Paint Motera Red, and Bleed Blue

Having just finished picking the last bits of my pasta from what appeared to be a pool of butter at the bottom of my bowl, I feel totally ready to type out a Cricket-Write-Up that will effectively take my mind off the guilt of inhaling about fifteen hundred delicious calories in fifteen minutes.

A couple of somber thoughts: First, Soon after I predicted a mighty close game in the first quarter final, all West Indian players conspired against me to fall in a heap quicker than I could finish my shower to get back to them game. Well, the next time they predict an awesome blog from me, they have another thing coming!! And if they think I will go back to my old job of being a dog-walker in Manhattan, well then they may very well be right!

And, second, since I am not a professional writer but a mere mortal-blogger-soon-to-be-dog-walker, the law of objectivity - that apply to every journalist in the world except Sanjay Manjarekar - do not preclude me from writing shamelessly biased articles. Riding on this disclaimer, I write this blog as an ardent Indian Cricket fan, and not a blogger pretending to be an objective observer.

Let me now make a fresh start by plainly stating that I have been having recurring nightmares of waking up to a cricket-less morning after the World Cup, clawing at my bedroom walls in a mad rage until I am put down by my wife’s recently-purchased tranquilizer gun. Waking up to a World Cup sans India would be very similar, if not worse while saying Goodbye would be infinitely easier if we kept the trophy at home, and bid farewell to all visiting teams that return empty handed. And, since I don’t want to be falsely accused for the mysterious disappearance of the trophy on April 2nd around 7:45PM, the only alternative would be for India to win it at Wankhede. BUT to get there, they first need to run through Australia at Motera, a ground that was recently inducted to the awesome-sounding-stadium-name Hall of Fame, alongside WACA and Chepauk.

Having spent a few minutes on some well-directed research, I am sad to report that the statistics are not quite working in India’s favor. To start, Australia has already experienced playing at the Motera in this World Cup, during the rout of Zimbabwe where Mitchell Johnson produced figures of 4 for 19 in 9.2 overs, at the cost of some Zimbabwean batsmen who didn’t know what hit them until they arose from Cricketing Coma a week later to watch replays in slow motion. India hasn’t played here since Kallis and de Villiers gnawed on our spirit, obliterated our faith, and left all Indian fans with a severe stomach disorder in February earlier this year.

To draw any confidence from India’s performances here at the Motera, we have to travel back nine years to a simpler time, when Sanjay Bangar scored the only half-century of his 15-match career, as India overhauled West Indies’ daunting 324. Two of our most prolific run getters at this ground are now giving service to Cricket as an official at the Karnataka Cricket Association, and a barely-audible-commentator, in that order.

However, Pride needs not historic victories, but a single thought, and when one tries hard enough, Inspiration can come from within just as much as from Motera Stats. The fact that Yuvraj is hitting form at the right time should be reason enough for Indian fans to rejoice, and walk to our paan shops with swagger and heads held high. While Johnson and Tait can be a handful on their good days, Lee is the only bowler with a proven track record and perhaps the only one who would draw some preconceived-respect from our batting stalwarts. Aussie spinners are more likely to be sweating their palms than licking their chops, and if we can make early inroads, Aussie lower-middle order can be quite vulnerable against quality slow bowling.

Bottom line is, all stats and mind-games put aside, it will eventually come down to a day’s game of Cricket. As I wrote before, the lower-middle order of both sides need a serious-talk from coaches and their mothers about what their role needs to be. Cricket Gods know that India needs this talk more than any other team! These batsmen are most likely going to be the cogs where the buck stops. 

India has to come out with a plan and play responsible Cricket that is befitting of the moment, and not the personalities.

Don’t glare so much that you lose sight of the game plan, but don’t be so meek that you are rolled over. Just be Cricketers who show up in Motera to win.

It is time when Boys became Men, Men became Legends, and Legends became Immortalized.