It ain't gonna be pretty
India are (almost) out of the World Cup and the press back home has just begun sharpening the knives for the slaughter
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
AFP
India are (almost) out of the World Cup and the press back home has just begun sharpening the knives for the slaughter. The next few weeks ain't gonna be pretty for the Indian team
The Hindustan Times reports the Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, claimed that villagers like him could play better cricket than the team. Lalu raged:
"It's shameful to see such underperformance. They all should be sacked and fresh faces must get a chance to play for the country. The top order batsmen have really been playing poor cricket."
The Times of India probed into what was wrong with Indian cricket, taking apart the players, the coach, the captain, the selectors, the board and the fact that there is too much cricket.
A system that breeds mediocrity, over-hyped stars who could put Bollywood to shame, a plethora of cricket 'academies' that spin money, but don't teach kids how to spin a ball, an army of self-proclaimed coaches with dodgy records and a variety of officials who know as much about cricket as we know about PILCOM accounts
The Telegraph, a Kolkata-based daily, puts its sarcastic foot forward and does not take kindly the fact that India's remote chance of remaining at the World Cup depends on Bermuda beating Bangladesh.
We’re familiar with the Bermuda Triangle. But, now, the eternal optimists are looking for a Bermuda Miracle! If we’ve got to depend on Bermuda to bale us out, then we may as well not play top grade cricket.
Nishi Narayanan is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo