Boyz in Blue

The by-now famous Nawab of Najafgarh showed no commiseration for Pakistani bowlers, who were made to look as innocuous as pink-eyed rabbits frolicking on green grass. Virender Sehwag has an almost kinky penchant for his neighbours from the other side of the fence. Two triple hundreds are a sufficient manifestation of his cocky contempt for Umar Gul & co, besides several brutal assaults. But what made Sehwag's trademark punchy century at Karachi against Pakistan in the Asia Cup truly epic was the fact that he was chasing a known target. Not creating one. More importantly, the Indians were attempting to dwarf a gigantic 301, no mean task even on reasonably flat turfs. The fact that in the end India won with 47 balls to spare means that they could have conveniently hunted down even 375, for all you know. Now that is indeed extraordinary stuff.

Frankly, the Karachi victory might just be a turning point for quite a few unanswered questions. Is this squad of young hopefuls, clearly reveling in the shorter versions of the game, the Indian team of the future? Is this the end of the road for doughty fighters such as Rahul Dravid and the indefatigable Sourav Ganguly? Frankly, should Sachin Tendulkar even attempt to remake an entry into the ODI bunch post his rehabilitation? And going on current form , does it imply that some of these young Turks might now actually be waiting in breathless anticipation of a Test -match entry as well ? And therefore, by sheer logical deduction, will the selectors now begin to even watch the Famous Four (including VVS Laxman) series-by-series with the toothcomb circumspection associated with Sherlock Holmes?

I remain a bitter critic of the IPL T 20 format, but am willing to concede that India's youngsters have cared a damn for academic debates, the pleas of the purist, burnout issues and sundry arguments. The motto seems to be clear; relish the opportunity, seize its neck in a tight grip and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. In a sense, that is the smartest thing to do. Nothing else can explain the cavalier disdain with which they made a mockery of 301 runs; it was an astronomical humiliation for Shoaib Malik . And has perhaps marked the beginning of an adventurous spirit in Indian cricket, fairly unheard of if you ask me. Like a free spirit roaming the universe with detached fearlessness, far segregated from the old style of planned plotting and rigorous analysis. Search me, but when was a total of 300 plus annihilated with such callous ruthlessness that in the end, the bowlers had several untested overs left in the reservoir?

The Karachi victory is significant because more than a statistical wonder, it could just cause for Pakistan some serious trauma treatment. In tennis, a 6-0 defeat rankles, even if there is a subsequent resurrection. Russia were clearly reeling under the previous rout by Spain in the Euro semi-finals yesterday. A 3-0 Spanish victory was not totally a bizarre deviation from the script. One of the worst things about losing can be when you are clueless about what you could have done differently. And better. It is a feeling that Tiger Woods usually leaves his fellow compatriots imbued with. Or Roger Federer , who has Andy Roddick shaking his head side to side , in a beatific combination of respect and bemusement. At Karachi, something similar happened last night.

It does not matter if they have one bad day and do not win the Asia Cup. Like it happened in Dhaka sometime back. But the young Indians are giving it a go. I think they are all fully aware that given the round-the-clock merry-go-round cricket they will be mercilessly subjected to by BCCI , their cricketing careers will be short-lived. But what the hell, at least one should make the most of what comes your way.

What I liked about India's triumph yesterday was not just the fact that they won. But they did so with a great attitude. It had some rustic bellicosity about it. And above all, a powerful self-belief; I liked that too because without that inner conviction you usually lose. But if you do possess that fire and zeal from within, the rest comes easy. And you just don't win. You have fun doing it.

Well done, India!