Back to Square Twenty?

So, we are no good against ENT balls; we crumble under pressure; we need to stop playing the IPL; and we need to find a new skeeper to replace Moody Selfish Dhoni.This depressing media diagnosis- bearing a striking resemblance to the one about a certain neighbouring country a couple of days back- after failure to perform well in a tournament that has been likened to WWF, desserts and foreplay smacks of a convenient ignorance on part of the ever hypocritical media.

It is probably time to take a step back and dispel a few myths:

Myth 1: T-20 cricket is made for India

Individuals growing up playing a form of cricket colloquially referred to as gully cricket don't necessarily represent a perfect T-20 fit. Traditionally, Indian cricketers have never been athletic, innovative, powerful or tactful- qualities that are a must for the T-20 format. However,they have always been bestowed with talent and a sense of timing. With a fielding side that is bound to concede ten runs per game on an average and a bowling unit containing no mystery bowlers or bowlers of extreme pace, India were bound to struggle once T-20 started to be viewed as a science by other teams. As a good T-20 team, you need to have most of the above attributes or be ruthlessly efficient like South Africa are. India don't tick most boxes and that has been borne out by India's T-20 record since that World Cup victory. You can still win it all in this format if you have huge doses of fortune along the way and that in itself should be the biggest commentary about T-20 cricket.

Myth 2: Dhoni is Mr.Cool

M.S.Dhoni wouldn't even make the shortlist of the 100 most gifted players in the country. For a player with such limited gifts, he has to keep working on his game consistently and inventing himself. Add to this, the pressures of captaincy, wicketkeeping, girlfriends and advertisements (kiddology attached to the last two), it is no wonder that he has started getting very grumpy of late. Being critical of teammates, selectors and the Board in full media glare doesn't sit well with his Mr. Cool image. If anything, the game of cricket has once again proved to be the great equalizer.

Myth 3: Dhoni is Mr. Fool

Dhoni has been regarded as being selfish because of his approach to ODI and T-20 cricket of late. There is no doubt that he has made a conscious transition from the slam-bang approach when he first played international cricket to a more measured one. People tend to forget that most of those runs scored as a result of that carefree approach were made against bowling attacks that read Sami, Razzaq, Fernando,Vaas, Naved on the flat tracks back home. Dhoni, like most hitters, has a hitting zone which international bowlers have sussed out and stay away from. It is not Dhoni's fault that he is no longer able to create so many scoring opportunities. Rather, it is to his credit that he has managed to evolve an alternate batting methodology and managed to stay in the hunt and not become another of those one-year castaways. Sachin Tendulkar too made a not too dissimilar transition not long back. However, where Dhoni needs to buck up is in his belief that he can comfortably chase down 10 runs on an average over a period of time. Some of the greatest individuals in the game who have worked with Dhoni have called him the smartest cricketer around and when he has a few off-days, we would be better served with a "it's time to move on" on our part rather than have a go at him. Equalizer or not, expect Dhoni to be back trying to get one up on others. He has got that cheek that has rarely been seen in Indian cricket.

Myth 4: India are going to leave the rest of world cricket behind

Individual work ethic has never been India's strength. For a team to stake claim to being the best in the world, it has to be together for some time and then be able to make the transition to the next level. Talent and that surprise element will only get you a certain distance .There is something about the Indian psyche that has prevented this from happening, thus far anyhow. We know what happened when Greg Chappell brought in some tough training routines; we see how Yuvraj has gone from being one of the best fielders in the world to possibly the worst in the Indian team and we have also seen the stagnation in all our fast (read medium) bowlers but one. We are still going to have phases when we take world cricket by storm (ala Pakistan) when we get a team of young, talented individuals. But, as word goes around about their weaknesses,a process likely to be expedited by the IPL, we will also get Indian teams that dabble in mediocrity for a while.

Myth 5: India need to look for another captain

Dhoni has been India's shrewdest captain over the last decade and should be in the saddle for the foreseeable future just by virtue of the fact that he is the only certainty in the playing eleven. The other two contenders, Sehwag and Yuvraj, have never displayed any consistency in all forms of the game over a period of time and have always been found wanting when it comes to work ethic.

So, the prognosis, in reality, shouldn't be all that depressing. India, just by virtue of the exposure that its talent pool gets should be amongst the best in the world which in itself represents a far cry from the past, but unless a team of individuals with the drive of an Anil Kumble or a Sachin Tendulkar come along, it is difficult to see a group of youngsters- pampered and built up by the media without having proven their mettle - take the next step. Till then, it is time to tone down expectations of an invincible Indian side but at the same time cherish the fact that every defeat is not going to get us back to Square One as was the case in the past. Considering the format, Square Twenty would be appropriate, right?