The Indian cricket team’s comprehensive defeat against Australia in the final of the ICC World Test Championship has opened a Pandora’s Box out of which a host of questions have cropped up. The top brass of the BCCI and the team management must answer these questions and take responsibility for the unpardonable loss. What is urgently required is a close look at the factors which led to the defeat. If required a complete revamp must be done at once.
From day one we saw a series of wrong decisions being made. The non-inclusion of Ravi Ashwin was baffling and was rightly criticised by Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. Also puzzling was the choice to field first after winning the toss. And finally, what was the reason behind the poor shot selection of experienced batters and dispirited bowling by our bowlers?
We can all guess the answer to the last question. It lay in the fact that the Indian players were being taxed too much. They were a jaded lot. Both physically and mentally; it is not possible to play so much of cricket. The players had recently taken part in the energy sapping IPL tournament which involved constant travel from one venue to another and giving their best in every pulsating battle which ended in the last few balls. Emotionally it drains a lot out of any human being. But is the BCCI willing to reduce the schedule of IPL matches? Very unlikely!
If the situation does not change, then we will continue to watch the Indian team flopping in future World Cup tournaments too. The same story will be repeated in each and every tournament. It seems that as long as the money is flowing in, no cricket bigwig cares about the country’s glory.
With huge amounts of sponsorship now available for the game, India has become the hub of world cricket. India is the land of riches where cricket is concerned. But merely money cannot guarantee you a victory in the World Cups. For that one needs passion, zeal and enthusiasm, both among the players as well as among the people who are running the show. But if there are too many tournaments and too many matches, how can this passion and zeal be maintained?
In October 2023 the limited overs World Cup will be held and unless there are drastic changes in the thought process of cricket administrators, this team of ageing superstars will flop once again. Our front line fast bowlers are all more than 30 years old, except Mohammed Siraj. He is also not a spring chicken because he is 29 years old. As everyone knows, bowling requires top class fitness, especially fast bowling. From 30 onwards, a fast bowler goes downhill.
Yet, we have these men playing intense IPL matches, and then five-day long Test matches and we expect them to pull off miracles. They cannot defy the ageing process and achieve success. Whom is the BCCI trying to fool?
Two things are vitally important for the future of Indian cricket. Firstly, reduce the number of matches and give players a rest. Secondly, find replacements for the older players and give chance to the young talent before they too get old. Time and tide wait for no one. This age-old saying is especially true when it comes to sports. One has to take the right step at the right time or the chance will slip out of your hands and never return.
The BCCI has to discard its existing mental attitude which seems to be caught in a time warp. It has to show more dynamism in taking decisions. If it remains complacent because the sponsors and the public are still supporting the game, then Indian cricket is doomed forever. The luxury loving BCCI officials who are used to a cushy lifestyle must make quick decisions and harsh ones if necessary. And the prime consideration for those decisions should not be money but India’s pride and glory. Do or die is the situation that now confronts Indian cricket.
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