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India are 3/44 chasing 254 and the luckless Tendulkar has just been dismissed second ball. The law of averages caught up with Ganguly before him.
I wrote this 2 weeks ago. At the time it seemed academic… but the situation here is so uncannily similar, that there is nothing else to do but to see what destiny has in store for the Indian captain..
Today, Rahul Dravid can pay homage to his hero….. the man he has backed to the hilt stands with him…
Best wishes Captain….
I recently read Steve Waugh’s autobiography. Rahul Dravid has written one of the forewords to the book. Waugh speaks warmly and with great admiration about Rahul Dravid. Dravid has tried to caste himself in Waugh’s mould and probably resembles Waugh in his cricket more than any other current cricketer. He is unquestionably in the same class as batsman and competitor, has the same public image as Waugh did – that of a tough, hardworking, professional competitor – one not given to trappings of super-stardom. Dravid is as Indian as Waugh is Australian and i see that as another great similarity between the two.
2007 is Dravid’s first (and possibly only) World Cup in charge, just as 1999 was Steve Waugh’s. Dravid took over midway between the 2003 and 2007 editions, from an out of form Ganguly who was struggling as captain – with the results reflecting this. Ganguly went 9-20 against non-minnow opposition in the period after the World Cup leading up to his ouster. Waugh’s predecessor was Mark Taylor – also out of form, also struggling as ODI captain. Australia had 4-13 record under Taylor’s captaincy in the period after the 1996 World Cup until Taylor’s ouster. Taylor’s ouster was acrimonious, not least because it created two captains in Australia for the first time – Waugh being the ODI captain, and Taylor continuing as the Test captain. Ganguly’s opinion about his ouster is well known.
The Australians of 1999 were not the firm favorites to win the World Cup. That was Pakistan – with their crack bowling line up of Akram, Saqlain and Shoaib. Then, as now, the South Africans were a solid top line unit – ranked 1 in the World. Further more, Australia had made the 1996 final and been outclassed, just as India were in 2003.
What does all this mean? In a word – nothing. The 2007 World Cup will still have to be played to be won. Mark Taylor did not return the the Australian ODI side like Ganguly has for India in 2007. The over all records of Australia 1996-1999 and India 2003-2007 are similar – Australia were 38-36, while India have managed a 53-50 record. The Australians at the start of the 1999 World Cup were better off, mainly because they had a better bowling line up than the Indians do in 2007 – McGrath and Warne were already great bowlers.
I hope this post does not color your view of India at the World Cup, and i hope you don’t start looking for parallels in every little event. However, i do hope that it gives you some perspective as to where this Indian side it right now in comparison to some of the sides of the past. The resemblances are uncanny, not least in the character of the leaders of these two sides.
I hope it doesn’t come to a point where Dravid has to play a Headingley style once in a life time innings to rescue India. One Day cricket has changed and 270 run chases are no longer a big deal. I also hope it doesn’t come down to a tied Semifinal!
But something tells me, that there is magic in store for us……
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