Insight Edge | Aakash Chopra
Indian Test cricket is believed to have reached its lowest ebb. In little over a year, we've lost almost everything away from home and barely managed to win the home series too. We are no longer the team that was rated the best Test team. Ironically, the people who took the team to its pinnacle are believed to be the very reason for its decline too. Losses, especially a series of losses in a humiliating manner, call for rolling a few heads and hence this sudden spike in demanding group resignations doesn't come as a surprise. Experts have already announced a few obituaries and the time to witness the final rites seems to be nearing.
The Big Question Continue reading below
Alarming events often demand stern measures as long as they are not imprudent and hasty. Knee-jerk reactions following dismal showings may silent the critics and placate the fans for the time being but wouldn't it be better to have an in-depth review of what needs to be done-a myopic and thoughtless response at this juncture is bound to boomerang later.
For instance, the call for sacking senior pros, to me seems nothing more than a reckless impulse. I have, at the same time, no qualms in admitting that the pillars of the Indian batting order are becoming wobbly. The big question is - can we afford to dislodge the existing structure, field a completely new team and also expect it to do well? Since we have lost the last seven away Test matches, will it be okay to lose a few more at home? Lastly, when everyone in the batting order (barring Dravid and Tendulkar) are averaging under 30 runs per innings, overseas, why single out only a couple of them? Shouldn't we have the same yardstick for everyone?
The Road Ahead
The time to sit the seniors down to work out the blueprint for India's future has come-these are men of brilliance, think tanks of Indian cricket who understand the game and our dynamics the best. Precious time has already been wasted in taking some crucial decisions-like, the option of grooming and testing youngsters against Bangladesh a year ago and during the West Indies tour at home.
We should have taken the seniors into confidence and asked them to play only two of the three Test matches, therefore allowing a couple of youngsters a longer run in the five-day format. Even though we missed the trick earlier, we can exercise the same option next time we play Test cricket. Seniors aren't liabilities but are the much needed cushions for youngsters. It's imperative to have a few experienced men around who can soak in the pressure and give youngsters the allowance to fail.
Also, before we start trying out youngsters randomly, it won't be a bad idea to identify talent and also test them in hostile conditions on away India A tours. It's blasphemous to send Twenty20 specialists on these important tours like we did for the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia. We ought to be a bit more serious about our second string-we need them more now than ever before.
