Minnows and the Mellows

Bangladesh vs India what a match that was! Unfortunately it was talked about for all the wrong reasons. To start with, a very hand picked few actually acknowledged the splendid performance of Bangladesh. It was heartening to see the way Bangladeshis played. Our team just lost to a better team that day. They were better in every department of the game. The fact that the teens intimidated the likes of sachin tendulkar or rahul dravid or saurav ganguly, who have as much experience as their age, with their bowling speaks volumes of the level at which they played the game. They weren’t “minnows” in anyway it is a serious misnomer that. Anyone who has seen them playing over the last year would agree that the improvement in their game was tremendous. Their win over Australia cannot be pure luck. It is just saddening to see that when an upcoming team like Bangladesh wins over an established team, like us for instance, credit isn’t given to their performance or competence instead we dig into why the other team lost. Look at what they have reduced Indians to- hoping that they don’t bat as well as they bowled or fielded.
The only difference I saw in both the teams on that day was the attitude with which they approached the game. At no point in the game, Indians were confident that they could pull it off. Bangladeshis on the other hand exuded confidence with every ball they played. They were all over the place when they fielded. They didn’t get complacent at any point in the game giving due respect to their formidable opponent. They had the confidence in us that we could turn the game at any point, we just didn’t back ourselves. They simply didn’t give India the chance to get back into the game. As for their batting, they showed more maturity than the likes of their age aided by the fielding positions of Rahul Dravid of course. We simply dint show superiority in the way we bowled or fielded. We just didn’t have an attacking field with which we could well have defended even a total of 191. It is easier said than done. But it is India that they were playing against and they would definitely had jitters about it. And we didn’t take advantage of it. That was the only thing that was missing in our approach, the aggressiveness.
As for the reaction of fans down here, their situation is simply pitiable. They don’t enjoy the game anymore. It is always about a win. They do not give credit to the opponent, whoever it might be. This has been happening for a while and disappointment is understandable in a cricket-loving nation like ours but it is madness to take the game at a personal level and attacking the players’ homes. This way the whole essence of spirit of the game is lost. I know I am asking for a lot when I say it is high time that people change their attitude towards the game we all love so much. But it has to be done.
I am an avid fan of Indian cricket and I still believe that we have it in us to win the world cup! This is wishing them all the best !