India should learn to keep the momentum going

Indian cricket's continued success at the international level in recent times is certainly an indication of the historic changes it has gone through. Its overdependence on a few individuals in the past did not help much and only encouraged the development of a strange culture in the side.

There was a time when the newcomers in the side remained non-performers for too long and were left to idolize their seniors. Frankly, it did not help either group. We used to watch some great individual performances, but rarely did we see the desired results that come from combined team efforts.

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In the present team, a youngster can only make an impression with his attitude, his eagerness to learn, and his performance. What we saw today from Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan after the Pakistani bowlers threatened to run through the Indian batting lineup was a clear example of the dramatic changes that have come about in the Indian team in the last few years.

Yuvraj's innings not only saved India a lot of embarrassment, but also lifted him to greater heights as a batsman. This was certainly the most defining moment of his career. An effort like this at a crucial juncture made his century a more valuable one than any ordinary hundred.

Pathan once again showed, this time with the bat, that he is here to stay for a long time as an all-rounder. But for Yuvraj and Pathan, Rahul Dravid's decision to bat first would have backfired completely. Now that India have put up a fighting total, I am sure the bowlers will do a decent job.

Rahul has made it very clear that the team is there to win the match. Electing to bat was yet another brave decision on a good track that is offering a fair amount of bounce and pace. Rahul must have judged the wicket before the toss and knew what it holds for the first couple of hours. It is important for the batsmen to come to terms with the wicket before the start of the match. Rahul must have surprised the Pakistani camp with his decision. But then a winning team should spring surprises to keep the opponent guessing.

Many may argue that Rahul should not have batted first. The wicket was very sporting and our batting, I feel, was a little too aggressive in the pre-lunch session. Actually, we should have defended a bit more to negate the initial movement of the ball. Laxman played too far away from the body, while Sachin was a bit unlucky.

Sehwag's natural flow put the Pakistani bowlers in disarray. But Rahul and Laxman missed out on a great opportunity to settle down and develop a big partnership.

Umar Gul was the most successful bowler in the first session. In fact, he bowled the best line that was just short of a length. The 'Rawalpindi Express' looked as if he was under pressure. His length has never been right with the new ball in the entire series. In his attempt to live up to his reputation of being the fastest bowler, Shoaib Akthar is missing out on basic line and length. Sami, too, was guilty of pitching it too far up.

Our team, of late, has somehow dished out very ordinary performances after an emphatic win. I can recall the 2001 series in Zimbabwe where we won the first Test and then lost the second at Harare. A similar thing happened in the West Indies. In the recently concluded Australian series, we clinched a great victory in Adelaide only to court a humiliating defeat in Melbourne. It's high time the team takes guard against this trend of complacency.

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