Rahul Dravid, one of the heroes of India's great show in the current tour Down Under, was utterly despondent when a charge of ball tampering was levelled against him.
Rahul is a man who has always stood up for the honour of the game. This time he was needlessly accused of doing something he has never done in his distinguished career. A footage of a few seconds, where Rahul was trying to pick the sticky sweet off the ball, has unnecessary dragged his name into the book of cricketing crimes. A matter of triviality was simply exaggerated by television to turn the true hero of the game into a villain.
Little effort was made by the match referee Clive Lloyd to see the intent of the player behind his actions. Chewing jellies and gums is a common practice on the field and the laws of cricket permit applying saliva to shine the ball. The gum or sticky sweet surely got on the ball accidentally. The obvious and innocent attempt by Rahul to clean the ball has been misconstrued as using a foreign substance to change the nature of the ball.
It may also be the open-ended rule governing ball tampering and the repetitive broadcast of the same footage that prompted the match referee to take a harsh decision. But it has done great damage to the reputation of a gentleman cricketer and the ignominy will forever hang over his head for his inadvertent act.
The ICC will be wise to look into the matter and redefine the laws of ball tampering before it hampers the reputation of great cricketers like Rahul.
Yuvraj Singh coming into some real form is yet another feather in the cap for the Indian batting line-up. The young Yuvi came firing all cylinders when the big guns had been laid low. Since Indians are already in the finals, injuries came rather as a blessing in disguise for the tourists as they could try out some of their reserve resources.
Although a regular member of the team, Yuvraj came into the game at a stage when India needed an innings of real character. The phenomenal Laxman guided the young cannon towards the Australian attack. If Laxman was elegant in his drives, Yuvraj was brutal with his forceful shots. Yuvraj's hundred will not only give a new dimension to the already reinforced Indian batting line-up, but will also give the right impetus to his career.
A great performance like this will help Yuvraj mature and will earn him tremendous respect back in the dressing room. The regal Laxman did what he is best known for on this tour.
A rain-curtailed game doesn't do any good to the teams .The equations keep changing and at times the team with the upper hand slips to a precarious position. The Duckworth-Lewis equation brought the game to a nail-biting finish. The initial onslaught by Gilchrist kept the run rate within achievable limits.
Credit for the way the game turned out in the end should go to the bowlers. The Indian bowlers were magnificent in sustaining the pressure till the penultimate ball of the match. The find of the tour, Irfan Pathan, and the new-found bowling spirits of skipper Sourav Ganguly have suddenly expanded the resources of the Indian attack. Although India lost the match, the way the bowlers stood up to the testing times and handled the pressure till the end was not only commendable but also made the bowlers richer in experience.
Balaji must have felt proud bowling the last over since the captain pinned his hopes on him to do the job. When a match goes till the very last over, it can be anybody's game.
The pressure of international cricket did play on the nerves of the Indian fielders. Rohan Gavaskar, playing in only his third game, will surely take his part in the match as a valuable experience. The kind hearts in the team will definitely speak to Rohan to enjoy the game, as they all understand the feelings of a newcomer.
Parthiv Patel must have felt a little disappointed while doing his job. The diminutive wicketkeeper is certainly capable of doing a better job behind the stumps. Having known him as a hard worker, I am sure Parthiv will contribute greater things to his side.
The Indian team on Thursday was depleted, yet portrayed the attitude of winning. Though they lost the match, it was evident that this team has started cultivating the habit of winning.
Previous column: Laxman's desire for runs remains unabated
