Cricket in India has hit many a low before. However, India’s pathetic performance in the ongoing World Cup must rank as one of the lowest in the cricketing history of India. Winning and losing are part and parcel of any game, but abject surrender is not. What hurts every cricket-loving Indian the most is not Team India’s elimination from the World Cup in the very first round, but the manner in which Team India allowed it to happen.
What follows is the progress report of Team India based on their performance, or non-performance, in the World Cup 2007.
Rahul Dravid
A gentleman cricketer that he is, Rahul has taken full responsibility for the team’s poor showing. However, if one takes a close look at Rahul’s batting in the three matches in the first round of the World Cup, one cannot blame him for not trying his best. While Rahul failed to give the much-needed solidity to the team’s innings in the first match against Bangladesh and was out for 14, he scored 7 not out in the two balls that he faced against Bermuda, and a fighting 60 in 82 balls against Sri Lanka when wickets were falling around him like ten pins. It is a performance that merits a “Pass”. As for his captaincy, Rahul has conducted himself well as a captain and has not allowed the burden of captaincy to affect his batting.
Should Rahul be retained as the captain of both the Test and ODI team? Yes. He is just 34 and carries a mature head on his experienced shoulders. Unlike Sourav Ganguly, he never allows his emotions to get the better of him. Rahul has a lot of cricket left in him and should be asked stay on as the captain and entrusted with the responsibility of grooming a young and talented side for the future.
Sachin Tendulkar
A paltry 7 runs in 26 balls against Bangladesh, an entertaining 57 runs in 29 balls against Bermuda, and a depressing 0 in 3 balls against Sri Lanka. Well, honestly, the cricket-loving public of India expected much more from a batsman of Tendulkar’s standing. While it was painful to see Sachin fail against an ordinary Bangladesh attack, it is quite a disheartening sight to see him clean-bowled by a Fernando delivery for a duck in what is his last match in the World Cup. While Tendulkar’s gentle off-cutters came in handy for Rahul to rotate the bowling, they did not get the team any vital breakthrough.
Should Sachin stay on in the team? Yes and no. While Sachin can stay on as a Test player for a year or two, his tenure as an ODI batsman is virtually over. Let’s face it: Sachin is no spring chicken, and age has considerably withered his batting skills. The fact that he could succeed only against a hapless Bermuda attack is a poor comment on his batting. Time for Sachin to retire from ODIs.
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav ‘Comeback’ Ganguly’s batting style in the three matches reminded a good number of fans Ravi Shastri’s batting in the last year before his retirement – a dull, drab, and time-consuming individual innings that did nothing for the cause of the team. Sourav’s 178-minute vigil at the crease against Bangladesh resulted in 66 runs in 129 balls. While he remained at the crease for 161 minutes for his 89 (114 balls) against Bermuda, he took 51 minutes to score a paltry 7 runs in 23 balls against Sri Lanka. When an opener plays such a waiting game, it is bound to put a lot of pressure on others who follow him. One did get the impression that Sourav was more worried about his individual score (so that he might not be dropped again) than about the team score.
How long should Sourav’s ‘second innings’ in Team India last? May be, Sourav, like Sachin, can play Test matches for a couple of years and quit playing ODIs.
Virender Sehwag
When Sehwag opened the batting for India against Bangladesh and ended up scoring just 2 runs, the fans were furious with Rahul Dravid for backing a loser. However, Virender finally managed to score a century, albeit against a mediocre Bermuda attack. And, his score of 48 in 46 balls against the Sri Lanka was not bad either. Surprisingly, Rahul used him as a bowler only sparingly, and in the limited opportunities that he got Sehwag did do well as a bowler too. In the match against Bangladesh, he bowled 5 overs and claimed 2 wickets for 17 runs, and against Bermuda he bowled 5 wicketless but economic overs and conceded just 15 runs.
Does Virender Sehwag deserve a place in Team India when the selectors sit down the next time to select the national team? Yes, he does.
Yuvraj Singh
It is anybody’s guess as to what would have happened to Team India’s fortunes, if Yuvraj Singh had not been run out in India’s crucial encounter against Sri Lanka. Perhaps, India would have gone on to win that match and made it to the Super Eight round. That’s because everyone knows that Yuvraj is a very talented batsman and a good finisher. He paces his innings very well, and every minute of his stay at the crease is sure to add runs to the total score. In the 60 minutes that he stayed at the crease against Bangladesh, Yuvraj made 47 runs in 58 balls. He made a scintillating 83 (46 balls) in his 52-minute stay at the crease against Bermuda. But, unfortunately, he could stay for only 15 minutes for his 6 runs (12 balls) against Sri Lanka, before he was run out.
Where does Yuvraj Singh go from here? To the Vice-captain’s position. Yes, Yuvraj has got the age, experience, and skills to remain in the team at least till the next World Cup. He should be chosen as Rahul’s deputy without any further delay and groomed for the future. If all goes well, Yuvraj would be leading Team India’s campaign in the 2011 World Cup.
Robin Uthappa
Robin is a specialist opener, and the team think-tank should never forget this. In one match he is used as an opener and in another he is sent down the order. This kind of unnecessary shuffling would unsettle even an experienced player and create self-doubts in him. Robin came as the first down in the match against Bangladesh and as an opener in the matches against Bermuda and Sri Lanka. His scores in the three matches read: 9, 3, and 18 respectively.
Has Robin Uthappa failed to grab the given opportunities? Yes. However, Robin is young and talented. He is a clean hitter of balls and his body language is quite positive. With proper grooming, he could turn out to be the answer to India’s opening woes.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Dhoni was, to say the least, a disappointment. He opened his account with a blob against Bangladesh, scored 29 (25 balls) against Bermuda, and finished with another blob against Sri Lanka. One could not help but wonder what Dinesh Karthik, a better wicketkeeper and a more dependable batsman than Dhoni would have done to the team’s cause if he had been selected to play in those matches.
Should Dhoni make way for Dinesh Karthik? Yes, at least in the Test matches. Dhoni can be retained as the hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman for the one-dayers.
Dinesh Karthik
One cannot but feel sorry for this young man. Taken to the West Indies as a specialist batsman, Dinesh could not get a chance to prove his mettle. What’s his future? He should be chosen and retained as the Test wicketkeeper.
Irfan Pathan
It is a pity that Irfan did not get a chance to prove to the world and to himself that he has indeed come out of the lean patch that dogged him for a while. Irfan is young and talented, and he is here to stay. One hopes that he concentrates more on his bowling and rediscovers his old form.
Ajit Agarkar
In the three matches that he got to play, Agarkar picked up just 4 wickets, 3 of which came against Bermuda. He lacks the killer instinct and his bowling the sting. It is time he quit the game.
Zaheer Khan
Five wickets in three matches is nothing much to crow about. Zaheer, the main strike bowler, was expected to spearhead the attack and provide vital breakthroughs. Zaheer did not live up to our expectations. Anyway, there are not many pace bowlers out there pushing for a place in the team. If Zaheer can fine-tune his skills, he can be the pace spearhead that Team India is badly in need of.
Munaf Patel
Like Agarkar, Munaf too ended up with four wickets in three matches. For a pace bowler, Munaf strangely looks neither aggressive nor intimidating. He should be sent back to play in the domestic competition, and only if he shows some marked improvement, should he be chosen to play for the national team.
Sreesanth
Could Sreesanth, who did not get a chance to play in any of the three matches, have made any difference to the team’s fortunes? No one can say for sure. Sreesanth has bowled his heart out in the matches that he played. He is aggressive, and wears his belligerence on his sleeves. The selectors should persist with him and let him share the new ball with Zaheer Khan.
Anil Kumble
The veteran spinner got a chance to roll his arm just in the match against Bermuda. Anil did claim 3 wickets for 38 runs in the 9.1 overs that he bowled. Did the team management make a mistake in not utilizing his experience and expertise in the two key matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? Perhaps. But it is indeed sad that the team could not make use of his considerable experience in the crunch games. Kumble has already announced his intention to retire from one-dayers. He may continue to play in Test matches for a year or two. In the meanwhile, he should help in grooming some promising youngsters like Piyush Chawla.
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh, who made it to the squad at the expense of a talented Ramesh Powar, got to play in the important matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and India lost both of them. In the 20 overs that he bowled in these two matches, Harbhajan could not claim a single wicket and conceded 83 runs. He was selected ahead of Kumble to play against Sri Lanka because the Sri Lankan batting lineup had quite a few left-handed batsmen. But his bowling in this particular match was atrocious. Harbhajan’s face shows neither any enthusiasm for nor any interest in the game. His body language exhibits a devil-may-care attitude. Retaining him in the national team for the Tests and ODIs at the expense of someone like Ramesh Powar would be an injustice. Harbhajan should be dropped from the team without a second thought.
Greg Chappell (Team Coach)
Greg Chappell assumed the mantle of Team India’s coach with much fanfare and publicity. When he decided to take on Ganguly and put an end to his “divide-and-rule” shenanigans, one thought that Chappell meant good and was here to mould the team into a street-smart fighting unit a la the hardnosed Australian team. But for all that hype and bluster and the astronomical pay packet that he has been getting as the team coach, Chappell is leaving Team India in a far worse shape than it was in when he assumed the responsibility. In other words, Chappell has failed miserably and is not worth his salt. Should he be retained as the team coach? No. Why should the BCCI pay through the nose to keep someone who could not deliver on his promise as a coach? All that we need at this point of time is a coach who commands respect from all the team members, preferably an Indian.
