Indian Sporting Excellence - The Impossible Dream?

Are we destined to perenially be disappointed at major sporting events. As Indians we've all become immune to our sporting heroes falling short when in sight of glory. Our cricket team underperforms in ODI finals, Anju Bobby George fails in the Athen Olympics, Leander and Bhupathi fail to win at the Olympics. These ofcourse are only a few instances that come to mind. If our sportspersons were 'minnows' and lacked world-class skills we would perhaps not be dismayed at these outcomes. But when they fail to perform to their own potential or match their past performances it surely is indicative of something deeper. My hypothesis is that our sportspersons fall short on two counts - a) big match temperament and b) failure to push themselves to the limit. Perhaps as Indians we are conditioned to be content with being good since being great would involve hardship, tough training routines and injury risk. We are masters at winning sporting events, when we can lead from the front or have conditions in our favour. Not for Indians a come from behind victory. While for a team like Australia, a match is never over till the last ball, for us a few early wickets is the end of the game and a license for the remaining players to capitulate. Why is it that we celebrate individual records and minor achievements with so much fervor when other nations put more emphasis on team victories and winning at major events like the Olympics. Two years ago Sania Mirza was feted for merely reaching the 2nd round of the Australian Open while at her age Maria Sharapova was winning Wimbledon and was just one of many Russians in the top 100. So do we have the guts ...nay the courage to set our sights higher, to put in the extra hours of training, to learn new skills. And more importantly can we start to question our god-like sportsmen and challenge them to superhuman heights that befit a nation of 1 billion.