Tiger Woods, the world's richest and finest golfer, was once asked 'What keeps you going?'
'Strictly winning, as simple as that,' he said with a blank expression.
Is it the lure of money or the thrill of winning that keeps the Indian cricket team going? If one was to ask them that question, I am not too sure as to what the answer might be.
At the end of the day, someone needs to tell them that the money is great but they will only be remembered for what they achieve on the cricket field and the essence to winning is to keep improving at all times.
There are tiny improvements that can always be made, even when you are at the top. Minute adjustments to the game will see the winning streak get longer and longer. As we watch the dismal performances in New Zealand, one begs the question, "Where are the improvements, the adjustments?"
During the Test series one might have argued that the team did not have enough time to get acclimatized to the extreme weather conditions prevalent in New Zealand but that argument does not hold good any longer. The team has been in New Zealand for almost a month, they are professional cricketers and right now, definitely need to get a move on.
John Wright, a former Kiwi Test skipper, would certainly know the conditions like the back of his hand. He has been with the Indian team for almost two years and shares a good understanding with the players, an understanding that has seen them garner 'away' Test victories in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies and England. One of the most successful Indian teams is down in the doldrums.
So where have things gone wrong?
The team is reduced to an uninspired, insipid lot. When you are winning, you step onto the field with a certain aura of invincibility, confidence that will carry you through the worst of starts. At present, the Indian team seems to lack not only confidence but also the willingness to fight back.
Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly tells people he does not know where things are going wrong. If Wright does not know and neither does Ganguly, who does?
Michael Jordan was once told, 'Basketball is a team game and there is no 'I' in the word 'TEAM'.' Jordan quipped back, 'There may be no 'I' in 'TEAM' but there is in 'WIN'.' Each member of this team needs to ask himself, whether he wants to win every time they step onto the field, how many want to go in for the kill?
A trough is something all teams go through, but the way they get out of it makes all the difference. This team needs to be inspired. Nathan Astle, the Kiwi opener, watches the video of his 157-ball double-century against England, the fastest of all time, whenever he is out of form. Maybe the Indians should take a cue; maybe they should all watch V V S Laxman's 281 or last year's brilliant win at Headingley in England because they should know in their minds they can beat this New Zealand side even before stepping onto the field.
Go out and try something different, experiment, find a way out. Step out to the bowlers, rattle and scare them. If it all does not come off, they will lose another match, but at least it won't be due to lack of effort. They have one good bowler in Daryl Tuffey, hit him off the length and the rest will flow. They have an inexperienced bowling line-up and that is what we need to attack at all costs. The results can be no worse than what they are right now, so why not go down guns blazing?
With the World Cup just over a month away, this team needs to start firing -- and quick.
