Attitude is the key

In sport, as in life, there are essentially two kinds of people.

Those who almost never take chances: and who for the most part are willing to crawl along unnoticed, hoping that the small amount of good grace that does come their way, comes serendipitously from the one above.

And then those who are the quintessential gamblers: men, who appear to be even foolhardly, but who in reality take calculated risks, knowing fully well that in order to attain victory, sometimes you have to risk defeat.

Till recently, it had been my observation, that especially overseas, India only possessed individuals who belonged to the former category (thereby reinforcing why we almost never won when on tour).

But amidst the farcical victory in the first Test (no game, when the fourth innings run chase is carried out with the opposition missing its two main bowlers, can be termed anything else), for once, there was stellar evidence of the presence of two men who quite fitted in with the latter.

When India were 203/7 in the first innings, a mere 30 runs ahead of Zimbabwe's initial 173, there was every reason for there to exist a fair amount of panic within the ranks. Not to mention, a sense of deja vu too. After all, back in 1998, India had taken a narrow 61-run lead in the first-innings, only to bottle up the run chase and lose the Test in the end.

Would there be a repeat this time too?

Enter the first protagonist: a doughty young Sikh who had gone from a virtual zero to hero during the recent Australian series because of his efforts with the ball. This time though, it was to be with the bat he was to make his mark.

Just forty minutes later, all earlier feelings of apprehension and nervousness were gone. For in absolute kamikazi style, reminiscent of the way the Australians play their cricket, Harbhajan Singh had put the Zimbabweans to the sword, and sent them running helter and skelter.

India would never look back from that point, and a slender lead was to become a large enough one to force the eventual victory.

In more ways than one, a defining moment in India's overseas history had been witnessed.

The second instance of this new and refreshing spirit came about when India were chasing 184 in the final innings to win their first Test outside the subcontinent in a decade and a half. The openers had added 70, and for all purposes said and done, the game was as good as over - especially given that the Zimbabweans were sorely handicapped by the loss of Olonga and Streak in the bowling department.

But nonetheless, India is not a team that has such a sorry away record for nothing. In reality, even a wicket or two at that stage could have easily set the cat amongst the pigeons.

In enter the second p, who obviously had other ideas. Yet another 40 or so minutes later, the game had been decided once and for all. Smash, bang, cut, drive, 38 runs off 35 balls, and a fiery partnership in excess of 50 in double-quick time ensured that when Tendulkar did walk in, all that was left was a mere formality.

Whereas other men might have been content to hang about, and in doing so even risk losing their wicket and putting pressure on those to follow, VVS Laxman came out and treated the bowling the way it deserved to be treated -- in a refreshingly positive manner, and sending out the clearest message to everyone that at least in his mind, there was no question at all as to who the winners were going to be.

There are some who criticized him for his cavalier approach and for losing his wicket when well-set. But not me. After watching an individual like Dravid average 57 at the one-drop slot and yet do absolutely nothing towards helping us win away Test matches over the last four years, I will take a Laxman with far-less technique but a far greater desire to make things happen in that role anyday.

Not all the numbers in the world count for a thing if you cannot help your side actually win games - and for once, Harbhajan and Laxman got things exactly right.

India won the first Test for various reasons - they had a fairly balanced side, Zimbabwe were vastly depleted, and so on and so forth - but they won not least of all because this time when they got to a bridge they had to cross, they had men who did so not with trepidation and uncertainty, but men who took the bull by the horns and stormed us through as if there were was no cause for concern at all.

A little attitude can, sometimes, indeed go a long way.

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