Tired minds under the scanner

If there was ever a time to look back and miss the two-month summer vacations from school days, this was it, after the completion of the 44-day-long IPL.

While Pakistan were part of the jamboree too, their players could be likened to lucky bridesmaids at Indian weddings, enjoying the frolic without having to stress over getting married themselves.

Sohail Tanvir even walked out with one glitzy purple head-gear and some cushioning confidence, while three of India’s players, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, sweated over their captaincy decisions till the semi-finals.

Tired bodies

THE Indian team arrived in Dhaka on a Sunday, waking up early to catch a plane. But like summer holidays, international cricketers can’t stake claims to Sundays either.

Besides the three, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma also played the majority of their teams’ 14 games and were key to their batting-lineups, just as the respective franchises of Piyush Chawla, Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma depended heavily on them.

Contrast that with the picks from Pakistan. Mohammad Yousuf had a free — forced, but free — summer. Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir arrived late, Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik were benched for the most part, while those like Misbah didn’t get all games either. They were there alright, but not under the intense scanner as their Indian mates.

Physio Nitin Patel carries a coffin as big as that of the players, full of sprays and bandages. And he was a busy man on Sunday at the indoor nets, chopping and folding precautionary tapes for Dhoni’s little finger and helping Yuvraj Singh with his knee brace. And though trainer Paddy Upton insisted there were no fitness worries as the 50-50 season took off, he maintained he wasn’t in a position to gauge their mental fitness.

Rollicking form

“THE players are very excited and keen to play for India again and as professional sportsmen, they should be able to adapt to all formats,” he said. “Cricketers lead a busy lifestyle, and there’s no point complaining. It’s a little early to assess their fitness, but they are all committed individuals.”

What coach Gary Kirsten and skipper Dhoni will vouch for, though, is the fine form their key players have been in. While Gambhir, Sehwag, Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma have logged big scores and Irfan and Ishant Sharma have been among the wickets, the captain and vice-captain would have individually liked a more productive IPL.

The last thing the Indians need first-up is a slip-up against Pakistan. Those sort of losses are deemed unpardonable in these parts of the world, though the IPL might just then be proven guilty.