It was a bit like a Shahid Afridi innings, all sizzlewithout the happy ending. For the Goa Ranji Trophy squad, their first matchagainst Jammu and Kashmir may have ended in a draw but for the discerningaudience it was yet another opportunity squandered.
In the first innings, Goa reduced J&K to 180-7 and thefollowing day let them amass 338. In the second innings, the visitors werereduced to 41-6 and still escaped with a draw as the Goan attack was unable tosnare any more wickets.
This may point to an absence of a killer instinct or theinability to maintain focus at crucial phases of the match. Shadab Jakati,skipper of the Goa team and the man whose four wickets in the second inningsreduced J&K to tatters however refuted this. The wicket, he said was slowand the ball kept low, curbing stroke play. “Everyone who played strokes lost their wicket whereas those who stayedput scored runs very slowly. I am happy with our performance and I am sure wewill do well as the season progresses”.
As one of the players with experience in the IPL, heconceded that mental toughness was the differentiator between teams in thatcompetition and the Ranji Trophy. An observer of the game in the state who didnot wish to be identified felt that the easy going attitude of the players wasa stumbling block to achieving greater success. Girish Parekh, a former state player who played in the 80sreiterated saying that a win should havebeen achieved considering that they played against the weakest team in thegroup. An inability to think outside the box was evident. He felt the captainshould have employed Reagan Pinto’s leg-spin to break the partnership that haddeveloped in the second innings at the fall of the sixth wicket.
Parekh believes that the team has the talent but they wouldhave to pull up their socks to match Assam and Jharkhand, the teams that matterin the league.
The state cricket association receives approximately Rs 25crores every year from the BCCI, enough money to hire the services ofprofessionals like Surinder Amarnath, Doda Ganesh and Nuwan Zoysa. The questionone needs to ask is whether the association is utilizing their servicesproperly .
Parekh disclosed that in his days Goa would play againstKarnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and lose but now this team had achance to play against opponents who were similar in skill, making it a greatopportunity to win and score vital points.
That sadly requires a killer mentality which teams acrossthe country seem to be acquiring with a vengeance but has bypassed our ladscompletely. The odd match it seems will be won but greater glory shall remainelusive.
