A match of little consequence for Indians. But surprisingly the Indians showed a lot of urgency in getting on with the game. Perhaps, they were relieved of all tensions and pressures! With all the tortures behind them, it was a bit unbecoming of the Indian coach to come down heavily on the format of the tournament. Mind you, ``Charlie'' Gaekwad is a very dear friend. But I have not been greatly impressed with his job. And that is honest as I can be.Azharuddin has had his share of critics mostly from right quarters. But we must not forget that Azhar was only a cog in the wheel of the think-tank, which I am afraid, was as thoughtless as they come. Of course. the Indians played some attractive cricket when it didn't matter. And lot's of awful stuff when it counted. That has been the sad story of Indian cricket under Mohammad Azharuddin. But to be fair to the lean Hyderabadi, it was not his fault that he was thrust in a position where he never belonged technically, temperamentally or realistically.Azhar wasexpected to be a sort of arrangement until the player-establishment row settled down under the early days of the dashing Srikkanth. The BCCI's policy of divide and rule worked wonders. The only sufferer was Indian cricket though. And while, Azhar's fortunes as captain flourished at home and met with total disaster in countries like Australia, West Indies, New Zealand and England. For some odd reason, the authorities persevered with a listless and non-communicative leader at the helm. Well, it seem the end of the road for Azhar even if he believes there is still some cricket left in him. Maybe for his personal benefit. But surely, not for the Indian cause. Shall we say Ranatunga's removal is pretty fresh in the mind?! And Arjuna did win the World Cup for the Emerald Islands. Just like all good things must come to an end, the same principle must apply to nightmares also.Reverting back to the country of Robin Hood, India v New Zealand contest had more going for the Kiwis as Indians were practically shut outfrom the competition yesterday by a thoroughly professional performance from the Pakistanis. Our neighbours are poor news for all Indians considering the Kargil chaos. But the Pakis apparently confirm the belief that the same fence that shut others out, shuts you in.It is not always when things are going from bad to worse that revolutions break out. On the contrary, it often happens that when people who have put up with oppressive rule over a long period without protest suddenly finds the authority relaxing its pressure, it takes up cudgels against it. Thus the social order overthrown by a revolution is almost always better than the one immediately preceding it.
