It146;s all in the heads

How can you be the head of a family at 23? In this part of the world - and that could be any town or city in Pakistan...

How can you be the head of a family at 23? In this part of the world 8211; and that could be any town or city in Pakistan, India or Bangladesh 8212; they still get scandalised at the prospect of a man in his mid-20s being in charge of grave matters like cricket. Cricket was never about life and death, but out here, it does rank right up there somewhere.

So, when Md Ashraful is hidden behind the table at a media interaction by his small stature and a baby voice, practically drowning in that easy chair, it8217;s time to sharpen the knives and make the young man feel the incredulous weight of his professional commitment. 8220;I need to personally keep playing well,8221; the young Bangladesh captain is left repeating, day after day.

8220;It8217;s a young team and we need some time to learn,8221; he says of his team, which has an average age of 22 years, always apologetic about the gradual process of growing up, wondering secretly if life would be better if he were 30 or 38.

It8217;s not just Bangladesh either. All the three sides in this tournament are being led by men who don8217;t have a 200-game, 5000-run headstart over the rest of the pack.

The disastrous 140-run loss to India put Pakistan8217;s 26-year-old skipper Shoaib Malik on the spot. He was left defending everything from the extras his pacers bowled, to the batting order 8212; why Afridi walked in so low down, to why he hardly bowls against the big sides himself. 8220;Look at my record. There isn8217;t a player I haven8217;t dismissed, from Brian Lara to Sachin Tendulkar. I have 120 wickets. I wasn8217;t a top all-rounder for my batting alone. An all-rounder bowls and bats. And if you8217;re talking about the last series against South Africa, I8217;ll give you CDs and you can watch them,8221; he let go his composure against a hack from Pakistan.

Dhoni, who turns 27 in a month, faced none of the tricky ones on this day. The huge margin of victory against Pakistan ensured that. But when a hint of the debate came up, he was determined to stick to what he8217;s always said. 8220;It8217;s not about youngsters or seniors but a good side which can give its best to bowling, batting, fielding and fitness. It8217;s an ideal opportunity for youngsters with not too many established names around. Apart from Yuvraj, Sehwag and Pathan with 150-odd matches not too many of us have played as many games,8221; he maintained.

While Ashraful urges his nation to be patient with his side so that they can iron out their deficiencies, Dhoni has gone about getting the results, yet remains part of the group in training, where there8217;s more buddy-banter, less intimidating respect.

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The Indian captain appreciates how Gambhir and Sehwag ran their singles 8212; look, look at the hard-work beyond the boundaries and sixes, he stresses. He sheepishly recalls his own harrowing debut in Dhaka here the very next moment, when he was run-out on the first ball, and the side lost the next game. And he refuses to take credit for Praveen Kumar delivering the results for him every time, saying that all that he told the pacer was to go for the fifth wicket.

At practice, Dhoni gets ribbed by everyone else and he, in turn doesn8217;t shy away from bantering away with his mates. A sense of easy leadership prevails in this side, and Wednesday8217;s clash will be between two captains growing along with their teams 8212; at times winning, at others fumbling, but staying buddies yet. Needs no telling, but India are clear favourites.