The 1-1 result in the test series against South Africa meant that 2011 couldn’t have started on a better note for the Indian cricket team. Or… wait a minute… could the team have rung in the new year even more spectacularly???
First things first. Drawing a series in South Africa is no mean achievement, so heartiest congratulations to Dhoni and his boys! Clap. Clap. Clap. Whistle. Whistle. Whistle. But hey, this talented bunch of Indians had the opportunity of a lifetime to actually “win” and create history. So what happened? Why couldn’t they bell the big cat? Where did they go wrong?
The answer is surprisingly simple. PREPARATION!!!
The conditions in India and South Africa are as different as peacock and ostrich. Ideally, the Indians should have arrived in the Rainbow Nation atleast a fortnight before the series commenced, played a couple of first-class games, got acclimatised to the local conditions and then taken on the host team, who by the way, are snapping at their heels for the Number 1 ranking. Instead, the Indian team literally drove from the airport to the SuperSport Park to lock horns with their formidable opponents for the first test. And not surprisingly, lost comprehensively!
If only the Indians had prepared better, the scoreline for the series would have read differently… for sure.
“Victory Lies In The Preparation” is superhero Batman‘s mantra to success. Well, the Indian “batmen” did not pay heed to it and fell centimeters short of the history books. Do you want to do the same? Or would you rather PREPARE than PERISH?
