The writing was on the wall even before a ball was bowled in the third Test match between India and Australia in Perth. India had not so much as lost the previous two matches; they had completely capitulated. And when Peter Siddle removed Virat Kholi to cap a thumping series victory in Perth on Sunday, it marked an almost surreal nosedive of a Test team that was only six months ago ranked number one in the world. Sunday’s loss, cricket pundits are already predicting, could be a watershed moment in Indian cricket. Three of its batsmen—Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid—are all nearing their forties. Two back-to-back face-losing overseas series losses will surely prompt some serious soul searching among Indian cricket administrators. If rumor mills are to be believed, Laxman has already played his last Test. At the end of the Perth Test, captain MS Dhoni too hinted of a major shift when he spoke in favor of a ‘thoughtful’ phase out of senior players.
The twists and turns of Indian cricket are closely followed among Nepali cricket lovers. There were as many Nepalis cheering India’s defeat on Sunday as there were dejected souls bemoaning the surreal slide of a team from the lofty heights it attained after its 2011 World Cup triumph. For the Indian team inspires either blind loyalty or utter hatred among Nepali sports fans. In the first group are those who have come to love Indian cricket since their childhood, for many the love has simply been passed down the generation. For this set of fans the performance of India on the pitch has no connection whatsoever to the ‘big brotherly’ attitude India is often accused of adopting while dealing with Nepal. For them, a sublime Tendulkar straight drive can be enjoyed for the sheer beauty of it, unsullied by unsettled grievances towards the southern neighbor. For the second group, it does not matter which team India is playing. They will be happy so long as India loses, handsomely god willing. Even if they don’t otherwise watch cricket, they will stick around their TV sets if they can smell an imminent India loss. Every time Tendulkar is trapped in front or Dravid is castled, they can sense a payback against the overbearing India.
Next time India is touring, no one should be much surprised if none of the famous Tendulkar-Laxman-Dravid trio takes to the field. Time might indeed have come for three of the most gifted Indian cricketers ever to hang up the boots of their own will. It is always better to bow out of your own accord rather than be ignominiously shown the door by the selectors. While Team India’s fate hangs in the balance, one thing is for sure: the love-hate relationship of Nepali sports fans with Indian cricket will long endure the retirement of the famous trio. Old love (and hatred) die hard.
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