Outrage

After India’s annihilation at the hands of Australia in the Champions Trophy at Mohali, I was quite sure that this match would stay at the top of India’s list of most abject cricketing surrenders for some time to come. As it turns out, that was an overly optimistic expectation – the Men in Blue proved that new depths could be reached as early as the next time they stepped out on a cricket field. Ninety-one runs was all that they managed between them on a lively Kingsmead track, as India crashed to a humiliating 157 run defeat to South Africa in the first one-day international.

Predictably, the next morning’s papers devoted many column-centimetres to despondent first-pagers and editorials that mourned the demise of Indian cricket. Two days after the event, the articles have moved to the sports section, but the misery and exasperation are still intact. The news channels are yet to complete their gory post-mortems, which typically involve an irate ex-cricketer commenting on a host of depressing statistics that confirm that Indian cricket is indeed in the doldrums. The more adventurous channels have also taken to some fancy detective work, as they hunt for India’s leading cricketing ‘mujrim’. The anger has spilled over to Parliament as well, with Agriculture Minister (and BCCI chief) Sharad Pawar being taken to task by his friends in the opposition, over the wretched state of Indian cricket. Gears have changed from despair to fury. Clearly, we’re a nation outraged.

Outraged.

Are we really outraged? What if this same side wins the next match at Cape Town, where the flatter track should definitely be more to our liking? What if they go on to win the series? Will we still be outraged that we continue to be the most ill-equipped team in the world against genuine pace on bouncy wickets? Will we still argue that more quick and lively pitches should replace the dustbowls that we currently play domestic cricket on? Will we still ask why India’s itinerary over the last couple of years has not seen the side visit Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or England? Will we still question why Mohammad Kaif is forever a ‘junior’ member of the side who persistently needs to be shielded from top-class attacks? Will we still wonder why Ramesh Powar does not find a place in this squad despite some gutsy performances in the limited opportunities he has received? Will we still want to know why Munaf Patel has ‘developed’ from India’s quickest bowler ever, to a slow medium pacer who doesn’t challenge the speed gun any more? Will we still demand that Sharad Pawar and his BCCI cronies start delivering on the professionalization promise they made when they took office?

The answer is: we will not. We will stop questioning – and start rejoicing. We will start talking about a ‘renaissance’ in Indian cricket like we did a few months ago when India was on a winning roll. We will once again allow individual flashes of brilliance to blind us to the fact that, in a team sport, collective effort is the only route to sustained excellence. We will overlook India’s depleted bench strength, which is symptomatic of an archaic domestic cricket system that fosters mediocrity. We will start believing that the fourteen men we pick to represent us on the international stage are capable of rising above a rotten administration that cannot see beyond filling its coffers.

All this, of course, only till the next thundering defeat occurs. We will then be outraged all over again and start asking the same uncomfortable questions we are asking today. And as always, those who should be answering these questions won’t bother. Because they know that we are like weary travelers in a hot desert – not bothered about reaching the river as long as we keep getting a few drops of water to quench our thirst.