Time for hard questions to be asked
A 0-4 licking represents a hopeless performance by any reckoning, writes Ayaz Memon in the Mumbai Mirror and it is time for a serious rethink from the administrators and players alike
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
A 0-4 licking represents a hopeless performance by any reckoning, writes Ayaz Memon in the Mumbai Mirror and it is time for a serious rethink from the administrators and players alike. But at the same time, he warns that a knee-jerk reaction and inaction are two sides of the same coin and would only complicate matters further.
The BCCI needs to urgently define its priorities. As the richest cricket board in the world, it must spell out for itself and its players what its ambitions and targets — medium and long term — are. Test matches are not won on the back of T20 hoopla, inconvenient as this may be to players and/or franchise owners in the IPL for instance. A vision that promotes sustained excellence is desired, but that cannot come without a change in culture in how Indian cricket is run.
In the same newspaper, Sriram Veera looks at how the past four editions of the IPL have been followed by losses for the Indian team - most recently, the England whitewash.
An editorial in the Times of India echoes Ayaz Memon's view, stating that hysteria and witch-hunts are entirely counterproductive. But, at the same time hard questions cannot be postponed any longer.
Another editorial in the Hindustan Times states that to take succour in the perception that England trounced India because of injuries in the visiting team and/or a lack of will is laughable.
In the same newspaper, Amol Karhadkar looks back at India's frequent injury problems - a major feature of the England series with Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, all suffering injuries at various points - and writes that there are serious shortcomings in the Indians board's system of injury management.
Every time a half-fit player has taken the field -there have been numerous instances -the murmurs of a player's self-assessment being preferred over the physio's arises in Indian cricket. At a time when the medical team for the first time has an all-India look, the possibility of the support staff being bogged down by a player's star appeal increases even more.
On a lighter note, Sandeep Dwivedi in the Indian Express pieces together the funnier aspects of India's whitewash.
August 19: Taunts greet Indian faces everywhere. A friend stumbles upon a chair at a cafe and an English fan says: “You guys can’t keep your furniture intact, can you?” At the game the steward quips, “Tell your team to stick around for five days since I get paid by the hour.”
And in a similar vein, the Daily Telegraph has obtained a "leaked copy of the BCCI’s review" of the recent England v India Test series. One of the recommendations include copy of Honey Kalaria’s ‘Bollywood Workout’ DVD to be made available to RP Singh at the earliest possible convenience. Jonathan Liew has more.
The poor form of Sachin Tendulkar also came under consideration. The committee were of the view that rather than this detracting from his own reputation, Tendulkar’s relative lack of success resulted wholly from the failings of the 10 team-mates around him, who failed to give him the support he needed. In particular, the committee noted the egotistical, self-serving actions of Rahul Dravid, who took it upon himself to score most of the team’s runs without regard for the interests of the team.
Recommendations: All members of the team, with the exception of Tendulkar, to be dropped from the side with immediate effect.
Harish Kotian on rediff.com looks at the factors that contributed to the 4-0 series whitewash, and suggests measures to stem the rot.
Nitin Naik in the Times of India comes out with a vision document for the Indian team, charting the road ahead.
Penalise players who lie about fitness
This England tour has been a classic example of opaqueness on the part of the BCCI, selectors and doctors and physios at the NCA. How come Zaheer Khan went to England without anyone testing his fitness? Did Sehwag bat for three hours daily at the NCA and do all the fielding drills in training post his shoulder surgery to qualify as being fit for a Test match? Did Gambhir do the same after he injured his shoulder in the IPL? The time is ripe for the BCCI to make an example of all these cases. Make the physio passing the player fit and the cricketer, whoever it is, accountable. If it's found that the player has lied and he breaks down again, a ban of no less than six months should be imposed.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo