Monday, October 30, 2006

India are out of the ICC Champions Trophy & this article by my favourite Cricket writer in The Telegraph perhaps sums up the situation best ....

Greg lashes, India crashes
- Nothing to do with luck: Dravid wins toss but...
LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI

Chandigarh, Oct. 29: Rahul Dravid believes the media “eavesdropped”, but it’s not a healthy sign when the coach chooses to tongue-lash his wards publicly. Greg Chappell did so in Motera last week, but couldn't avert two defeats in a row and an exit from the Champions Trophy.

Needing to beat Australia in Mohali today in order to make the semi-finals of the biggest tournament after the World Cup, the Indians found themselves outplayed. Requiring 250, the world champions won by six wickets with overs in hand.

The year began with Team India thrashing Pakistan 4-1 and whipping England 5-1. Subsequently, though, Dravid’s men have been stumbling: hammered 1-4 by the West Indies, failing to make the tri-series final in Kuala Lumpur and not making even the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy.

The hunger has gone and the plot lost big time.

Unusually, Asia will go unrepresented — it’s Australia versus New Zealand and South Africa against the West Indies — in the closing stages of a showpiece competition. However, that can’t be our biggest worry, which really is the slump less than five months before the mega event — the 2007 World Cup.

The buck stops with the captain, but Dravid has been appointed till next April. Chappell, too, is contracted till then. Not that a change in leadership may work wonders, but the present-day selectors and those of the future should learn from the unprecedented (captaincy-specific) step taken by the previous selection committee chairman, Kiran More.

It’s easy to call for an introspection, but nothing is going to come of it unless the lessons from a string of failures are learnt. While flexibility is important, the batting order can’t keep changing in a manner which encourages insecurity. Once that sets in, more trouble isn’t far away.

The captain and coach, for example, had little business repeatedly sending Irfan Pathan at No. 3 (till this afternoon, that is). Then, they ought to have had the courage to drop vice-captain Virender Sehwag. He’d been made to cool his heels earlier in the year and the time for a repeat dose had come.

Sehwag did get 65 today, but it was a struggle. Even he wouldn’t be proud of his effort. Not too long ago, Dravid had said Sehwag could help “win the World Cup”. The captain seemed to have given the tournament which runs till next Sunday a complete go-by.

As for the Suresh Rainas, success has come early and, probably, gone to the head.

“Our hands are tied... cricket is growing, but where’s the talent? We want the best out on the park, but nobody is really getting pushed,” one of the five senior selectors told The Telegraph as Ricky Ponting’s men neared victory.

That, perhaps, is the biggest tragedy.

5 Comments:

At 1:47 PM, Blogger biswajit said...

If they still cant understand that Mr Chappel has come with an one-point agenda....i.e to kill Indian Cricket. Only these BCCI people must be blamed for every thing that will happen next....but that time will be too late.

Please remove Chappel out of our cricket...for gods' sake.

 
At 2:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chappel ko chappal se maar maar kar nikaal do...

:-)

 
At 3:10 PM, Blogger Vivek said...

Yaar, I think Vengsarkar hit the nail on the head when he said that there's no exceptional talent present in the country right now.

If that's the case then removing the coach alone won't solve the problem, whaddya say?

 
At 10:25 AM, Blogger biswajit said...

No Vivek I think i differ with u...a team is not made by 11 exceptional players...it is made by 11 ordinary players who have the urge to become extraordinary by the sheer passion.
A coach is responsible for taking out the best from these ordinary people so that they raise to the occassion and play which even genius players cant.
A coach is paid for that and that is the only work that he along with the captain should do.
If there are exceptially talented 11 players are available in a country, then they should not need any coach..is it not?
Mr Chappel has been investing a whole lot of energy on experimenting, politics and also on fitness (he took the players for a trekking camp) which should not be in the cost of ignoring basics of cricket.
India should invest much more time on basics of the game...which off late they seem to forget....ofcourse courtesy Mr Greg Chappel.

 
At 4:12 PM, Blogger Vivek said...

Very valid points Biswajit. The problem in my opinion lies more with the players' attitude than anything else. They all promise a lot when they break on the scene, but once the money & the commercial considerations start coming in, they somehow start taking things for granted & ignore the very game that got them here in the first place.

Just have a look at the recent newcomers .... Irfan, Raina, Sehwag, Kaif .... every one of them has lost their way after making fabulous starts. It's only the very dedicated/disciplined like Dravid who've managed to perform consistently. As such, the coach's job becomes doubly difficult, Chappel or anybody else notwithstanding.

I had a lot of expectations from Chappel, but apart from a few bright moments, his stint hasn't worked out very well. The rumours I'm hearing right now suggest that BCCI & Chappel have agreed to part ways after the World Cup (when his contract expires). So you'll get to see him leave in about 6 months time.

Let's see what he can achieve till then. Things don't look very good at present.

 

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