With reference to the incidents described by Joe in his post, it is really funny to see how this world turns. Heckling the batsman is okay as long as one does not make racist comments but one is free to use all other forms of insults. The Aussies certainly look like poor sportsmen for taking something that should have been settled on the field and making a mountain out of a mole hill. It painted them in a very poor light. Ponting's legacy will forever be tainted by these incidents. He will not depart the game with the same respect and adulation that Waugh commanded on his retirement.
Gilly's timing of his retirement announcement might have something to do with him trying to distance himself from this team as soon as possible. He was certainly one of the old school warriors of the Steve Waugh generation and would not have liked where this team was headed. But of course he is too much a team man to say this in a public forum.
Now on to the fun part - nerves of steel and a sound backbone. Thats whats new with the Indian team. The bowling has been a revelation and it only seems to get better. Pathan's back and so are a whole score of bowlers all superbly coached by a very underrated bowler, Mr. Venkatesh Prasad. With the bowling stopping all comers, the batsmen are under less pressure to win the matches and this has allowed several batsmen to flourish.
Gilly's timing of his retirement announcement might have something to do with him trying to distance himself from this team as soon as possible. He was certainly one of the old school warriors of the Steve Waugh generation and would not have liked where this team was headed. But of course he is too much a team man to say this in a public forum.
Now on to the fun part - nerves of steel and a sound backbone. Thats whats new with the Indian team. The bowling has been a revelation and it only seems to get better. Pathan's back and so are a whole score of bowlers all superbly coached by a very underrated bowler, Mr. Venkatesh Prasad. With the bowling stopping all comers, the batsmen are under less pressure to win the matches and this has allowed several batsmen to flourish.
Comments
An interesting question is: So is the sledging so important. I know we have a younger team and so on, but we never lacked in the talent space before. Could it be that our gentlemanliness resulted in us being easily frazzled?
Our recent success is good evidence to support this...also think about the time when Sri Lanka rose to the top of the one-day game. Ranatunga and team started giving it back to the English, Australians and South Africans in great measure.
But I think if ICC allows teams like Australia to get away with the sledging that they do on the field, then to be fair, then they have to give the other teams some latitude on this as well. India has been neutral on this for a long time and teams have taken advantage of this.
Now that the young guns are using the same tactics against oppositions, it seems to have brought back the concept of "team" in the Indian cricket team :).