LIFE GOES ON (followed by all the links in Test Series Sydney Onwards)

‘’In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life. It goes on’’

Mercifully, I read this quote by Robert Frost in the Times of India only after the match had been called off yesterday. The whole tension was over and everyone was back to their life. Only life, and the way people went about doing their jobs, mattered and not cricket anymore.

The same must be true of the Indian Cricket Team as well. Anticipating massive criticism in the press and visual media for sending so many ‘’Debutants in ODIs in Australia/Debutants in Australian ODIs’’, they must have closed their eye and ear to any clamour of call back Sourav, call back Dravid. It was important for them not to listen to the pearls of wisdom if life were to, in Frost’s words, go on.

True, India will suffer immensely without these two. At times one has to stand and weather the body blows, which Dravid is eminently capable of. And at times, one has to show resolve and class needed to succeed at this level, and against this kind of foe, which Sourav has demonstrated time and again.

But then, one has to make do with whatever one has got. To be fair to ‘’batsmen debutants in ODIs in Australia’’, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, and M S Dhoni did reasonably well before they got out.

Tiwary failed miserably but then when you are attempting to counter Brett Lee’s speed, any traces of Jet Lag can be lethal.

When even the most accomplished and experienced of Indian batsmen had failed in Melbourne Test, we had called it an inevitable result due to the failure to have a few quality matches before the Test Showdown. Then why not now. Forget the second innings of Sydney, but at Adelaide, all the experience could have come to naught but for Sehwag’s scintillating century.

Before commenting on the unseemly dismissal of Uthappa in the first ODI, one will also do well to recall his unbeaten 47 against England at Oval, and a similar score against Australia at Mumbai, which earned India unlikely wins, against all odds.

Give them some time. If it was unfair to leave Sourav out, it will be equally unfair to bombard the Indian team with such criticism after their first fifty50 encounter (Twenty20 was just a practice match considering race row had marred all preparation). We have never won a tri-series in Australia and the occasions we have won, can only be counted on fingers. With or without the experienced players!