As Team India. world champions of cricket, hurtle to defeat after defeat in an English August gone all wrong, the knives are already out, the post-mortem report is ready and everybody who is anybody has given not only reasons why the team failed, but also remedial measures to reclaim lost glory.
While the defeats can, in part, be attributed to the loss of several senior players — Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag missed almost the whole tour, while Gautam Gambhir too reached England a Test too late — but that alone can’t explain such a drastic drop in form.
The solution, according to many, is for the BCCI to get its priorities right. Former England captain Nasser Hussain had said, “India must come back, but they need to put Test match cricket first if they want to stay first.” This argument is being supported by many who feel that the shorter formats are taking away from prioritisation for Tests.
But there’s a counter point as well. Former Mumbai spinner Nilesh Kulkarni feels Test cricket not being atop BCCI’s agenda can’t explain the debacle. “As a player, if you’re playing cricket — any form of it — you’re remaining in touch with the game. And they also did win the World Cup, held in the 50-over format,” Kulkarni argues.
Cricket commentator and columnist Harsha Bhogle has another unique solution: Prepare dossiers for every member of the side, including details like medical fitness and a plan to get the best out of them. “Sports teams are like a collection of brands, each of which must have a caretaker and a plan,” he wrote in an article.
He added, “The way an Alex Ferguson draws up plans for his top 20 players; the plan for Giggs or Rooney must be different from the one for Smalling or Young.”
Whether a plan for its players, or a plan for its scheduling woes, the board better get hold of some roadmap for the future. For the headless chicken run looks like it could hurt more than just the number one ranking.