It seems rather strange that most of India’s victories have been wildly rejoiced without going through the scanner to understand what has worked and how victory was sought despite deficiencies. If one observes closely, India has run largely on the steam generated by the freight train with only two coaches on this tour to Sri Lanka – Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Their contribution was significant in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka.
Before the start of the Test series, all the hype surrounded Sachin Tendulkar and the 172 odd runs he needed to become the highest run getter in Test cricket. But it would be fair to say, Sehwag and even Gambhir had a better chance of getting a double century than even Tendulkar who has become a perennial concern with picking and choosing matches and series due to his growing injury worries. There is no denying that he will come good sooner rather than later. When the gap between one great innings and another widens, India will need to look at other options to fill up the potholes. The hype with the record has been over the top, perhaps only looking to cash in on the man’s popularity. Certainly defying cricketing logic and definitely a case of yet again looking at individual glory and forgetting the bigger picture.
Rahul Dravid has never really come out of his self-imposed shell since relinquishing the captain. The glum persona has become a fixture which is a shame because Dravid is a rare entity of the out-and-out defensive players with technique to match and can easily turn it on when required. That confidence or outward reliant self is missing and it has certainly allowed the opposition attack, in this case Sri Lanka, an insight into the vulnerable order which would have been otherwise impregnable to the even resolute Dravid.
The vulnerability has come about not only with Tendulkar unable to create a platform for a big innings but also, because of V.V.S. Laxman who has got starts but has failed to turn into a decisive century. But it has been the case for far too long now when the enigma has continued to remain just that – an enigma. He sounded almost defensive talking about the subject when Arun Lal brought it up during a television interview. But there is something about his accountability that needs to be addressed because his ability to carve out a beautiful century out of seemingly nothing is an invaluable asset. It is about time India saw some of that with a great deal of consistency. Time is running out for him as it is once again for one former captain.
It would be unfair perhaps to put this man in the category after the triumph after turmoil that he has shown. Sourav Ganguly has been a great comeback. However, it has to make a bigger contribution, perhaps even greater than in his role as a captain because the absence of captaincy makes him a susceptible member of the squad and with cricketing age catching up, the performances need to come thick and fast.
However, that is the irony with age. It seems to have dulled their instinct, satiated their hunger for runs (but maintained the desperation for holding onto their positions) and made them liabilities when they should have the ‘band of boys’ that sent opposition teams packing. Add to that, Anil Kumble has found his own form letting him down and while the Sri Lankan spinners were having a ball, Kumble cut a hapless face in the crowd.
In all likelihood, pedigree and again, past talent, will decide the heads on the chopping board. The bigger the name, the more difficult the selectors will find it hard to drop. But a few members have been made expendable in the past and more likely, it is these men who will be pushed over board, though there are perhaps others who should have walked the plank themselves
The worrying tendency now is what happens if this team is persisted with. The concern also arises as to what happens if this team was tampered with. The selectors need to be brave, whatever the decision they decide to go with. To deny these men to turn a series on its head would be to perhaps deny India a great series. But having built their careers together, it seems yet again the team’s progress has slumped into a doldrums and if this until recently fab five cannot get it around for India collectively over the years, wonder if it is time to make way for the new?300057