BRIDGETOWN (Barbados): The unexpected triumph claimed by India in the T20 World Cup final was not without reasons as the team members showed exceptional fighting spirit in the decider, snatching the title win from the jaws of anticipated defeat.
On any other day, scoring 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand could be seen as a cake walk for the target-chasing team. Led by Jasprit Bumrah, India made a startling comeback to emerge champions, leaving South Africa’s supporters in a state of shock. The new entrants in the final panicked the way Pakistan did in the pool match against an easy target set by India.
These qualities of fighting back from nowhere are not inborn, but an outcome of a system that is led by proper, brainy coaches and qualified support staff.
Rahul Dravid is a key figure responsible for inculcating such a spirit in the Indian team making them believe that they can turn the tables on opponents any time provided they produce the best.
That was what Bumrah did and Suryakumar managed at the boundary. Indian victory was more a coaching success rather anything else. The coach was fully backed by his charges with everyone fighting for the team and country’s honours rather seeking individual glory. India surely turned out to be the most deserving winners of the World Cup as they fought like one unit and looked more like a team where every player was desperate to play his role rather leaving it for the next player to make amends.
When we look back at Pakistan’s early exit (their worst-ever performance) it could only be termed as the failure of a system where no component played its part professionally and realistically. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) untimely and inconsistent decisions mainly contributed to the failure. The appointment of a head coach and that too so close to the T20 World Cup by itself is a big proof that people at the helm of PCB affairs have no clue as how important role players-coaches understanding can play in winning a big event. This understanding cannot be developed in two weeks. You need at least a year to develop such a bidding. The major responsibility for Pakistan’s worst show in the T20 World Cup indeed rests on the shoulders of the cricketers themselves and on the so-called board’s advisers. Players’ infighting, lack of support for each other, and their varied interests were the major causes.
The team’s harmony, unity, and support for each other which should have been the watchwords for the team’s campaign for such an event were missing altogether.
Majority of Pakistan cricketers in the current scenario seem more interested in playing leagues, getting sponsors, and getting involved in TV or media projections. Hardly a few make efforts to give their hundred percent. For the majority of Pakistani cricketers the self-belief, fighting till the last, and giving a hundred percent on the field has no real meaning and value. Mainly, because they are not mentally prepared for that which indeed is their responsibility and the responsibility of those running the show at the helm of the PCB.
While every Indian cricketer has his trainer, dietitian, and mental therapist, in Pakistan our players do not believe in that. They feel that they can stay fitter and mentally ready without these modern requirements which indeed is like living in a fool’s paradise. Pakistan cricketers earn in millions in months but are not ready to share some of their earnings to hire experts who would keep them ready, fit, and mentally tough throughout the years.
The PCB must evolve a system where every leading cricket (at least the top 25) should be convinced of the benefits of modern requirements of athletes. If the PCB wants these cricketers fit and ready throughout the year, personal trainer requirements must be made mandatory. Other measures are also required to make Pakistan cricketers truly professional, which they are not.