Hello Friends,
Hope the new year has started on a positive note for all of you. Initiation of vaccination for Covid-19 across the globe is definitely a much awaited breather for all of us. At the same time Indian men's cricket team has provided us a big reason to cheer & be proud at the start of the year. Their triumph over Australia in their own den in the recently concluded test series is one of the greatest victories in the history of test cricket. Kind of resilience, fighting spirit & character shown by the Men in Blue is something to remember for a long time.Throughout the series there have been talks regarding Indians' performance, injuries, preparation & what not. Suddenly a dramatic series win & everyone is ecstatic about their achievement. Don't these guys deserve similar support & more of a positive criticism from the fans even when the chips are down? Definitely they do. Specially after such an incredible performance by the youngsters this team deserves all the accolades. There have been so much to learn in terms of leadership & tactical decision making from both the sides. Let's now have a quick glance at the major leadership takeaways from this much talked about series.
Captain Cool 2.0 in town
To achieve a win like this captain's role becomes so much important. After Virat Kohli's departure due to family commitments post first test match ,Vice captain Ajinkya Rahane took over the leadership role amidst the humiliating loss in the first test match. What he delivered in the remaining matches was unbelievable. He started with a match winning century in the second test match which actually showed the way to the rest of the team to perform in adverse conditions. Being extremely calm amidst all the chaos was the talking point of his leadership which only reminds us of non other than MSD. His major challenge throughout the series has been utilizing the minimal available resources in terms of players due to a series of injuries to most of the key players. But he stood tall & showed the world what he is made up of. His tactical moves in terms of bowling & fielding changes, shuffling the batting order whenever required were much to the delight of one & all. It is fair to say that his excellent leadership was one of the prime reason for this historic win.
Young brigade took charge
Younger generation has always been the epitome of fresh energy. That's what happened in this series. Injuries to key members paved the way for youngsters like Shubman Gill ,Rishabh Pant,Mohammed Siraj,Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Hanuma Vihari. Each of them performed to the best of their abilities in difficult conditions & emerged victorious. Spirit shown by the next generation of Indian cricket is one of the major achievements for the team. Their fighting spirit will definitely inspire many to achieve their goals.
No Pain, no gain
There have been several inspiring moments through the course of the four test matches. But the one which stood as the unforgettable was the fighting spirit shown by Ravichandran Ashwin & Hanuma Vihari in the Sydney test match. It was one of the greatest match saving effort in the history of test cricket. Both struggling with different injuries didn't give up till the end & ensured that the team can save the match from an almost impossible situation. Kudos to both the players for showing extreme courage & passion to play for their country amidst unfavorable conditions. Their efforts will be remembered for long .
A Bereaved son or a born fighter
Father is the first hero for any kid. He is the one who teaches his kids how to fight the battle of life keeping heads high. There is no bigger pain than loosing a parent. Greaved by his father's sudden death before the test series Mohammad Siraj decided to fulfill his father's dream of his son playing for the nation instead of attending his last rituals. What a spirit shown by this young fast bowler. His fighting spirit got him the desired results in the field as he ended up as the leading wicket taker for India including a maiden five wicket haul in the decider at Brisbane. This kind of willpower & passion towards your country & profession is a lesson for all of us.
Form is temporary , class is permanent
In cricketing world an age old saying which stands true even in real life. A true champion can have a few tough phases but can never be down & out for long. Steve Smith is one such champion who has proved his mettle again & again in international cricket. His performance in the limited overs series created a lot of buzz before the test series. But he couldn't live upto the expectation of his team & fans in the first two test matches. He performed way below his standards in the first two matches. He faced lot of criticism too for his performance. But he came back like a true champion & shut all the criticism with a bang. A century followed by couple of gritty half centuries in the last two matches showed his class. Though his performance was not good enough to get the desired result for his team, but definitely was an indicator of a true champion.
Stay tuned for more in this space.
Click here for my review of the limited overs series.
Image Credit:
Ben Sutherland from Crystal Palace, London, UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Dun.can from Leicestershire, UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/75961030@N07
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