MentalDisintegration from within...

Courtesy : Wisden Cricinfo and one of its better columnists, Dileep Premchandran. I really endorse his views on why the indian media needs to show more maturity.
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Indians have always been generous hosts, but Sourav Ganguly's team could be forgiven for thinking that the red carpet has stretched a few yards too far in the early phase of this series. From the moment they landed on Indian soil, the Australians launched a charm offensive that has had sections of the Indian media drooling. And India's cricketers, except for the continuing obsession with Sachin Tendulkar's tennis elbow, have quickly become supplementary news.

This morning, a national newspaper carried a huge photograph and news item on Adam Gilchrist's visit to one of Chennai's poorer slums, and how he almost ate – given the dietary rules most of these players follow, there was never the slightest chance – dosas made by a woman on the street. There were echoes of Steve Waugh's work with underprivileged children at Udayan, and while cricketers championing such causes is laudable, one only has to see the other side of the media-coverage coin to realise that something isn't right.

After India lost at Bangalore, columnists went to town – most, it must be said, far from the madding crowds and heat of battle – debating whether this team earns its keep. Each Indian defeat is an excuse for these [fifth] columnists to come out and spew facts and figures about X's endorsement deals, or question the rationale behind awarding Y a central contract.

This is a scarcely ingenious tactic borrowed from English tabloids, for whom Wayne Rooney is the next best thing when fit and scoring goals, and a foolish skirt-chaser with no intelligence when out of the spotlight. Contrast that with Australia, where not a soul regurgitated the fine print in Gilchrist's Puma contract or the retainer that Cricket Australia paid Steve Waugh after the team had batted like schoolboys en route to surrendering the Adelaide Test to India last December.

Criticism of Ganguly, usually from disgruntled former greats who missed the endorsement gravy-train, is just as laughable. Geniuses who couldn't buy a win even on home soil are suddenly questioning the attitude and commitment of a man who has won 15 Tests as captain of India, and lost only two – both to Australia – on home turf. India were outplayed at Bangalore, especially over the first two days when Michael Clarke and a rejuvenated Glenn McGrath took centre stage, but competed well thereafter - and even Gilchrist admitted that they had been on the receiving end of the many umpiring gaffes.

There is no disgrace in defeat, or in being outplayed by a superior side, especially if you toil as hard as Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Rahul Dravid did in the latter stages of the match. Darren Lehmann had a dreadful game with the bat for Australia, but how many hatchet jobs did you see in the Australian newspapers?

Instead, what we see are stories trumpeting Lehmann's selfless remarks about Clarke. While there's no doubt that Lehmann's attitude to the game has changed drastically in the aftermath of David Hookes's tragic death, there's no need to play up what was probably an off-the-cuff remark in the first place. It becomes worse when some take the quote and run with it, implying that Indian players are selfish and deliver only when their place in the side is at stake.

It doesn't help that media coverage is hopelessly skewed. Two Australian journalists attended Ganguly's press conference this afternoon, while there will be over a hundred Indians documenting ever little word that Gilchrist utters later this afternoon. Each mainstream Indian newspaper devotes a column, or two, to an Australian view, and some of it is nothing but thinly veiled putting-down of Ganguly and his team. Ian Healy suggested that India's batsmen had let down their slow bowlers in Bangalore, as if it was a deliberate act.

With the exception of publications like Inside Cricket and Inside Sport, the Australian media can't even be bothered with an Indian perspective. You don't see Sunil Gavaskar expounding on an Australian batsman's dodgy technique against Harbhajan, or on the absurdly defensive fields that Shane Warne bowled to for much of India's second innings. Instead, you will read tomorrow how Australia's finest will step on to the Chepauk turf to honour Keith Miller's memory, just as they had made homage to Sir Donald Bradman three years ago by thumping India at the Wankhede Stadium.

Australia will come hard at India in this game, black armbands and all. And they won't resort to much mental disintegration – Steve Waugh's watchword has been largely ignored by the current outfit – either, at least not overtly. Not that they need to, when sections of the Indian media are sledging their own team far more than a McGrath or Warne ever did.