Has Indian cricket really turned a corner?

Since I last scribbled on this pad, the "Men in Blue" somehow managed to win a cricket World Cup, banishing Kapil and his Devils of 1983 (hopefully) permanently to the woodwork, from which they tended to make an appearance every four years. The euphoria was thick in the air, even in the summer when they toured England and performed miserably! They looked woefully out of sorts, bereft of any passion for the game, leading my good friend King_of_Jacks, a hardcore Indian cricket fan to sort-of question his interest in the game (disclosure: die-hard fan yours truly gave up watching, even though he was India). As a friend said, whatever cold go wrong, went wrong with the team, particularly the f-word, fitness.

Not sure if it was a case of too much cricket, or whether the team just took it easy after the win, basking in the accolades which (rightfully) came their way. I am as guilty of these indiscretions as they are, so I can't afford to point a finger at them. I haven't been a big fan of T20, but then we would probably have not found Virat Kohli and Ashwin but for this format, not to mention Rohit Sharma, all of whom have a decent road ahead for them, provided they put in the yards. To a large extent, T20 is often about thinking "outside the box" and that's the way the game is going to be, whether we like it or not.

The BCCI is well, as Mohinder Amarnath memorably quipped, "a bunch of jokers". With Kumble at the helm of the NCA (and the KSCA), a lot of thought it would be a breath of fresh air, but the man's been working pretty much with his hands tied, and a lot of stupid innuendo floating around about supposed "conflicts of interest", when the emperor himself is a walking, talking conflict, who pretends to be holier than everyone else! I think Kumble would have been the perfect guy to mould young cricketers, and their skills on and off the field, to make them ambassadors of the game. Que Sera Sera! And to think, the straw which finally broke Kumble's back was a software package for injury management!

And so, the boys are now in Australia, and as usual there's a fear of another goof-up, especially on the fitness front. Agreed, the Aussies haven't been at their best, losing even to New Zealand. With Phil Hughes out of the Test squad, I suspect the Indians are in trouble. Only time will tell!