This Indian team is not playing up to potential

The Indian cricket team is just not able to shrug off the label `Tigers at home, kittens abroad.' Indeed, while they seem to roar in Kolkata and Chennai, they are reduced to a hesitant meow at Colombo and Harare - besides numerous other places.

The home advantage is there in virtually any sport. But while this is not particularly pronounced, no other outfit has made it as dogmatic as the Indian cricket team. Their home and away record is enough testimony to this.

After all, sides have won an away series convincingly time and again. Teams have even made a clean sweep while playing abroad. But as far as the Indian cricket team is concerned, it is a major triumph even if they win a Test abroad. Hitherto this used to be the case when they played in England, Australia or the West Indies. Now one supposes this feeling of a major triumph would be felt even if the Indians won in the sub continent. And by this I mean Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, for India is yet to break its cricketing duck in Pakistan even after playing 20 Tests in that country, dating back to 1955.

Playing without Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Ashish Nehra and Anil Kumble admittedly is not easy. And yes, the Sri Lankans at home do have a good record. But then they are not invincible. After all, England defeated them 2-1 in a three Test series just a few months ago. And only last year, Pakistan won a three Test series 2-0. So there is no reason why the Indians cannot take on Sri Lanka at least on level terms even with a team not at its strongest. After all, they have won a Test - and a rubber - in the emerald isle eight years ago.

It must be emphasized that even without a few key players, this is not exactly a bad Indian side. It still has players who are high on skill and experience. In Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, they have two world class batsmen, even if the captain is going through an extended bad patch. They have in Shiv Sundar Das, potentially the finest opening batsman in the post Gavaskar era. In Harbhajan Singh, they have an off spinner capable of taking 32 wickets in a three Test series. Javagal Srinath, despite being slightly over the hill, has taken almost 200 Test wickets over the last decade. Zaheer Khan is a bowler full of promise. Sure, there are weak links. This is bound to be the case when certain important players are missing in the line-up. But no amount of cajoling will convince me that this is a team that should lose a Test match to Sri Lanka in virtually three days and almost by an innings.

Plainly put, this team did not play up to potential. They did not show the application, dedication, determination and concentration needed to win Test matches. Age old cliches maybe, but sometimes cliches can illustrate a team's lackadaisical approach best.

Can this team come back to win the series - or at least draw level? It would be easy to get carried away by the events of February-March this year and say yes. But then that side had Tendulkar and a suddenly inspired Laxman. And most importantly, the series was played in India. Ah, so we return once again to the home factor and how overly it plays a role in Indian cricket.