Can this phrase be used to describe the Indian team's situation when they were stuck in the bus for hours moving no where in an alien land with their self respect racially damaged and craft taking a back seat?
Horrendous times for any person or team in any walk of life. As if the defeat imposed by non-cricketers, after playing magnificently is not enough, one of theirs had been subjected to an allegation their country proudly stood against for so many years back in history.
With the aggression, not necessarily a cricketing one and the fuming hostility brewing between the two of the best cricketing teams in the world, threatening to turn the green grass lifeless on one of the most beautiful grounds of the world.. omens had been pretty much clear.. There was gonna be a storm.
In adversity, like the one faced by the Indian cricket team after being heart wrenchingly drubbed at Sydney, where in another age nothing less than a win would have been the call.. it's very easy and overwhelming to lay lame,dusted and annihilated.
Just as it transpired, India got the best possible person to have played cricket in the past 20 years, at its helm. A man of utmost dignity, sportsmanship, commitment and integrity. As fans, watching cricket from thousands of miles away from the action, when we were finding it harder and harder by every passing moment to control the emotions, when we were finding it tough to come to terms with what had happened in the space of an hour...this man handled the aggression, anger, disappointment in the only way it should have been.
Hats Off to ANIL KUMBLE.
In diplomacy, the most important aspect would be with out doubt, the art of expression. One may not need to spit out anger by resorting to personal abuse, but when the anger and aggression are channelized, when the emotions are streamlined to a constructive cause, monumental things are in the waiting.
Again, hail the man from Bangalore for providing his teammates comfort and bliss with his behavior, inspiration with his speech and actions and confidence with his thought process.
India came back stronger then ever, defying all odds, defeated Australia in Perth, the once most dreaded pitch where it took Ambrose at his best to defeat Australia more then a decade ago.
With the turmoil and the mental toil taken by the players after the Sydney test, the win has become more than commendable. It might have instilled enormous confidence and a sense of unflinching belief in the younger generation of players as well as in the wading generation.
Besides all these, it has given fans back home happiness, pride, satisfaction, excitement nothing less in quantity and quality than those the 1983 world cup victory provided.
Such is the enormity of character show cased, strength of leadership displayed and quality of craft produced which made this series a very very special one not only for the protagonists but also for every one who crazily follows cricket in this country and around the world.
