The Gloom Continues

India's disastrous tour of England has continued with yet another defeat at the hands of England. I have said before that I do not believe that the 4-0 whitewash that India suffered needs to necessarily spell doom and gloom for Indian cricket. If the right steps are taken to address the many issues that have surfaced during the course of this series, it is still possible to learn important lessons for the future. Judging by India's reaction to the defeat, however, has made me believe that the BCCI are as usual more interested in pushing the problems underneath the carpet and hope for the best.

Rahul Dravid's recall for the ODI series smacked of panic. Dravid has not played ODI cricket in a long time and ironically the last time our wise men remembered Dravid was when India toured South Africa for the champions trophy. India will do well to remember that the likes of Dravid and Tendulkar cannot play on forever and there will come a time in the near future when young Indian cricketers will need to develop the skills required to perform in conditions that do not suit their style of play. The selection disasters do not end there.

The alarmingly injury prone Gautham Gambhir has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a concussion suffered by him in the last test. Logic would suggest that India would name another batsman as his replacement. Since when have our selectors been bothered about trivial issues such as logic? The selection of Ravindra Jadeja is nothing short of a joke. Apart from the fact that Jadeja has hardly impressed in the numerous opportunities that he has already got, he happens to be a left arm spinner who can bat a bit. So how on earth is he a suitable replacement for GG? India head into the ODI series with no reserve batsmen. Bizarre would be an understatement!

The only positive news for India has been the performance of Ajinkya Rahane in the one off T20 international. Ironically, Rahane has come good in the format in which he was least expected to succeed. It has been rather surprising that Rahane has been consistently ignored by the selectors despite scoring mountains of runs in the domestic tournaments. It yet again seems to confirm the theory that first class cricket has no meaning in India. If selections are going to be based largely on performances in the IPL, what purpose does first class cricket then serve? 

The bitter truth is that despite the hullabaloo over the IPL being a launchpad for future Indian cricketers, till date the IPL has not been responsible for providing India with one decent player. Anybody getting into the national side through IPL performances alone, have in general been an absolute disaster. Although it is very early yet to predict whether Rahane will succeed in the long run, it is no surprise that the two Indian batsman (Rahane & Pujara) who look most likely to succeed in test cricket are players who have not too many takers in the IPL. If the selection of Rahul Dravid for the ODI's teaches us anything, it is that there can be no substitute for technique. 

Analyzing the debacle

Looking at Team India's disastrous performance against England, I believe that there were numerous reasons behind what transpired.

1) The BCCI

The Indian board have deservedly copped a good deal of flak for the spineless performances put up by Team India. As Ian Chappell put it, India with its sheer playing population coupled with the vast financial resources they possess should be at the top of the pile almost always. India have more cricketers than the rest of the cricketing world put together. Their financial clout is such that no decision in the cricketing world can be passed without the BCCI's say-so. Given this enviable situation that the Indians find themselves in, even if a fraction of these resources are used wisely, India should find themselves dominating world cricket more often than not. Unfortunately, the BCCI's sole intention seems to be to make as much money as possible and everything else comes a distant second.

The solutions are not complicated. The board must prioritize test cricket. Players that excel in the longer format of the game need to be rewarded better. Today, youngsters coming into the side have virtually no incentive in taking up test cricket. The disparity in earnings that exist between the IPL for instance and first class cricket is so vast that you often end up sympathizing with players even if they choose the former over the latter. For this mindset to change, better pay for first class cricket is mandatory.

The BCCI's scheduling is yet another issue that has in recent times attracted quite a lot of criticism. The players are not machines and cannot be expected to play every single day of the year. Adequate breaks need to be provided and enough time needs to be given to players to acclimatize before marquee test series'. It is not feasible to expect players, however good they may be, to just turn up and start firing. It does not work that way.

2) The IPL

Is the IPL responsible for all the ills plaguing Indian cricket at the moment? I don't think so. However, there is little or no doubt that the IPL needs to come under scrutiny if India are serious about improving as a test unit. The riches of the IPL are inducing more and more youngsters to play in a manner that stands them with literally no chance of success in test cricket. Batsman play two shots a ball knowing that even a quickfire 20 can be a match winning performance as far as T-20 is concerned. Bowlers are becoming increasingly defensive and the focus is on containing runs. Little wonder then that Indian fast bowlers (even the handful that did have the ability to bowl reasonably quick) are cutting down on pace.

The sheer duration of the IPL also means that players give themselves absolutely no time to rest. We must remember that even if a T-20 games lasts only for a couple of hours, the players still need to endure a grueling travel schedule in addition to nets and other practice routines. It is draining both physically and mentally and it is important that the organizers do something about this.

3) The decline of first class cricket

The BCCI & the IPL have directly and indirectly contributed to the demise of first class cricket in India. In fairness to the IPL, the decline of first class cricket started a couple of decades ago. The ever increasing popularity of ODI cricket started making the first class game increasingly irrelevant. Spectators had enough international cricket to watch all year around. This diminished their interest in the first class game. The substantial increase in the quantity of international cricket also meant that the big names started missing most of the first class games affecting viewer interest further. The BCCI realized that the first class game in the country was not going to fulfill their most important criteria, revenue generation, and therefore decided to do nothing to reverse the trend.

Today, not only does the domestic cricket schedule collide with international contests, it also has to make do with the likes of the IPL and the champions league. The BCCI's big money promotion of the IPL has meant that it is played in front of big crowds whilst the first class matches are more often than not played in front of the proverbial 2 men and a dog. For all the hype around the IPL, it does not teach cricketers the most important attribute required to attain success at the highest level; temperament.

4) The quality of Indian pitches

To achieve success away from home, it is imperative that India unearth talented quick bowlers and have in their ranks batsman who have the technique to deal with the moving / bouncing ball. Cricketers are also products of their environment. Indian batsman struggle to play the moving ball because they don't need to do so in India. Similarly, bowling fast in India is a thankless job as the pitch conditions provide bowlers with no assistance whatsoever.

Even wickets that have traditionally had something in them (the Chepauk wicket is a classic example) have today become impotent. Spin bowlers, a breed that has always prospered in India are not having everything go their way either. The unfairly derided 'dust bowls' have all but disappeared. The aim today, thanks to the advertising tycoons who want as much air time as possible, is not to prepare a wicket that allows for a good contest but to prepare a wicket that ensures that the match lasts for a full 5 days. Unless this changes, India will struggle to find bowlers that are willing to bowl fast, much like they will struggle to find batsman technically equipped to bat in difficult conditions.

5) The Selectors

Selecting teams is an unenviable job. It is a thankless task and every decision is likely to have its detractors. Nevertheless, Indian selection panels keep making so many unfathomable decisions that the criticism they so often come under is hardly surprising. I have never understood the reason behind the reluctance of the board to allow the selectors to explain their choices to the public. It is the public's love for the sport that have made the game so profitable in this country. Do the public then not deserve to know the reasoning behind selections?

An example for the mess created by the selectors is the revolving door policy adopted towards India's seam bowlers. India selected Abhimanyu Mithun for the tour to Sri Lanka last year. Injuries to the first choice fast men meant that Mithun debuted in that series and did not do badly. Fast forward a few months to the South African series and India unceremoniously dropped Mithun for Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav. Unadkat got one match and that was that whilst Umesh Yadav did not feature at all. They were both then axed for the series against the West Indies in which Mithun made a comeback. In England it was R.P. Singh, who had played no first class cricket since January, who was in-fact holidaying in the U.S.A at the time who got the call. This game of musical chairs needs to stop.

6) Attention to detail

In top level sport fitness is non-negotiable. Period. India's lackluster attitude towards fitness is hurting them big time. It also explains why Indian bowlers break down more often than bowlers from other parts of the world.

India's fielding in England was quite simply shocking. There can be absolutely no excuse for youngsters breaking into the side not fielding properly. The same problem exists with running between the wickets. Whilst other teams look to convert 1's into 2's, 2's into 3's and so on, India seem determined to do it the other way around. It is imperative that India ensure that certain criteria is satisfied before a player is selected into the national side and fielding sits at the top of that list.

The thrashing at the hands of England does not have to spell doom and gloom if lessons can be learnt from it. Unfortunately, the BCCI's single minded obsession with the financial aspects of the game is not likely to change. With India's great batsman well into the twilight of their careers, test cricket in India does not look in good health. Unless there is a complete change of heart in the upper echelons of the BCCI, the death knell may have just been sounded for test cricket. The future does not look hunky-dory.

Player Ratings

Virender Sehwag (1/10)

A poor series for Sehwag and one that he will want to forget quickly. Sehwag has deservedly come under criticism for postponing his shoulder surgery resulting in him missing the first 2 tests. He made the team for the third test but looked clearly unfit.

His see-ball-hit-ball approach that has brought him such remarkable success in the subcontinent failed again in the more testing conditions in England. Sehwag’s average away from the subcontinent hovers just above the 40 mark and his record in England & South Africa is rotten. Any claims to greatness will need to wait until he proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he can score consistently in difficult conditions.

Gautam Gambhir (2/10)

Yet another series in which injury problems have plagued GG. Admittedly he was unfortunate to be on the receiving end of a couple of hard hits. However, when he did bat he looked uncertain against the rising delivery. This chink in his armor was exploited in the T20 world cup last year, but a good series in South Africa stopped the murmurs for the time being. This series will get a few tongues wagging again.

Abhinav Mukund (2/10)

Played the first two tests and did little of note. His tendency to fish at deliveries outside the off stump was always going to be detrimental in England and so it proved. He is likely to be dropped after this outing and future success will depend on whether he is able to tighten his technique outside the off stump and play the rising delivery with a little more assurance.

Rahul Dravid (8/10)

The only Indian batsman to show spunk. At times this test series threatened to end up being a contest between Dravid & England. His technique was spot on and his judgment which seemed to be failing him in the last year or 2 was back to being at his best. His footwork was immaculate and he played both pace and spin with complete comfort. His catching was probably the only aspect of the game that let him down and that is the only reason he does not score a complete 10.

Sachin Tendulkar (4/10)

A poor series by his own high standards. Tendulkar looked uncertain throughout the series and even the 91 that he made in the final test was a shaky innings. He struggled to pick Swann and had to rely on reading him off the pitch. India’s lack of talent in the batting department means that Tendulkar will need to bounce back soon.

V.V.S. Laxman (3/10)

Laxman’s problems in England continued with another poor outing in that country. His lack of footwork has not been a problem on the harder wickets in Australia. But it has certainly contributed to his failures in England. It has not helped that he has had to bat out of position for most of the summer. Given the toothlessness of India’s openers (discounting RSD of course), Laxman has had to face the new ball early in his innings on most occasions. This has not been to his liking. Laxman’s shot selection is another aspect of his game that has left a lot to be desired and at least on a couple of occasions he threw away his wicket just when he seemed to be at his best. His visible lack of fitness is a serious source of concern in the twilight of his career.

Suresh Raina (0.5/10)

Suresh Raina was quite simply a disaster. His problems with the short ball have been well documented. England exploited this weakness and Raina was left with no answers. Raina takes his eyes off the ball when it is short and leaves his bat hanging in the air. There cannot be a worse way to play the short ball. As the series dragged on, his confidence took a beating and playing him in the fourth test left many people wondering whether he was in the team for his bowling!

Yuvraj Singh (4/10)

It is difficult to rate Yuvraj Singh's performance as he was involved in just one match. Whilst he did make 60 odd runs in the first innings of that game, it is hard to be convinced given the way he handled the fast bowlers. Yuvraj looked uneasy against the bouncing ball and the bulk of his scoring was done when the spinners were in operation. The manner of his dismissal in the second innings was another sore point. Strauss had just brought a man in to the silly point region and presto the very next ball Yuvraj fended one to him. I believe 30 odd tests is a big number for someone to prove himself. The facts are plain and simple. Save 1 or 2 glimpses of brilliance, Yuvi has by enlarge been a disaster in test matches. His fitness has been a source of concern for a while now and he is not getting any younger. I reckon Yuvi has run his course in test cricket. It's time to look elsewhere.

M.S. Dhoni (3/10)

Two fighting half centuries in the third test was the only source of joy for Dhoni in what was his worst tour till date. Dhoni’s batting record away from him had always been dodgy and not too many people realistically expected him to set the Thames alight with his batting. However, he was expected to lead the side with the calm assuredness that has thus far been his calling card. Things went wrong almost from ball one.

His glove-work was shoddy to say the least. His inability to stand up to Praveen Kumar cost the team greatly. His decision to bring himself on during the first test was absolutely ridiculous and generated a large amount of deserved criticism. As the series progressed Dhoni looked disinterested and did little by way of motivating the team. His field settings were incomprehensible and he looked clue-less 90% of the time. Dhoni remains another Indian cricketer who has to step up away from the comforts of the subcontinent if he wants to be remembered as anything other than a flat-track bully.

Praveen Kumar (7/10)

As Cricinfo put it, if the rest of the team showed the attitude Praveen did, things may have just been a little better. Praveen overcame his lack of pace to take the fight to England. He had little to no support at the other end and yet toiled manfully and with a good deal of success. His clean striking with the bat provided a bit of entertainment to the fans as well.

Praveen’s game was always going to be suited to English conditions. The challenge for him will be to see if he can perform as well in conditions that will offer him little or no assistance. His lack of pace remains an issue that may yet prove to be his undoing.

Harbhajan Singh (0.5/10)

Another poor series for Singh who in recent times has had far more poor matches than good ones. It’s time Harbhajan Singh goes back to first class cricket and tries to iron out the many flaws that have crept into his game. He is too defensive and bowls a line that is going to trouble no half decent batsman. His reluctance to bowl the doosra means he has no variations whatsoever. He has been given enough and more chances and it is about time India look at the future.

Amit Mishra (3/10)

Mishra showed promise with the bat but unfortunately did not with his main skill – bowling. He bowls too many bad balls and does not have the required skill to consistently trouble good players. He may do better on the friendlier surfaces back home, but India need to plan for the future and it does not look as if Mishra has what it takes at this level.

Ishant Sharma (6/10)

Once again Sharma showed enormous potential without doing enough to suggest that he will become the bowler he has the ability to become. When Sharma is good he is very good. He is by far the fastest of the Indian bowlers. His height means that he gets bounce on almost any track. His problem is an inability to bowl the right length for long enough. In the second test when he pitched the ball a bit further up to the bat, the results were almost immediate. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so on a more consistent basis.

The board has to manage Ishant better. Ideally Ishant should be preserved for test cricket and should be omitted from the other forms of the game.

Sreesanth (2/10)

Sreesanth started brightly in the second test but his lack of consistency proved to be a thorn in his path once again. He is another player who has had his fair share of chances and India will need to look beyond him. In conditions that would have had most seamers salivating, Sreesanth bowled absolute rubbish. The lack of an inswinger also more often than not results in him being extremely mediocre against left handed batsman who are able to flick him away without a problem.

R.P. Singh (0/10)

R.P. did not do anything to gain any points. He lacks pace, lacks direction, lacks swing - in short lacks any of the criteria required to be a bowler. Enough said.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer’s injury in the very first test effectively ended the test series as a contest. India never recovered and were duly pummeled into submission. Zaheer is undoubtedly a fine bowler but it looks very much as if his time is up. India cannot rely on a bowler who keeps breaking down every second match. It is obvious that his fitness levels are poor and judging by his frame it does not look as if he has put in enough of an effort to stay fit. The wise thing to do would be for India to plan for the future with the assumption that Zaheer’s career is over.

General

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/525931.html

That came as a pleasant surprise from Harsha. Harsha’s biggest problem as a commentator has been his inability to state an opinion. It just is not possible to sit on the fence for every single issue, something that Bhogle has been able to do remarkably well for so long. Given that, this piece is refreshing.

When England retained the Ashes a few months ago, what stood out was the planning that went into that campaign. Apart from hard physical training that left the team really fit, it also involved a number of practise matches in Australian conditions. England was there almost two months in advance and ensured that by the time the first test started, they were as ready as they were going to be. Contrast that with India’s pre-series preparation that involved 1 match in which half our players either did not play or played a miniscule role. It is impossible to fly into completely foreign conditions and adapt immediately.

Sanjay Manjeraker

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/525909.html writes an interesting piece about injuries and how they can be prevented with a bit of effort. He sites the example of Kapil Dev, and it’s truly amazing how he played continuously for as long as he did especially when you consider that Kapil was a pace bowler. His line about some players citing injury the moment their form suffers is clearly directed at Harbhajan Singh. I must say I agree with him 100 %. Singh was able to come out and bowl for a few over with this so called ‘abdominal strain’. How he can be ruled out of both tests this early remains an absolute mystery. The only good thing is that his absence is probably a blessing in disguise.

The Northampton match starts today. Sehwag is back and that is reason enough to see how things unfold. Let’s hope India are able to carry some kind of momentum into that third test next week.

Unacceptable

I’ve always considered myself a balanced cricket fan. Days like yesterday though make me want to reconsider. There will be times in sport where the team you support get beaten. This you accept as part of the sport and move on. What I cannot accept as a cricket fan is when your team puts up a dispirited, spineless & utterly uninterested performance. It’s just not done.

It seems eons away, but when India started out yesterday they were still in the driver’s seat. Yes they collapsed on day 2, but they had still managed to get themselves a decent lead. They had already accounted for Alistair Cook’s wicket before the close of play on day 2. A couple of early blows on day 3 &India would be favourites to walk away with a win. What transpired was comical.

Sreesanth who had been by far and away the best Indian bowler in the first innings did not open. Instead Dhoni opted for Sharma & Praveen Kumar. Mistake 1 – from then there was no turning back. Harbhajan Singh who is supposedly a specialist bowler hardly bowled. Anyone who has watched Harbhajan over the last few months will know that his wicket taking skills have almost disappeared. Yet his presence in the side is apparently set in stone. Only the foolish will believe that whatever injury he was supposed to have been ailing from yesterday somehow came in the way of him taking a bucketful of wickets. It’s about time Harbhajan goes back and works on his bowling. India cannot afford to carry him any longer.

Almost 30 % of all the runs Ian Bell scored came in the third man region. Despite this Dhoni refused to put a third man in place. I can understand not having a third man early on when the batsman is still trying to find his feet and you want to have as many fielders in attacking positions as possible. But with Bell settling down and looking in cruise control, would it have not made more sense to try and prevent him from getting a boundary every time the ball went to third man?

Yes, captains should try and be attacking. The only way to win matches is to take wickets and therefore it is upto the captain to ensure that his strategies are based around this. However, every now and then you get into situations where defence is essential and can at times also prove to be the best form of attack. You cannot allow a team to score 400 runs in one day. Think back a couple of years and the very same Dhoni brought about an Australian collapse at Mohali by getting his fast bowlers to bowl outside the off stump with a packed offside field. That strategy was justified not just because of the result that transpired but because the situation at the time Dhoni used this strategy demanded that India go on the defensive. Runs were a premium and the best thing to do then was to try and make them as hard to come by as possible.

The entire Bell incident also defied common sense. The spirit of the game is one of those clichéd phrases that really make absolutely no sense in today’s world. What was even more baffling was that even if Dhoni had upheld his appeal, I fail to understand how he was breaching the spirit of the game. Bell made a mistake and he paid the consequences. It was as simple as that. The rules of the came clearly state that as long as the ball has not been declared dead by the umpire, the game is still live. Bell had no business assuming that he ball had gone for four. Yes, it would have been an unfortunate way of getting out but we have rules for a reason.

The final blunder on a day that had nothing else worth mentioning from an Indian point of view was the way Dhoni used the second new ball. This was a wicket that had almost all the commentators calling it a ‘new ball wicket’. The only time the bowlers looked threatening was when they had a new ball in their hand. The second new ball was no different. Praveen got swing and a couple of wickets to boot. Things were bad even then but getting a few more wickets could have given India some chance. But Dhoni decided after just 14 overs that he had had enough. Yuvraj Singh was brought on to bowl his left arm dibbly dobblys and that capped what was one of the most forgettable days in recent Indian cricket history.

It is almost impossible for India to come back into this game now. What is most disappointing, however, is the manner in which this game is likely to be lost. India & Dhoni have a lot of soul searching to do and if they do not find answers quickly this series is likely to become even more embarrassing before it is over.