JANUARY 8: India's disastrous 0-3 performance in Tests Down Under reminds me of our total annihilation by England in 1974 - The Summer of `42' it was called. It was very shameful then as the team returned home in bits and pieces. Tendulkar's men may not be even that privileged unless they make amends in the triangular series.The chances of an upward spiral are bleak as the basics of learn-commit-do are not a priority of the team's agenda. Being positive is one thing and enjoying yourself is quite another. I suspect the Indian team management is in a very confused state of mind and body. However, it is easy to blame the players as their misery is magnified from every concievable angle of the camera.What remains an unseen tragedy is the callousness of our cricket administrators, who continue to ignore the domestic circuit for the sake of raking up the moolah at the slighest whiff of an unidentified mission. And then there is the sordid drama of Nayan Mongia being given the treatment of a pariah to takeyou back to the slavery days of '36.Azhar's self-proclamation of being victimised is lost in the pseudo soap of what is confidential and what is not. Honestly, the understanding between the National selectors and the team management is laughable. Sadly, at the expense of Indian cricket.The greatest battles of life are fought out daily in the silent chambers of soul. That which we persist in doing becomes easier not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do well has increased. We are what we do repeatedly. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.This was ever so true of the Aussie behaviour. There was never a doubt about their ability to choose their response. Which means their responsibility was total.In other words, what matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life. Difficult circumstances often create paradigm shifts as we observed Indians going from bad to worse as their two circles of ``concern'' and ``influence'' indicated. The latter was well withintheir control e.g. batting, bowling and fielding. But for some odd reason their ``concern'' for things was way beyond their grasp, e.g. the wickets.The weather and clean umpiring were allowed to get the better of their self-inflicted emotional myopia. I maintain that the real problem with the Indians was a top heavy but hollow team management. Both Kapil and Sachin are truly great performers (one was, the other is). But I'm yet to be convinced about their ability to motivate others.Obviously, building a character of total integrity and achieving unity oneness with our working associates isn't easy. It isn't quick-fix. On the series, we didn't hear a word from the Aussie coach, whereas the Indian coach was at pains to explain (to whoever was willing to listen) the ills of Indian cricket from the comfort zone of unworthy habits.Be that as it may, one group of Indian tourists has returned home sans Laxman, whose desperate bid became a classic of sorts. With tons of runs to bowl against, the Aussiesbowled like millionaires, leaving plenty of gaps for Laxman to flourish. Warne bowled so much filth in 13 overs, it was unbelievable. Only Glenn McGrath was outstanding among the two teams - throughout the series and yet Sachin got the man of the series. Greatness is achieved by the sweat of the brow; it should not compromise with consolations.With Tests over and One-Day series about to get under way, fresh permutations and combinations will have to be worked out, especially with the Pakistanis in fray. Aussies had no problems replacing five Test players wth one-day specialists. The Indians and Pakistanis may not find the change-over smooth. All the same, the pyjama game is seldom the quality test.
