01 October,2009 07:22 AM IST | | Khalid A-H Ansari
Although one's heart goes out to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team for the dramatic manner in which they were knocked out of the Champions Trophy yesterday, the fact of the matter is that the team simply did not deserve to move into the semi-final round of the Champions Trophy.
With Pakistan, New Zealand and England having, already, qualified, the fourth slot hung in the balance yesterday between India and Australia.
Ricky Ponting's ODI champion team beat Pakistan by two wickets off the last ball but would have qualified on net run rate even if it had lost.
The facts speak for themselves: India's only win in three matches, following a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Pakistan and a providential washed-out draw against Australia came against an enfeebled, makeshift West Indies outfit, whose best players are on strike over a pay dispute with their board.
Significantly, not a single Indian batsman figures in the top 10 for runs scored (Virat Kohli is at No 15). Although Ashish Nehra is third among the bowlers, Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma are at joint No 21.
To be fair, injuries to star players Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan dealt the team a grievous blow.
But the inescapable truth is that the other vaunted players proved woefully inadequate in pitch and climatic conditions, which, aided by vociferous fan support, should have suited them to a nicety.
That said, the overall performance of the team, and the players' general demeanour, was conspicuously lacklustre in a tournament in which consistency is of the essence. Lack of it can spell 'finis' to the prospects of even the best teams, as happened to pre-tournament favourites India, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Sachin Tendulkar failed in his only inning against Pakistan and Rahul Dravid put in a gutsy performance before being run out for 76 in the match against Pakistan.
Of the other batsmen, only Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina, and Dinesh Karthik and Virat Kohli (against the West Indies) came up to expectations from among the batsmen.
For once, Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed weighed down by the burden of captaincy. His wonted panache as batsman deserting him against Pakistan, the captain with the Midas touch was also uncharacteristically tetchy in his interaction with the media.
Yusuf Pathan bowled well in the initial stages against Pakistan until Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf set about him. His big hitting ability let him down and R P Singh was a flop overall.
Nehra was easily the pick of the bowlers. Praveen Kumar and Amit Mishra performed quite creditably in the limited opportunities given them.
In the absence of the famed injured threesome, it was important for the others to rise to the occasion, but Ishant Sharma, the scourge of the Australians on the last tour Down Under, and spin virtuoso Harbhajan Singh let the side down miserably.
His pace considerably slower and movement in the air and off the wicket virtually non-existent, Sharma looked a shadow of his former fiery self.
Add to that Harbhajan's inability to conjure his magical bag of tricks and lack of meaningful support from the backup bowlers and you have all the ingredients of a tale of woe.
Coming, as it does, on the heels of the team's undistinguished performance in the World Twenty20 tournament in England, the side's dismal showing in the Champions Trophy clearly underscored the team's grossly inadequate bench strength.
With some of the senior players getting along in years and players increasingly injury-prone as a result of their busy schedule, the BCCI must address the situation effectively and expeditiously.
For a start, it must harness the tsunami of young talent the IPL has unleashed.
That said, it must be realised that Dhoni's men lost just one match in the tournament. That is, surely, not reason enough to over-react as and call up the sackcloth and ashes.
