The moment of truth

Cricket and clock have one thing in common, both continue to tick-tock every minute. The volume of cricket has increased manifold. So, at one time or the other, around the globe, some form of cricket is being played. You can well call it commercialisation of the game, where even the obscene T10 format is also now in existence.

In such a scenario, when cricket has become fast-paced and, at the same time, is played in larger volumes, deleterious ill effects are bound to be felt. This is certainly the peak football season, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar throwing up controversies and upsets on the field in equal measure. Yet, for the die-hard cricket fans who cannot survive without watching some form of cricket or the other, the ongoing series between India and New Zealand does provide solace.

That the Men in Blue were bounced out of the ICC World Cup in Australia still hurts. Worse, this was just after the flop in the Asia Cup in the desert venues of the United Arab Emirates. Criticism has been caustic, and rightly so. Rohit Sharma may be thinking he has got away with a rap on his knuckles but there are many more new angles/thoughts which have cropped up.

Playing in New Zealand, at present, in the ODI series, is pretty much of a rigmarole. India won the T20 series but to watch the Indian team in action again, with a change in names, does not mean much. One has to point fingers at the Indian cricket board (BCCI) for making cricket a commodity and players machines. As much as you sympathise with the players, the fact is that they cannot play non-stop.

Few players will admit non-stop cricket is killing but they will keep quiet. Why? The money at stake is very high and they love to play even if not fully fit and motivated. Barring a few exceptions in the World Cup — Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya — the rest were passengers. So, when even Rahul Dravid took a break and VVS Laxman came on board as stand-in coach, there was a loud guffaw!

Come on! Coaches, managers, CEOs and people in positions of power cannot take a break for nothing. Former coach Ravi Shastri was caustic in criticising Dravid for his absence in the New Zealand tour. Yet, you will agree, Shastri has made a valid point. Sample this, when India did extremely well in the Test tour to Australia in 2021, minus Kohli, Shastri was there as coach, mentor and friend. He produced results which will go down in the annals of cricket as truly historic.

Sadly, for Shastri and Kohli, they got sucked into the vortex because of the politics played by former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly wielded power and, at the same time, was vindictive. He was the one who jettisoned two men in one go and brought on Dravid. Results have been disastrous. Ganguly is out, his term ended, and new man at the helm, Roger Binny, is now the BCCI boss. At least, on paper.

The knowledgeable and the discerning know very well who calls the shots in Indian cricket. There are men behind the scenes who pull the strings, though mentioning names here would be improper. After all, gossip is not needed when fans themselves are aware of the truth through layers, where puppets (officials) are sadly humans.

Dravid as a coach has been plain vanilla. If you do a post mortem, he and Rohit did the worst job in Australia by keeping out Yuzi Chahal. The decision was taken by the two leaders to keep Chahal out. It showed both the ideators were bereft of ideas. The knives are out now for Dravid and Rohit as both have taken a break.

It was not sheer coincidence that after India did badly in the World Cup, the BCCI selection committee, headed by Chetan Sharma, was booted out. Imagine, to be punished for non-performance being a sign of things to come. The same yardstick needs to be applied for the coach and captain as well. From time immemorial, there has been a cry for split captaincy and how you need to pick different sets of players for cricket — red ball and white ball.

Perhaps, in their overdrive to get rid of Kohli as captain and Shastri as coach, the sacked selectors, guided by Dada Ganguly, erred in picking Rohit and KL Rahul as leader and deputy. KL Rahul was doing well at that time, no doubting that. His recent form suggests he is not in the right frame of mind to score runs. You cannot have a leader and his deputy both off colours, literally. It has wrecked Team India, though they will be on board for the tour to Bangladesh, soon, which again is a meaningless exercise.

The time has come when the BCCI bosses and new selection committee have to sit down and plan for the immediate future. We are just a month away from the end of 2022. The 2023 World Cup will be upon us and, in 2024, India will be competing in the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA. This is where the planning has to be top class. Suggestions have already come from various quarters that Hardik Pandya should be the next T20 captain for the 2024 World Cup. People will agree Pandya has shown great maturity, performance with bat and ball and leadership skills.

That, however, does not mean he can lead India next year in the ODI World Cup. For all its big talk and posturing, it is hard to imagine that the BCCI or the new selection committee will have a change of heart, and go with a drastic change for the 2023 World Cup. The very thought of seeing a pouting Dravid and an unfit Rohit leading the campaign at home next year is distressing. You have to be fit and smart, so try changes.

Rohit may get away by scoring a few runs now and then but his captaincy has been lacklustre. Add to it his poor fielding, even in the less murderous ODI format, he seems a misfit. The time has come when the BCCI has to take bold decisions. To think of even bringing in a fresh coach for white-ball cricket would not be a bad idea. If split captaincy has worked in countries like England, there is no reason why it cannot be tried out in India.

Modern day limited overs cricket calls for leaders who are fresh, have been contemporary players, and can ideate in a better way. Suggestions have even come in that Ashish Nehra should be considered for the job as he worked well in tandem with Pandya for Gujarat Titans in the IPL campaign this summer. White ball cricket needs a right blend where you have youngsters as well as mature players in the squad. Virat Kohli has proved that age is just a number and he will preserve himself like the old Rolls Royce. The moment you bring him out, he is a delight to watch, with his batting now reflecting unique maturity.

Planning for the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 World Cup will overlap. This is where the think-tank in the BCCI has to show that it is smart. You cannot pick players on past reputation alone. Certainly, you also cannot leave out players if they are in their mid 30s. Someone like Dinesh Karthik is over, but Shikhar Dhawan still packs a punch as opener in the 50-over format. If leadership changes have to be affected, one must also draw out a leadership role for Rishabh Pant. You can lambast him for being reckless but there is no doubting he is a match-winner and has to be groomed. Ideally, he should have been the vice-captain, not KL Rahul.

In the old days, MS Dhoni, the mastermind captain who won India two World Cups, would keep talking about a 'process' in cricket. He also emphasised on how players need to have a certain number of international matches under their belt to perform at the World Cup. To expect Dhoni to say he wants to become a coach will be unthinkable. He is going to play in the 2023 IPL. Why not get him on board as mentor for Team India, at least in the shorter formats of white-ball cricket. The concept of high-performance directors in modern sport is well known.

Dhoni deserves to be picked up as a mentor/guide/motivator. The best part about the simple man from Jharkhand is he will not play politics. As one who still works on his own fitness and wears the Territorial Army uniform with pride, he has that aura and mystique. Food for thought, BCCI?

Views expressed are personal