The Great Indian Cricket Disaster continues to rumble on after days of drama, dissections and decisions.
A host of new plans have been made. There is talk of dropping the seniors, cutting down on endorsements and changing the basic structure of the game.
But the million dollar question still remains — will Indian cricket recover from its World Cup mauling by knee-jerk reactions?
There are rumours circulating that the selectors are going to drop senior players like Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Or rather they will be rested because Bangladesh may not prove such a strong opponent.
If such is the case, then the selectors are forgetting two basic principles of any sport ñ play your best team and never underestimate your opposition.
They must not forget that it was Bangladesh primarily who shunted the Indian team out of the World Cup. Not only that, Bangladesh also went on to beat top ranked team South Africa.
Why should the seniors be held responsible when cricket is a team game? And we are talking here about Tendulkar and Ganguly who are probably two of the best in the business.
Unfortunately, Indian cricket, with its super media hype, is ready to play the blame game at the drop of a hat. Today, Tendulkar’s poor run in the last few innings get highlighted rather than his overall figures.
Ganguly, who until a few months ago was hailed as the comeback man, is suddenly being accused of being slow and selfish in his approach.
There are suggestions that Tendulkar should quit one-day cricket and concentrate on Test cricket. Has somebody forgotten that Tendulkar practically holds all the one-day records?
Even age has been cited as a criterion for dropping Tendulkar. At 38, Brian Lara still remains the best player in the world. Most of the Australian stars are about the same age as Tendulkar and some even more.
Tendulkar may be 34 and slower than he was, but he still has all the abilities which have made him an all-time cricket star. Ask any team and they will say that Tendulkar’s wicket is the most prized one.
Tendulkar is a jewel in the Indian crown. Let the Indians not forget that. He may have failed in the World Cup but he has plenty to offer still.
The selectors will do well to sit with Tendulkar and find out what his problem is. His absence through injury recently and his dropping to the middle order may be some of the reasons for his poor run.
Tendulkar has always done well when he has opened. He should be slotted there once again and see how he reacts. He should also be given a free hand to play his normal attacking game instead of being told the take the burden of the side. There are others like captain Rahul Dravid who can steady the ship.
In Tendulkar and Ganguly India have the most potent one-day opening partnership. It is shocking that this option was not even considered with the regular failing of Virendra Sehwag and Robin Uttappa.
If the selectors are thinking of blooding youngsters, then this is not the time. Indian cricket needs to steady itself before changes are made.
There are no ready substitutes available at the moment. Suresh Raina has been touted for the Bangladesh tour but the youngster had such a poor run at the top level recently that he needs to get his confidence up before he is recalled.
The selectors are well aware that the level of competition in the Indian domestic arena is not high. The pitches are poor and mostly favourable to batsmen.
This means that big scores are no indicator to the quality of a player. True test of calibre can only be judged at the highest level.
India have tried many players in the recent past who have not measured up at the top level. This is further complicated by a zonal selection policy which has been the bane of Indian cricket for too long.
There is talk now of doing away with the zonal system. But will the selectors have the guts to get away from some of the powerful regional associations who always put pressure when it comes to selection of players and venues?
The road ahead is tricky for Indian cricket. The first issue that should be addressed is the improvement of the domestic set-up. If the grassroots are strong, then there is a good chance for betterment.
The issue of personal sponsorship should be handled democratically instead of laying down the law.
Keeping away the politicians from running the game would be another hard step. This may not be possible in the short run. Some Indian politicians love to widen the scope of power and cricket is a lucrative proposition.
Good sense must prevail at this crucial juncture in Indian cricket. Making scapegoats of the stars will be mere eyewash.
Stay with Sachin
Babu Kalyanpur
