There is no quit in this Indian cricket team

There is something about this Indian team. If they had suffered a bit of a slump after they won the Champions Trophy, it would only have been natural. After all, playing a meaningless tri-series less than a week after their stunning tournament win (against two of the same teams) is hardly inspiring stuff. Starting out, India’s two big defeats to start the series and the loss of the seemingly indestructible Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed to confirm a quick exit. But this team doesn’t give in. They have a hunger that won’t let them ease up. They have tasted success and they want more. It is a cliché in sports to say winning begets winning but winning is a habit (just ask the Australians). Once you get a taste of it, it drives you further. It is a lesson Andy Murray emphasised after his historic Wimbledon win a few days ago. [caption id=“attachment_945301” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli are a key part of India’s fearless attitude. AP[/caption] “I know what it’s like losing in a Wimbledon final, and I know what it’s like winning one," he said with a bit of a chuckle, “And it’s a lot better winning. So the hard work is worth it.” The hard work is the key. Putting in the hours on the training ground and in the nets; sweating it out in the gym; there needs to be a payoff at the end of all that effort. The goal must be attainable or the effort can begin to seem futile. India is lucky in that they have a host of hungry young players determined to work hard for their chances. Shikhar Dhawan knows what it is like to struggle in the shadow of the big stage; Ravindra Jadeja has felt the pain of being discarded and even written off in some quarters, despite only being in his early 20s; Dinesh Karthik had to reinvent himself as a batsman to earn his recall. The bowling might not appear spectacular on paper, but the bowlers all know their rolls and importantly stick to their strengths. R Ashwin has cut down on his variations; Jadeja constantly emphasises bowling in the right areas and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has become the spear-point in this attack, picking up early wickets with metronomic regularity with a focus on line, length and seam movement. In Kohli, they have a leader who may not be as mature as Dhoni, but is someone who refuses to back down, which is exactly what they needed. He led from the front with a brilliant century that overwhelmed the West Indies and earned India a crucial bowling point. Against Sri Lanka, last night, it was Rohit Sharma’s turn to dig in and fight, a trait he has shown far too little of in his career so far. But on a difficult pitch, he was prepared to battle it out and defend his wicket in a must-win game for India. After rain curtailed the game, Sri Lanka never had a chance to chase 178 in 26 overs as Kumar picked up three early wickets to finish with a career best 4 for 8 from 6 overs. Even the spat between Jadeja and Suresh Raina in the game against West Indies is a good sign. India were always going to win the game, so Raina’s lapses were not going to hurt the team. But the mistakes rightly upset Jadeja. A quiet word after the game would have been better, of course, but such fire showed a commitment to excellence on the field; a refusal to let standards lapse even when there were no consequences. It helps that there is no dominant team in world cricket at the moment. South Africa might rule the roost in Tests, but India is the best ODI side in the world, while Sri Lanka tops the T20 rankings (though West Indies are the official world champions). The lack of a top dog brings the spoils of victory closer and this Indian side is learning, at least in limited-overs cricket, that they have what it takes to win even outside the country. As a result, they are playing a brand of fearless, uninhibited cricket even under the pressure. After last night’s 81-run win over Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli praised the team for showing character. From the looks of it, character becoming this team’s calling card.