CricDigs Blogs

Whether the Aussies win this edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy or not, the world will remember one aspect of this test series for a long, long time. I guess everyone is bound to, as it has never happened before. The cricketing world has never seen an Australian captain so full of it and so unworthy of being the representative of a great cricketing nation. Things have reached such an extreme that the Aussie media back home too is asking for appointing Michael Clarke as the new captain. Just take this for an example. His own team is on the brink of losing the test match, he has no good spinning option, his team was beaten black and blue at Mohali, his rapport with a senior bowler has gone awry and his credentials as a captain are being questioned.

So how does the supposed greatest batsman of the modern era (i.e. according to the likes of former Australian captains only) dig himself out of this situation? By scoring a breathtaking match-saving century? No. By maintaining a dignified silence? Hell, no. By seeking the help of a few reasonable cricketing experts? Absolutely, not.

My man, Ponting mouths off again, trying to play some sort of a sarcastic game with the media and the Indian team by hinting that the Indians might be too guarded to drop Kumble and would rather have a batsman dropped!! And this is when his team went into the Mohali test match with just three proper bowlers. This is when he was caught calling Cameron White, a part-time spinner at best, and a great leg-spinning option in the making. This is when he chose Hussey as a bowler over Brett Lee.

You have to give it to the man for his sheer fortitude — whether it comes from belonging to Down Under or an ego to massive to be questioned even for a minute, no one really knows. Greg Chappell once called Ponting the greatest modern-day captain in world cricket — a captain who was childish enough in his approach to arrive intentionally late for the small function that was held at the Kotla to facilitate him! Only a Chappell would say something like that. Did someone say it takes one to know one?? Try and figure out your own team, Punter.