Will India Catapult, Or Capitulate?

Will India Catapult, Or Capitulate?

This piece is a reflection on the India-Australia test series, which has started on Boxing Day.

The much awaited and talked about India-Australia test series is well and truly on at the MCG. India, slow starters in test matches, especially in away series, are hoping to upset the applecart of the Aussies in their backyard. It is a tribute to the team and captains of the past decade that pundits and cricket lovers in India are actually expecting the team to win their first ever series  in Australia. This, despite the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of England in England recently.

After the drubbing in England, the `tigers-at-home-lambs abroad` tag has resurfaced in more than just hushed tones. But people are still willing to believe that it was an aberration, and things are going to be just fine in Australia. There are reasons to believe that this could happen. 

Firstly, they will play for pride – for the loss in England and also for Sydney-gate. If not for Sydney-gate in 2008, India may well have ended the series with honours even. Secondly, the legends -- Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman -- are most likely on their last tour to Australia, and, if so, destiny will not grant them another opportunity to win a series Down Under. Thirdly, MS Dhoni, who has been hailed as India’s best captain, stands his true test as skipper. The loss in England highlighted yet again the timeless theory that a captain is only as good as his team. To make matters worse, key players in the side suffered injuries, and two of the legends – Tendulkar and Laxman – were off form. However, amidst all the ruin in all three formats of the game, Dhoni showed character and kept navigating a sinking ship to the best of this ability. But not winning the series in Australia will only raise questions over his ability to raise the stakes for his team abroad. 

There is no doubt that perhaps after a period in the ‘80s, this is the weakest Australian team to face India, and if it is not plagued by injuries, this is the strongest Indian contingent Down Under. India’s brief surge to top of the test rankings however had a glaring hole – no series win in South Africa and Australia, without which some pundits maintained, and rightly so, India did not deserve to be called the best test playing nation. Of course, the ranking is now gone, and so India can just concentrate on winning in Australia. If they win the series, as they should, at least given their strengths on paper, they are likely to create enormous self confidence for themselves, and awe and respect from people around the world. 

There is no doubt that the team is aware of both the expectations as well as the opportunity. If India win the series, for Tendulkar, if he scores his 100^th ton too, this would be the climax of a dream career – longest test career spanning over two decades, 100 international hundreds, test series victories in Pakistan, England, West Indies, New Zealand, and Australia, and a World Cup win. I don’t know whether Tendulkar should be compared with Bradman, but surely, there will not be another Tendulkar, and that is what colossal institutions are all about – there cannot be another one like them. For Dhoni, it would mark the culmination of what Saurav Ganguly started – the habit of winning test matches abroad. A series win in Australia will also mark a new beginning for Dhoni, as he would now be more on cue to create his own legacy as a Indian cricket captain.

But as they say, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. After all the analysis, what really matters at the end of the day is what happens between the 22 yards. While there is great anticipation about India going to the next level as a test playing nation, for all you know, Australia are planning a revival which could mark the beginning of another dominant era for them.
At the end of it all, we will know, whether India really catapulted, or capitulated, yet again!