Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Comeback kids of Oz

What do Damien Martyn, Justin Langer, Michael Kasprowich, Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden have in common, apart from playing for Australia? Answer: Not playing for Australia.

In 1994, after playing South Africa, Martyn was dropped after an Aussie debacle. He did plenty of time playing the domestic scene before his comeback in 2000. The last we saw of Kasprowich, for a long while, was in Sharjah, when Sachin decimated him, two games running. Last year, Kasprowich edged Brett Lee out of the test side on the basis of his performance in state cricket. Since then, he’s more than held his own among stalwarts like McGrath, Gillespie and Warne. Adam Gilchrist had to wait years for Ian Healey to retire before he could smash bowlers across the world. Both Hayden and Langer were dropped from the team before they made their magical comebacks. And to think, that each one of these players is now an integral part of the winning Aussie combo. In the last few years, each player has single handedly held an entire series together for Australia. Remember Damien Martyn in the 2004 India series and Hayden in the 2001-02 India series scoring big hundreds.

Now, making a comeback, or being awarded a contract doesn’t guarantee both a test and ODI berth down under. Katich has played some vital test innings in his short career, quite a few against India alone, but he’s still not a regular. Andrew Symonds has won ODIs alone (remember v/s Pak in the World Cup) but he’s not a part of the test team. Where as Justin Langer, the regular test opener, has been outscoring Hayden lately, but still can’t make the ODI side. Brett Lee, possibly the most flamboyant Aussie cricketer, might be a brand ambassador in India, but he can’t make the Test side.

Off late though, thanks to the Aussie rotation policy, Lee got back into the ODI team. And how! Lee is now faster, fiercer and a sure shot in the ODI team. Going by past experience, the Aussie team management and selection may only unleash Brett Lee in tests when they’re convinced he’s ready, and not vice versa. And when that happens, which might be sooner rather than later, he could possibly be Australia’s next great comeback kid.

Now, you can’t manufacture a player’s comeback. But you can deny easy comebacks. By raising the bar, you can actually assist a player’s transformation from an able player into a run making or wicket-taking machine. Look at McGrath the marvellous. Look at Hayden the horrible. Look at Martyn the merciless. Look at Ponting the prolific. These guys just don’t stop till you drop.

Team India however, has a strange policy with comebacks. Zaheer Khan has broken down series after series, yet he’s somehow always back for the next one. Be it versus Australia, Pakistan or Pakistan again, he has not played an entire series off late. Over the last year and a half, India’s ODI performance has been abysmal. Yet, the axe fell only on Laxman, the player who scored the most ODI hundreds in India’s lean ODI phase.

Comebacks don’t figure in the Indian scene, because in spite of not playing an innings of substance, players’ stay put in the team. It can be debated that Hemant Badani, Dinesh Mongia, Rohan Gavaskar, Sriram, Bangar etc were given ample chances to prove their mettle. But compare that with the opportunities that the cola buddies in the Indian team get, and there’s little fizz in the argument.

The Aussie cap is almost like the Holy Grail - if you don’t have the mercenary like hunger to grab it, it will continue to prove illusive. Where as the Indian cap appears to fall right into your lap, and stays there like a stubborn child refusing to let go.

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