. So it was the other day when India was looking good for 400 even after the start Sachin and Sehwag gave, 350 at the very least, and we conjured another loss out of nowhere.
What happens to the rest of the team when Sachin scores a hundred is a mystery. This is what someone who has the capabilities to understand the dressing room psyche needs to analyse. What we need, and quickly, is a team that can add around what Sachin has built. He is scoring hundreds very rapidly now, almost once in every two innings, and we need the rest to get their act in place. Do they lose their focus in awe? Do they think okay, let him do it since he is doing such a great job? Do they think - who will notice us when someone bats like this? Do they think - ah, let us also try to bat like this? Or does it so happen that all their energies are used up when Sachin is batting? Or do they think - no way, we cannot win when Sachin gets a hundred? Someone please solve this mystery to me - why do all batsmen lose their batting focus when Sachin gets a hundred?
If this greatest of all mysteries is not solved soon and set right there can only be another way for India to start performing as a team - retire Sachin at 99 so we have more favourable results when he is on song.
What happens to the rest of the team when Sachin scores a hundred is a mystery. This is what someone who has the capabilities to understand the dressing room psyche needs to analyse. What we need, and quickly, is a team that can add around what Sachin has built. He is scoring hundreds very rapidly now, almost once in every two innings, and we need the rest to get their act in place. Do they lose their focus in awe? Do they think okay, let him do it since he is doing such a great job? Do they think - who will notice us when someone bats like this? Do they think - ah, let us also try to bat like this? Or does it so happen that all their energies are used up when Sachin is batting? Or do they think - no way, we cannot win when Sachin gets a hundred? Someone please solve this mystery to me - why do all batsmen lose their batting focus when Sachin gets a hundred?
If this greatest of all mysteries is not solved soon and set right there can only be another way for India to start performing as a team - retire Sachin at 99 so we have more favourable results when he is on song.
3 comments:
In general, we win when the lower order bats well-the Pathans or the Yuvrajs or even the Bhajjis. No clue why though.But it's true that Sachin's not a good finisher. Maybe too much to expect from one man. What are others doing?
The ineffectiveness of all the bowlers is also puzzling, on our own tracks.
Hari come on, how can you blame sachin for scoring a century. Anyway since ricket is a game of statics, how's this:
Out of the 48 100s Sachin scord in ODI Guess how many times Indai won 33. Thats a win percentage of 68.75 compared to the overall win percentage of India in all ODI's against test playing countries of 0.45.
SO lets not blame sachin. The rest of the team need to buck up.
Yes, the rest need to pull up their socks. Precisely what I feel.
Anon, I am not blaming Sachin, I am blaming the rest for going into some kind of a shock when he gets into a hundred. It's really intriguing to me how they fold up like that time and again.
That's an interesting stat though. But the matches I mentioned and the more famous matches in Sharjah which we won are the ones I seem to remember the most. In these matches we have won when Sachin scored a hundred AND finished the games. When he got out, the rest just caved in.
Anyway, stats apart, my point is the same as yours. The blame is squarely on the rest!
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