Jhakas | Sanjay Jha
There is a special thrill in bearding the lion in his own den. Especially if no one has had the audacity to even creep surreptitiously close, and get some cheap thrills. But walking in like a valiant sacrificial goat and then surprisingly engaging the royal animal in a fierce combat , that is not a particularly exciting proposition either. It is like a suicide carnival. But emerging victorious after a fiery battle while the mighty Lord of the jungle retreats into a dark corner, licking his bitter wounds and a bruised pride, that is surely no mean task. Neigh impossible! Yesterday, India did just that!
The accolades have followed like an avalanche relentlessly pursuing the desperate skier on the run. Even the Australian media , prone to jingoistic excesses, has displayed appropriate judgment , temporarily by-passing the Harbhajan Singh obsession. And acknowledging MS Dhoni's team's unexpected resilience and insatiable hunger. As for India, there are many who believe that we are worthy claimants to world champion status already. The BCCI is done what it usually does these days when their prized assets ( pun intended) score unanticipated wins; they have announced another hefty cash prize. Continue reading below
I think I saw the "Colonel" Dilip Vengsarkar sporting his by now famous infrequent smile , his risky gamble, having for the moment at least, paid off. Wild celebrations in cricket-crazy India erupted through crowded bazaars and coffee parlours, paan shops and Malabar Hill sea-viewing apartments as Piyush Chawla took an easy catch off James Hopes, effectively signaling Australia's rare demolition on home ground , virtually with methodical piece by piece annihilation by the Indians. Ricky Ponting candidly stated that the Oz were outplayed. I think they were also outthought.
The astonishing change in bringing in Robin Uthappa as an opener in the final games, introducing a fledgling leg-spinner in Chawla, and giving the white cherry to rookie Praveen Kumar got the Aussies quite reasonably rattled. It also helped that Sachin Tendulkar, India's master of ODI fortunes , struck gold just when one thought his OZ trip had faded with the Sydney sunset. The Master delivered when it mattered most, and considering Tendulkar has usually flattered to deceive in big games, that was a total windfall. Almost everyone contributed , Yuvraj Singh played a fluent aggressive innings, the bowlers chipped in at regular intervals, and the captain led his team with cool aplomb. In my opinion, the telling statement of India's two recent biggies, the T 20 in South Africa and the Commonwealth Bank series has been the inspirational leadership of MS Dhoni. Dhoni employs razor-sharp instinct over pre-planned strategy, raw guts over conventional norms, and loves being India's crisis man. Check his consistent middle order scores, and you will observe a resolute determination to build a bridge. Cross the barriers. Provide a ropeway to his team.
The Australians suffering from title-ownership fatigue, seemed afflicted by the old Indian bug of consistently under-performing . That shock loss to Sri Lanka, after the Adam Gilchrist hurricane, was a precipitous blow. Poor shot selection, paltry partnerships, erratic bowling and the miserable form of their frowning skipper, accentuated their other off-field anxieties. . Ponting was a prophetic hero. The third match was indeed a superfluous arrangement. Adelaide will not give Punter a warm reception.
In a strange way, the terribly avoidable controversies off-field had reduced the usually kinetic Aussies into a tentative bunch, as they battled personal demons and Ishaant Sharma. As a tactical ploy, sledging seems to have grounded itself as a boomerang ball. Harbhajan Singh, not entirely innocent of certain deliberate instigation himself, wrapped himself assiduously under the skin of his two hurly burly foes; Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds. The rest was a foregone conclusion.
The sight of James Hopes and the Aussie tail-enders struggling to survive was as unbelievable as was the furiously nail-biting Ponting sitting amidst impending doom with his despondent team-mates. In the wild celebrations that followed, a cricketing genius strode disconsolately off the field, almost unnoticed. The great Adam Gilchrist. Brad Hogg was as forgotten as the torn tickets left behind by departed fans. In a sense, a chapter ended. For several others , it might have just begun.
Tendulkar has termed the victory the greatest since 1983 World Cup win .I think that is perhaps an emotional hyperbole, uttered in the ecstasy of a great victory moment. I beg to disagree with Tendulkar. . Just because we have beaten the reigning world champions , does not make the Commonwealth Bank series clincher at Brisbane greater than WSC 1985, more fondly remembered for Ravi Shastri's Audi-gaadi. Let us not forget that this was finally just a tri-series, not a world championship title. I , in fact, rank the two final appearances in Champions Trophy in Nairobi , and that sensational streak of outstanding successes right up to that grand finale in Johannesburg in World Cup South Africa 2003, as greater achievements. The truth is that Australia's unrelenting domination over the last decade and a half has coincided with Tendulkar's peak-form as a great batsman, but the latter has experienced several reverses at their hands despite outstanding individual scores. .That explains Sachin's rather exaggerated positioning of yesterday's results.
For the moment though , it is important to soak up the champagne and let the bubbly flow. The Indians deserve salutations for an exemplary show. Leaving behind poor Andrew Symonds ( once again, seriously!) to tackle an intrepid streaker in full Monty glory , and even get accused of rough "manhandling". The poor fellow was apparently thrilled by the manual intervention.
It is funny, but given the unfortunate events of the last few months, the streaker was actually a welcome relief, despite the shy cameras grudgingly avoiding his shiny posterior . Of course, it is a different story altogether that even in that naked bravado of that unnamed character, a controversy has erupted.
