Dear Gary,
After another meek surrender from the Indian team, as an Indian fan, I had to write this letter to you. I know you must be busy with your team taking on the Kiwis but you must have had an eye on how Team India, a team that you built had crumbled like a cookie over the last ten months!
After you left, the wheels have started to come off - the Poms and the Aussies humiliated us, Tendulkar can’t score a ton, Laxman can’t score in the second innings, The WALL castled repeatedly, Sehwag can’t get his uppercut over third man and most importantly MS Dhoni has lost his Midas touch.
Latest blow - our most beloved Yuvraj Singh sidelined with cancer.
But it’s the same team, Gary.
What was it Gary that you did? Was there a Magic wand? Why is our Magician Dhoni looking like a mere muggle who, forget winning matches, can’t even get the toss right?
You officially take over the reins on the 1st of March, 2008. Your first full series in charge was against your home country, South Africa where we drew 1-1.
During your tenure, the team won a home series against Australia 2-0. Apart from clinching the Border-Gavaskar trophy, we also won the first bilateral series in Sri Lanka and our first One-Day International series victory against New Zealand in New Zealand after 40 years. India also won the Compaq Cup defeating Sri Lanka in 2009.
Most importantly Gary, You gave us the night of 2nd April 2011!
You converted the Great Indian Dream into reality by choosing the resources smartly and used them cautiously. The nucleus of the side seemed nice and tight. You, with your support team, filled up the gaping holes in the bowling beautifully by an unlikely Munaf Patel and an IPL star R. Ashwin. The inclusion of the Kohlis and Rainas perked up the pace on the park.
Still, India began the tournament as an unsettled favorite, faltering and stumbling through the league phase. But it all changed after the first knock out night against the Aussies- India came out lean and mean. The Indian fielders dived and chased the ball to strangle the Aussies and while Yuvraj and Raina kept their cool in front of a large crowd at the Sardar Patel Stadium. After that we knew that India will go all the way. You made a struggling team stand up on its feet and took it all the way by beating Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a row.
India's World Cup glory was the result of proper planning and a collective effort from the unheralded Munaf Patel, the phoenix named Yuvraj Singh and from a “wounded” few left with an unfinished business from the Wanderers in 2003.
But for me, your biggest contribution was that you not only brought a sense of self-belief, also the calm and the trust in the dressing room that went missing during your predecessor’s era. You perhaps worked the hardest by delivering dossiers to a distracted Yuvraj and a thousand throw downs to a determined Tendulkar. You worked behind the scenes, followed the processes and kept a check on dressing room squabbles. Your calm face always gave us the feeling that All is well with our side!
Gary for me you were the real magician who turned this team into a world beating unit. You made this team the Numero Uno in all forms of the game.
Gary, you made Indians all over the world Bleed Blue…and boy we bled!
Today again we are bleeding, this time profusely – beaten and bruised. I know you left because of your family but aren’t we a part of it. Your family needs you Gary. Come back and make us smile again because you are the real magician……you’re our Gary Potter!
