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Journalism of Courage
There happens to be one man Down Under who has mixed feelings about Australia’s historic triumph in India. Former left-arm pacer Bruce Reid, Team India’s bowling coach during their tour to Australia last season, was disappointed by the show of his one-time wards.
Talking to The Indian Express from Perth, Reid is quite clear about the reasons for India’s loss. ‘‘Presence of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath was the prime reason while the dismal form of batsmen and injuries to key bowlers too didn’t help the cause.’’
The tall gangling fast bowler, who toured India in the 80s, also feels that the Indians let Sachin Tendulkar’s absence affect them psychologically. ‘‘Good teams sometimes have these setbacks. But there are always others in the team who have to step up and do the job,’’ says Reid.
The biggest disappointment for Reid was the injuries to Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji but the bowling coach hinted that the breakdown was on cards. ‘‘Balaji and Irfan took the load in Australia very well. There was no Zaheer and that meant more pressure. They put their body under too much stress day in and out,’’ he said.
It should be recalled that Reid had personally nurtured the young pacers during India’s tour to Australia last season.
Considering all these setbacks, Reid thinks it was impossible to beat a side like Australia. ‘‘When you are playing the best, you have to be at your best and have all the factors running in your favour. You cannot take on Australia with a few blokes injured and few out of form,’’ he explained.
So has the Indian bubble burst? ‘‘I wouldn’t say so. They have played good hard cricket for two years now. They are now battling in the series so they just have to hang in there.’’
Reid remained non-commital about joining Team India once again. Commitments at home and a coaching assignment with English county Hampshire means Reid is a busy man. ‘‘If there is a ‘fly-in-fly-out’ arrangement I can think. But it all depends on Sourav Ganguly and John Wright.’’
