Positives in Indian Cricket in the Last Three Weeks

Positives in Indian Cricket in the Last Three Weeks

As I write this, Indian cricket doesn’t seem to be at its best ever moment. We’ve just returned from our worst world cup campaign. We failed to make a significant impact on the tournament, winning just one out of our three group matches (against Bermuda). Our batsmen aren’t in the best of form, our fielding is uninspiring and our bowling is just about average. So what are the positives I see in our cricket scene at the moment?

The first positive I see is Dravid’s willingness to criticize him self, admit his mistakes and simply remain honest. Often we have heard him say something along the lines of how the team could have done a lot better, or how the batsmen didn’t bat well enough, and he quickly follows it up with the words “including me.” He has done this even on occasions when he might have top scored with a 50, but hadn’t gone on to complete a chase. He simply does not make excuses. It is not easy to admit to yourself that you are wrong, let alone admit it to a billion people. Dravid is honest to him self and he his honest when he speaks to the media. It is important to note that our right to truthful information is always respected in this regard. However, Dravid’s present positive attitude is most often either ignored or taken for granted by the media and the public. This honest attitude of introspection usually leads to positive change and I am certain that it is this same attitude that has made Dravid the batsmen he is today. While one might be tempted to view his public honesty as flawed public relations skills, it most definitely remains a sign of a strong individual. It is also incorrect to criticize the man for his honesty. Especially given the fact that the people who criticize him for his honesty, are the same people who would criticize him if he were to ever twist the truth or make excuses.

The second positive I see is that the board has not taken any knee jerk reactions or made any scathing statements (as yet). In fact some board members have also backed their players. The board came out strongly against the media saying that it was the media that built up the hype around the team, and now (after their loss to Sri Lanka), it is the same media that is most critical of the team. This statement by the board is a great positive because it would have been very easy for the board to immediately transfer all the blame onto the players (as has often been done in the past).

The third positive I see is that the players were not received with a violent or ugly welcome. At Bangalore, there appears to be a silent or non existent welcome, but not a violent one. One may argue that the “lack” of a negative doesn’t really make a positive. I would usually agree with that line of thought. But given this negative was much anticipated, I think it is fair to note that it did not occur.

There may be other minor positives that have been on display, but the reason I picked these three points is because they reveal the underlying thought process behind the system. Whether these positives are rewarded and harnessed remains to be seen. It is sad that the media hasn’t covered these positive aspects of our cricketing scene. Even if these events are covered or reported, there hasn’t been any recognition of the significance of these events. A question we should ask ourselves is—how do we expect people to be positive and good when we do not reward the goodness in people and events that we see? Maybe a change in the way we view and reward these positives will help all of us a great deal.

Almost everyone in the media agrees that the failure of our team signifies a failure of the entire cricketing system in India. They advocate a change and a revamping of the system but at the same time, they are almost certain that instead of a large scale revamping of the system, only key individuals are going to be sacrificed and the faulty system will remain the same. I highlight these positives in Indian cricket not because I think the system doesn’t need revamping. I highlight these positives not because I want to dwell on the philosophical thought that in every event, good or bad, there is always something positive. I highlight these positives simply because positive events are largely left ignored by the popular media. I’d like to make the point that the media needs to be more positive in their outlook toward the system. The popular media must recognize that for the system to change they must give it a chance to change. They must recognize that they are as much a part of this system as the board administrators and the players. For starters, they can look at themselves and wonder how they can change their own outlook toward the positive and negative events around them.