Just like Ishant

Opportunity and confidence are a wonderful pair, and few nations in the world experience both at the same time. Indian cricketers have had opportunities in the past as well but many were hesitant, unsure of the big stage, happy to be substantial at home and negligible elsewhere. I don’t think many believed in themselves. They were probably weighed down by the reputations of their opponents, and when defeat is anticipated it is the most frequently achieved result. However, when confidence accompanies opportunity, when the mind is driven by visions of success, defeat can be stopped in its tracks.

That is what was most exciting about watching India play in Australia. Irfan Pathan took his opportunity in the Perth Test, one of the great highlights of our cricket; Praveen Kumar, shy and gauche, grabbed his in the one-dayers; so did Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, and even Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla. But few people have made as much of an impact in such a short while as Ishant Sharma. The world is now his oyster and he must tread carefully and confidently ahead.

I first saw Ishant bowl in the nets in England and it was difficult to be impressed. In the few games that followed, he bowled no-balls, seemed to lack rhythm and pace and yet those around him were optimistic. He wasn’t yet showing the world what he was capable of.

Then Australia happened and he took to the country like few others have. Australia can either weigh you down or charge you up. It is not the country that has been represented by its cricketers on Indian television. It is a tough land but one that recognises the spirit in man. As early as the Sydney Test, Ishant had been stamped as one to watch by canny observers who give praise sparingly.

Thereupon he blossomed and between the second and third Tests, worked on the ball that leaves the right-handers. Till that moment, he had been one-dimensional, bowling quickly but predictably. In the years to come, if he can retain his ability to learn, his spell of bowling to Ponting at Perth will become a defining moment. Australia knew they had a fight on their hands from a man who had taken no more than a handful of wickets. He had pace but more than anything else he was confident and willing to back himself. From that moment onwards, with the batsman aware that the ball could go either way, he became, to quote Adam Gilchrist after the Adelaide Test, “lethal”.

The ability to make the ball go both ways is something that the other great fast-bowling talent in India, Sreesanth, needs to work seriously on. His outswinger is a rare gift but is currently being threatened by the incoming ball, like it is with Irfan Pathan. A Sharma-Sreesanth opening ticket has the potential of becoming the best we have had.

But this generation has to learn that the best lessons come from playing well in the longer game. India’s best players in the Tests were still Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and V.V.S. Laxman. There were many who played valuable cameo roles, and Rahul Dravid will return to his position as one of the world’s finest players, but it is interesting to note that the two best performances by Indian bowlers in recent times have come from playing Test and four-day cricket. Lest we forget, Zaheer Khan is one of those two. In England two years ago, he bowled right through the season, went through good days and bad, and understood himself and his craft. And I have no doubt that Ishant Sharma’s success is due, in very large part, to the amount of bowling he did in the Test matches. It is something that our young cricketers need to understand as they stand up to the seduction of the shorter game.

In Australia, India were well served by their captains. Anil Kumble, quiet, dignified and strong, was outstanding in the Tests. Few carry their stature with as much calm as he does and he was one of the great highlights of a prickly season. In the one-dayers, Dhoni reached a new height as a cricketer, as a person and leader. He was decisive, putting the team’s needs first and reputations second. Leaving out a player is the greatest power a selector has and it is something that can only be done by men of conviction. He knew what he wanted, was willing to stick his neck out for it and having done so, he backed the people with him.

Inevitably, his changes worked, and that can only sometimes be luck. India now has a group of interchangeable players and in Australia the individual slowly vanished, beautifully vanquished by the team. That credit can go to Dhoni.

Many years ago, at college, we studied theories of achievement motivation and its link to the economic progress of society. Young men and women all over India are dreaming of achievement, the relative prosperity is throwing opportunity their way and, especially in the smaller towns, they are hungry. India’s success on the cricket ground is merely a reflection of the times we live in. But it is also proof that if we offer opportunity to an increasingly confident generation, success is a predictable and pleasant result.

The writer is a cricket commentator express@expressindia.com