How do we ‘hype’ the ‘hype’? Indian cricket is a worded example of this. I should actually say the Indian bowlers. I know the Indian bowlers had never been a highlighted commodity, as everyone has learned to live with their plight. But I am mentioning the over-the-top reactions of the players and media alike whenever they is a good, more importantly rare, performance by a bowler.
For instance, take the case of Sreeshanth. He was out of the team, and rightly so, on the grounds of his performance and health. Then he luckily returned to the side against Sri Lanka in the second test at Delhi in Dec, 2009. Somehow he found the energy and will to extract 5 wickets in the Sri Lankan innings to help India win the test match. Doubtlessly it was a grand performance, but was it enough to gather all the hype that ensued after that. Wasn’t he selected to get wickets in the first place? I was squirming, when I heard Sreesanth say on TV, “Yesterday was history (his story) and tomorrow is my story.” It has always been your story only, my dear. Nobody had dropped you, except yourself. And if you wanted to make tomorrow your story, then you should have done better. It has been a pretty poor ride by you since then. Not even an average, let alone good, performance after that. If you leak runs in plenty and hardly look threatening, then you are plotting a B-grade script. Yesterday’s match against South Africa in Ahmedabad was a nadir for him. Time to stop aggrandizing a player on the basis of one performance.
I noticed the similar thing with Ishant. After he took some wickets in the first innings against Bangladesh in the first test in Jan 2010, he commented,” Worst is over. I am glad I am back.” Really sir? Do I need to review your performance too after that singular performance? There was a good spell in Kolkata test against SA, but he is expected to do that more often.
That’s why I am more surprised when the bowlers are not talked tough; we instead present a resigned face towards them. If a batsman has a few low innings, the analyses start zeroing on his every aspect. Let me be clear, and everyone knows this, it is the Indian bowling which will always hamper India’s progress. Batting is supreme, and fielding OK. So, put our attention, resource, criticism, adulation etc all towards the bowling. We will need every bit of them to ameliorate this pathetic condition, called Indian bowling.
PS-
1. Congrats Sachin for achieving the first double-century in ODIs. Nobody deserved it more than you. I don’t need to add anything.
2. Good job done, Team India. It has been a good season, a few ordinary days notwithstanding. But a lot needs to be done still, as harder challenges lie ahead. For the time being, disperse into the comfy zone of IPL-3.
