Indians fail to learn from mistakes

If the Indians perform well in one match, the chances of them failing in the next are high. Such is the inconsistency of this Indian team that it keeps failing abysmally while facing pressure situations. And the sad thing is that they have not learnt from the mistakes. Sadder still when they continue to cave in so meekly.

The failure of the middle order was the prime reason for the defeat against the Sri Lankans in the final Test match at Colombo. The openers gave a good start in both the innings and after that Indians lost way. I am happy the way the openers went about their job.

The Indians lost the Test once they were bowled out for less than 300 in the first innings, especially on a good batting wicket. A batting disaster, indeed.

One man army - Muttiah Muralitharan destroyed the much-hyped Indian batting line-up in the first innings. It is a joy to watch him bowl. I still fail to fathom how he sports that harmless smile even after bowling marathon spell. Surely, he is a phenomenon. A bowler who could turn the ball on any surface. Without doubt, Murali is one of the best off-spinners in the world.

The Indians are supposed to be good players of spin bowling and Muralitharan made a mockery of that claim. Let's get this straight. The Coca-Cola Test series has exposed the Indians for what they are - a bunch of pedestrian cricketers.

On the other hand, the Lankans are more determined, passionate about their cricket. Marvan Atapattu showed that in ample measure. Struggling for runs, woefully out of form, Atapattu came good when his team desperately needed it. A man like Atapattu is what India wants. It is the kind of innings that any captain would love to see.

The Indians were literally buried under the Lankans' run feast and were not able to come out of it. It was sheer lack of confidence on the part of the bowlers that helped the Lankans pile up runs. I still maintain it is the middle order batsmen who let India down.

Another problem with the Indian players is their mindset. They think the earlier matches have to be forgotten as a bad dream, and not as an opportunity to look back and improve. The defeat should pain each and every member of the team and should force them to analyse what went wrong in the series and take steps to set them right. A long term planning is what India desperately requires. If we keep ignoring the mistakes, it is bound to repeat.

K. Srikkanth

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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