LEADER ARTICLE
Cross-border Capitulation: An Open Letter to Javed Miandad

Dear Javedbhai,
I have been heartbroken by Pakistan''s performance against India. How did Pakistan crumble without a fight? How can a team of stalwarts play like novices? I''m sure you''ll agree with me that this ain''t Inzy''s defeat; it''s yours. You just failed to read Dravid''s XI.
But why do I blame you? Because, for me, subcontinental cricket has been embodied by just one man: Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan.From class and improvisation to doggedness to hunger for victory, you have no equal.
You were unique, at ease against both pace and spin, in attack as well as defence. And, as they all said, you were street-smart. After all, you sharpened your skills in the gullies of Karachi before taking on the big boys of cricket. While Zaheer Abbas entertained us with his cover- and square-drives, you dazzled everyone with your ability to read the ball even before it was bowled. Much has been said about Viv Richards''s batting prowess. But he played by instinct. You out-thought bowlers.
At one time, in the late 1970s, you were rated by many as first among batting equals. Equals that comprised Viv Richards, Greg Chappell, and Sunil Gavaskar. And if you had focused on stats, you might have created a better numerical persona. A Test average of 52.5, with 23 hundreds, does no justice to an outstanding cricketing mind. Nor does an ODI average of 41.7, with eight hundreds.
You deserved more. Decades ago, Winston Churchill reminded France of Napoleon Bonaparte to inspire the nation in the depressing hours of World War II. I am now provoked to remind Inzy & Co about you, a callow Karachi lad who changed Pakistani cricket forever; and, in doing so, destroyed India''s morale for decades.
Just to remind you: Along with Zaheer, you forced India''s legendary spin trio out of the game and sent India back to the drawing board. That was 1978-79, when Chandra, Bedi and Prasanna were the acknowledged masters of guile. Two bullies, Zaheer and Javed, with 940 runs between them, composed the trio''s swan song. Indian spin has still to recover from that shock.
Now cut to the final moments of an historic ODI in 1986. Javed hits Chetan Sharma for a six over mid-wicket, defining Pakistani insouciance and belligerence. It''s an image more powerful than Kapil Dev''s triumph in 1983. It was the final act of supremacy. Never has triumph been crafted better.
But 1987 was only a reaffirmation of what Pakistan always was: a nation of outstanding cricket talent. Talk of cricket, and you can''t forget Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Zaheer Abbas, Abdul Qadir. You can''t ignore the father of reverse swing: Sarfraz Nawaz. Even today, at least four Pakistani players could stake a claim to a World XI slot. And, in an India-Pakistan XI, you can expect at least six Pakistani players.
So Javedbhai, what went wrong? How could Pakistan self-destruct at Multan? Your autobiography, Cutting Edge, reveals how your passion for cricket and obsession with India drove you to achieve excellence. Yet, passion always steadied obsession. Now, obsession is impairing your judgment. Your boys are not playing inspired cricket. Your boys are underestimating India and getting hopelessly outmanoeuvred.
This ain''t the same team you played against in 1978 or 1986. This is a team that has survived the Aussie juggernaut. This is a team that carries the hopes of a billion people. This is a team which has pushed politics out of the limelight. This is a team whose exploits coincide with the achievements of the economy. India Shining may sound like a political cliche, but cricket has suffused it with a new meaning. This is the story of global competitiveness and fights-to-the- finish. This is about a new India. And you see that in Virender Sehwag: a small-time boy making it big.
Sehwag represents a pivotal shift in Indian cricket. He is the only answer to that oft-asked question: after Tendulkar, who? Sehwag represents a new kind of cricket: natural, swashbuckling, and anti-class. It''s neither Test nor ODI; it''s Sehwagian. It believes in the ability of the bat to triumph over any strategy. In fact, it has no strategy. It''s the smash-your-way-through approach that legends bred at Shivaji Park would frown upon. But this is the Najafgarh School calling the shots.
So, how can Pakistan tame India? By adopting the kind of game plan which skipper Gavaskar devised to restrain Zaheer Abbas in the 1979-80 series. In other words, by strategy, not impulse. India is on the verge of becoming a cricket superpower. And a dispirited Pakistan can ensure that it happens sooner than later.
Like you, Sehwag and Irfan are redefining cricket. It must be a proud moment for you to see unassuming lads setting the rules in the world of sophisticates. They are very much in the mould of the Miandad of 1975.
I am sure the next two Tests will show us a Pakistan we have not seen until now. If anybody can inspire Pakistan, it''s Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan. If there''s anyone that can outwit India, it''s you, the Pakistani coach. You know the game better than anybody.
Because, you are truly cricket''s last samurai.