Rohan Gavaskar

It?s always hard to accept any defeat and losing against Pakistan makes it even harder to digest. No doubt, the recent performance of the Indian team remained far below the level of expectations. But that is because they were always trying to win the finals of many tournaments.

The team has not really found its proper footing after coming back from a well-deserved break in June. I could understand if the team was performing well and suffered a slump all of a sudden. But the start of the season itself was inauspicious. Injuries to players, the subsequent recurrences and some players being out of form have created lot of problems for the team.

Just consider the number of changes that has been made in the Indian team. Irfan Pathan has bowled with quite a few partners. It has been a musical chair right from the Asia Cup with the new ball. Ashish, Zaheer, Ajit and Balaji, who are taking turns to play every now and then, could only bring high instability.

The first and foremost requirement for a cricketer at the international level is to be a permanent member of the playing eleven. As it is, fast bowling is such an arduous task that it can be a problematic area for the team.

Today we see Pathan being the lone performer; his consistency is only because of his continuous presence in the playing eleven. I would have had immense faith in Ashish or Ajit to strike early and supplement Irfan?s heroics, only if they were regular members of the team.

It is never easy for the batsmen to come back to form in the one-day format. Unlike a Test match where the batsmen can grind and occupy the crease for hours to come back to form, batting in one-day cricket is exposed to maximum risks.

Sehwag has to come back to form playing his shots and not by playing a sedate innings to last longer at the crease. For the passionate followers of the game, Sehwag?s dismissal would appear reckless or rather an irresponsible attitude. But it is far from true. Even a full bladed flick found the waiting hands of Malik at square leg on Sunday.

Ganguly, wanting to dominate the Pakistani attack, paid a heavy price. Laxman and Sehwag?s freaky dismissal added woes to the already struggling Indian batting.

Rohan Gavaskar getting the nod ahead of Anil Kumble in the XI was surprising. In my opinion, for someone like Rohan, who has hardly played any game in the last two tournaments, drafting him into the final eleven in a do-or-die situation was not a great idea.

Yusuf Youhana played a real innings of character. The way he steered Pakistan out of woods was remarkable. It takes a lot of belief to win when the team has lost three wickets.

Shahid Afridi?s dynamism somehow clicked. Pathan?s idea of bowling him a bouncer was good, but it didn?t have the adequate pace to trouble Afridi.

The Indians would have to forget the last few tournaments and start preparing for the Test matches. It?s a long season ahead.