It?s something called spirit

What is a house without strong foundations really worth? Peanuts. Does a family without strong bonds really mean much? It doesn?t.

What is a house without strong foundations really worth? Peanuts. Does a family without strong bonds really mean much? It doesn’t. And what does a team that doesn’t share and care count for? Zilch.

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It may sound puerile to be talking of foundations, bonding, sharing and caring, especially when there are just two days left for the world champions to be crowned. But if India have got so far and are within striking distance of wearing that crown, it has a lot to do with those much abused words --- team spirit. And, with the strong bonding the players share.

Regardless of whether they are in the playing Xl or not, these men really “care about one another and the team” and aren’t afraid to show it. Let me give you an example. Anil Kumble could have sulked after Harbhajan Singh almost continuously played ahead of him. But he’s neither brooding nor abdicating the role of a senior in the team. He is, in fact, making a sincere effort to help Harbhajan do better.

These are the words of Rahul Dravid, who is, perhaps, the best instance of someone who both leads by example and makes any kind of sacrifice demanded of him by the team.

He was ‘forced’ to keep wickets in the best interests of India’s World Cup chances. He agreed. He was asked to go lower down the batting order so he could hold the middle together and he agreed. Not only did he agree, he worked hard on both the demanding aspects of his role in the team and today, Dravid, as skipper Ganguly put it, is “The most important player in our team.” Someone who has “played a crucial role in helping us do so well.”

When a senior like Dravid makes strong sacrifices for the team, the juniors too respond well. Not just Dravid, take the example of Sachin Tendulkar.

It is no secret that Tendulkar did not want to bat lower down the order. But again, he agreed to sacrifice the opener’s slot in the team’s interests. Tendulkar, as the players would tell you, did not sulk, even though everyone knew where his preferences lay.

If he was asked to open again, the reasons were again cricketing. “Keeping in mind the team’s failure in New Zealand and Tendulkar’s own wishes, it was decided to open with him in the World Cup,” says an official accompanying the team.

The underlying point here again is that at no stage did Tendulkar imply that he was being discriminated against. He would even have agreed to bat lower down through the World Cup had the team’s think tank so desired.

Another example given is that of Javagal Srinath. “He has had a very strong influence on Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan. He goes out of his way to give them useful tips and encourages them to work hard,’’ says an insider.

All those who have followed India’s fortunes in this Cup, have been surprised at the intensity, aggression and togetherness the team has shown on the field. In many aspects, this team is very different from all the past Indian teams.

Failure of the kind that this bunch faced in New Zealand and the pressure that it was under after its defeat to Australia would have finished most Indian teams of the past. They would have simply disintegrated.

That this team did not break is a tribute to John Wright’s coaching methods. “He has brought a work ethic unheard of in the past,” says Dravid. That the team stands rock solid as one is also a tribute to Ganguly’s willingness to back his players to the hilt.

What Ganguly has done is to give the team a sense of security and create an atmosphere where the players, especially the juniors, don’t feel threatened by any single failure. They know they will get a fair deal and as many proper chances as they can get before they are cast off. It has all helped.

Who can doubt that? For the first time in 20 years, India is on the threshold of a World Cup win.