The Men in Blue have played some cricket over the past week in England. On the field, it has been about two warm-up games against New Zealand and Bangladesh. Easy victories both, they showcased that this Indian team is a well-oiled unit. Shikhar Dhawan got some runs, as did Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya, and the pacers looked in fine form, liking the tasty English conditions.
“The playing combination has been on my mind for the last 5-6 days,” said Virat Kohli, on the eve of India versus Pakistan in Birmingham.
“There are all kinds of possibilities – two spinners, two pacers, three pacers, Hardik Pandya and a spinner, and so on. We will see how the wicket is. The intensity in the warm-up games was really high, and it has given me a good headache as captain.”
No one though was really interested in this routine answer. Everyone gathered at his pre-match conference was inquisitive only about his relationship with coach Anil Kumble. This saga has taken the spotlight away from India’s title defence. So much so, even the mega clash against arch-rivals Pakistan took a back seat. It should have been the first question, really. Well, it was the second.
“There has been a lot of speculation and a lot of things have been written by people who are not part of the changing room, or don’t know what is happening there. It is very strange. There are no problems whatsoever. I have enjoyed working with Anil Kumble over the last year,” said Kohli, when quizzed about his relationship with the legendary leg-spinner turned coach.
“Writers are doing their job, and we are concentrating on our job. The problem is that no one takes responsibility about what is written. If it is wrong, no one comes forward and admits their mistake,” he added.
At first look, it is a routine – even corporate – spin on proceedings. Nothing is wrong and everything is normal. And it might just be, but whatever has emanated from the Indian camp over the course of this past week can’t be called routine or normal.
Let it be stated that reports of this discord didn’t emerge from the travelling media personnel in England. There was nothing untoward to report in the week gone by.
The barrage of leaks back home in India, however, didn’t stop. Someone or other in the BCCI corridors was always eager to talk, and it almost seemed as if those voices wanted a Kohli versus Kumble scenario. The quote-hungry media lapped it up, obviously, even as the Indian team first kept quiet in London and then Birmingham. Additionally, Kohli didn’t douse the flames when asked about the coach’s selection process initiated by the board, either on landing here in England or pre-match yesterday. “There was no problem with the process last year, and it is being repeated this year again (because Kumble had a one-year contract). Why is there a problem now?” asked Kohli.
Objectively, the Indian skipper has a valid point. The BCCI is under the charge of Committee of Administrators (COA) who themselves asked for a repetition of this process. So, what’s the harm? Well, the answer lies in the hyper interest in anything and everything related to Indian cricket. Starting from expectations from players, to crowning them superstars, to accepting wins and losses; over time it has been proven that not a lot in Indian cricket can be taken objectively.
What about the game itself, though? Well, Pakistan have sailed right under the radar, letting the Indian troubles garner headlines. It underlines the danger this team presents on the cricket field. Lightweight in experience, particularly in terms of a big-match temperament, they do have Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, and all of them have played in high-pressure matches. But given the merry-go-round of Pakistan’s selection, and the quality of players in India’s squad at the moment, you only see one winner. At least on paper.
That’s the thing about an India-Pakistan game, though. It is neither played on a piece of parchment, nor does it follow any script.
