THE DUST HAS still not settled. The discussion is still going on. The drama in Indian cricket continues. For some reason or the other, we Indians will remain obsessed with this game even after the ignominious exit of our team from the World Cup. For us, cricket is not just a game; it is a religion. But the recent debacle has baffled the whole country. From fans’ outbursts to the media trials to expert comments — every body is playing the blame game. The most unsavory was the spat between Guru Greg and senior players. The coach accused the senior players of attitude problems and the players shot back, accusing him of acting like a dictator. What went wrong with a coach who was brought with much fanfare by the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI)? What went wrong with the players? What went wrong with the fans?
Former coach Greg seemed to love controversy. It would take an ardent cricket fan to walk down the memory lane to know that he received flak from all the cricketers in the early 80s. He is the first man to have instructed his bowler to bowl underarm to avoid the defeat on the last bowl against New Zealand. He himself has confessed and expressed the desire to change that decision if he at all gets a chance to change the history. Then came the fateful day when candid camera caught him gesturing contemptuously at the press. That landed him in soup. But whether he ever felt sorry over this, is known only to him. Next followed his rift with Sourav Ganguly. In between there were murmurs about his style of functioning. But all fell on deaf ears. The board never took cognizance of these issues. He continued with his experiment in the name of preparing the team for the World Cup. Now, he is blaming everybody involved with the team for the debacle. It never seemed that he is following any definite strategy to resurrect the team. The verdict is already out and as a measure to salvage some pride, he resigned before being shown the door. There is not even a shade of doubt that he failed as a coach.
But should the coach alone be held responsible for whatever happens in the middle? Three permanent players out of the final 11 belong to the elite club of 10,000 runs and have played above 300 ODIs. Five players of the final 11 in almost every match have played more than 200 ODIs. Still, these players cannot perform in the middle — that too when the situation demands. Why is it so? The answer lies in the attitude. If a player consistently under-performs, then it cannot but be because of sloppy attitude, for he is simply not doing enough to rectify his shortcomings. The body language never seemed to be positive. Bowlers were equally wayward. The players are angry because somebody is supposedly questioning their attitude. But why waste energy when there is no substance in the allegations? Definitely it hit them where it hurt. The fact that they have not improved themselves despite so many sessions merely reiterates the point. If somebody, even after having so much of experience, is often not playing, well then he is as good as not there. Most players perceive it as matter of right to play for the country. It would be better for the team in the longer run if youngsters fail often than the experienced ones. This would at least help in grooming them to meet the level of cricket being played by Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Often expectations of a billion-plus people are cited as the reason for non-performance overseas. Same team and same players for almost a decade were almost invincible on the home grounds against any team. How did they manage to meet the expectations of a billion-plus people on the home turf should be a mystery then. Everybody knows what it takes to play for India. This theory of a billion-plus people at best seems to be the right excuse for not performing often. Everybody knows that losing and winning is the part of the game. Nobody, whoever he is, should tell these things to the fans, for they are well aware of this. Protests should always be taken in the right spirit. Although fans’ violent outbursts were condemnable, but it should not be lost what triggered the reaction. This behavior of fans was a result of the manner in which India lost the match.
The situation calls for tough measures and it is time to fix the accountability for the debacle. Non-performers must go to make way for a more motivated younger player.
