Boria Majumdar - Mission Domination: An Unfinished Quest

MISSION DOMINATION

MISSION DOMINATION

AN UNFINISHED QUEST

Boria Majumdar
Kushan Sarkar

An Unfinished Quest

It was one of the best Wimbledon finals in history. Andy Roddick was throwing everything he had at Roger Federer and played the match of his life. And yet he ended up second best. Roddicks tears at the prize-giving ceremony resonated with every member of the audience. Here was a champion who had done the sport proud. He had fought, stayed true, but was eventually outclassed in a hard fought final by perhaps the greatest that has ever played the sport. Roddick wasnt disgraced. His quest continued. There are others like Roddick. Ivan Lendl, one of the greatest of all time, immediately comes to mind. Lendl has never won the Wimbledon. The same applies for Lionel Messi in football. He is arguably the best the world has seen and yet hasnt won a major trophy for Argentina, something that will always put a question mark on his legacy. Thats what happened for India and Virat Kohli in the World Test Championship. India under Virat had to settle for second best yet again, the third time in four years.

Despite losing the toss, India threw everything they had into the contest. They started superbly in the most dreaded of batting conditions against a fantastic new ball attack, won Day 1 with Virat and Ajinkya playing with caution, and even when Jamieson bowled a superb spell the next morning to gain New Zealand an upper hand, India fought back with Shami and Ishant bowling their hearts out. Yet again it was the New Zealand tail that hurt India but at the start of Day 6, read Day 5 because of all the rain, few would have fancied a New Zealand win. India, by all means, was in the contest. That draw was the most likely result at the start of the final day was borne out to us when Michael Holding, who has given cricket a new meaning with his pronouncements against racial abuse, told us, I have not even watched the WTC final because of all the rain. Holding, it was clear, wasnt seeing much chance of a result.

Just like in the World Cup semi-final of 2019, lack of application in the first two hours of the final day hurt India bad. Virat was out to a widish delivery outside off stump, Pujara edged in the very next Jamieson over and Ajinkya played down the leg side to hand New Zealand the momentum. Rishabh was indiscreet and Jadeja fell to a well laid out trap. One bad session cost India the WTC like it had the 2019 World Cup.

Before a deep dive into the game, a note on fan behaviour, we feel, is pertinent. The Indian cricket team, violent social media reactions in the aftermath of the victory pointed out, simply cant lose. If they do, god save them. So what if they have won in Australia and played some extraordinary cricket? So what if they have topped the rankings and made the WTC final? So what if they have repeatedly come back from hopeless situations and changed the narrative associated with Indian teams of the past? Having lost the WTC final, all that this team has achieved was forgotten. Pujara, praised for valour and labelled as the most courageous post Australia, was suddenly a liability for his lack of intent. Kohli is a poor captain, Shastri a poor coach, Ajinkya inconsistent, Rohit not good enough against the moving ball and Pant impulsive and irresponsible.

Does one defeat make this team a bad one? Two years of solid Test cricket cant be undone by one bad session. Surely not. But why does it happen repeatedly? Are there lessons to be learnt? Mistakes have to be rectified and changes made to ensure the same mistakes arent repeated in future and that elusive ICC Trophy finally comes home. Thats the moot point we are going to focus on in this chapter.

For the record, New Zealand had last won an ICC event in 2000. They lost in the final in 2015 and 2019 and finally laid their hands on the silverware in 2021. Not once was Williamson and his team castigated for losing finals and nor were they trashed by fans back home. Making a final isnt easy and fans appreciated the effort. India, however, is different. We are a disturbed country with very little patience and calm. A win makes the team the best and a loss the worst ever. There is nothing in between, and this overreaction is something Indian cricket can do without going forward.

There is no doubt India has lost a high stakes final. But that doesnt take away from the fact that we held the Test mace for four years in a row. We know we have the bowling attack to pick 20 wickets. We know we have a very good system of workload management in place. We know we have the 99 per cent. And now it is the quest for that 1 per cent that should drive Virat and his team. The home stretch is what is missing. That final sprint where Usain Bolt would look back and celebrate. That final push that allows Novak Djokovic to go past Tsitsipas and win at Roland Garros. That final pass under pressure that made Maradona the greatest ever. For Virat, the bulk of the work has been done, and it is the story of the 1 per cent that will drive him the next few months. And luckily for him he has the World T-20 to look forward to. In conditions he knows well, it is a format that is consumed and watched by millions in India. It is the perfect stage for him to get the monkey off his back and loosen the noose that has been tightening for a while.

But why does it happen repeatedly? How is it that India continues to underperform in a big final?

Virat has now led the team in three ICC knockout games and lost all three. Inevitably, pressure will start to build on him. However much he says every game is part of a process and there is no additional pressure, deep down we all know Virat is human and is expected to feel the walls closing in. While outside noise doesnt matter much, for a proud performer like Virat losing finals cant come easy. The enormity of each of these occasions will eventually get to him and its only natural. That he is a quality act was never doubted. But what he wants and something he has alluded to in the past is that he aspires to take India over the line in a key ICC knockout platform. He hasnt been able to so far and it will push him no doubt. The journey has to continue. For him and for India.

A deep dive into Indias Test performances in the last three years throw up some key findings. Repeatedly the opposition tail has hurt India. Despite having a well-rounded bowling attack, we could not polish off the lower order and ended up conceding valuable runs, which in turn has proved decisive. Sam Curran hurt us in England in 2018, Kyle Jamieson hurt us in New Zealand in 2020 and both Jamieson and Southee did so in the World Test Championship final yet again. What could have been an Indian lead of 1015 runs ended up being a deficit of 32, which eventually proved critical. There is a huge difference between a chase of 139 and a chase of 180. Had India not conceded the lead, the outcome could have been different. However, what ifs dont make history. Ground realities do. And the reality is India wasnt able to close out the New Zealand innings. For some reason or the other, the bowlers faltered in the home stretch. We did not see a single yorker from Jasprit Bumrah to the New Zealand tail. Nor did we see him pepper Southee or Boult with the short stuff. The short ball from Shami to Jamieson got us a wicket, but it wasnt followed up with one to Southee. In contrast, Wagner was at Jadeja for overs, trying to unsettle him with the short stuff. Somehow, somewhere India is going wrong against the tail. We need a plan and need one urgently.