Sunday, April 3, 2011

World Cup 2011 Victory : Time to remember the unsung heroes

It is indeed time for rejoicing! India is the new world champion. While Dhoni gets the credit for victory of the team, world cup is also lauded as a gift to Tendulkar. This team displayed that they can now play with confidence and conviction against any team of the world. They can handle pressure and have the right attitude - the so called killer instinct ! Where did all this come from? Has it come only now? Did the Indian team that lost the world cup finals 2003 lack it? The team had Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh,Habhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan , Ashish Nehra and yes of course , our hero The Sachin Tendulkar .


We need to acknowledge the fact that Team 2003 may have lost the cup but it led the foundation for the World Cup 2011.We need to credit Mr. S.C. Ganguly and Mr. John Wright for starting a new era of Indian cricket. Saurav Ganguly was lucky to have John Wright as the coach who helped in changing the mindset of cricket in the country. Together they brought ATTITUDE in the team. Who can forget the photographs of Ganguly brandishing his Team India light blue shirt from the balcony of the Pavilion in Lord’s? When Ganguly became the captain of the team it was passing through one of the worst phase of Indian Cricket history. Match Fixing allegations were being investigated; India had lost a series against Australia by 3-0. It was under his leadership that the process of reform began in the team. He was the one who supported and encouraged people like Sehwag, Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Zaheer. One can never say he promoted players from his state or his religion or his caste. He was never shy of experimenting, for example making Rahul Dravid keep wickets so as to have an extra genuine batsman. Saurav backed the right players to the extent it was never seen before, a legacy that Captain Dhoni is following. What Dhoni has delivered for team India is the result of the transformation process resulting into the right combination of ability with nerve set in by Mr. S.C.Ganguly and John Wright –The Unsung Heroes!