India Cricket at crossroads - again

[King]

Harsha Online Latest Column Thursday June 14, 2007 India Cricket at crossroads - again By Harsha Bhogle Cricket Commentator and the voice of Indian cricket - Harsha Bhogle. (espnstar.com) The problem with the Graham Ford situation is not as much with the refusal as with the timing. The BCCI played itself into a situation where there was no time left for the unforeseen. It suggests either arrogance or lack of planning but there is no doubt that it is an embarrassment. People can say what they want to the contrary but only the naïve will buy it. If, however, they had followed a process, like Mr Srinivasan's India Cements does so well, they would have interviewed four or five candidates and ranked them. So the moment the first candidate said no, the next would have been ready. Now, we have begun a hectic cycle of cricket with a stop-gap arrangement and that cannot be beneficial. There's been a mess-up but, like with all mess-ups, if you don’t acknowledge one and do something about it, the next one will be round the corner. But for some reason the BCCI doesn't like to say “sorry, we goofed”. There is no shame in saying it, indeed those that don’t, reveal their real self. Now, the BCCI has bought time. A truce seems to have been achieved with the players, even if it seems a temporary truce. And a trusted, respected man has been asked to hold the baby till a more permanent candidate emerges. But there are other issues, rather more boring but critical issues! India’s captain has asked for three games before the first test in Australia, a perfectly valid request since India have always struggled with the bounce when they go there after having played in our conditions just before. Instead the captain has been told by the secretary that, being professionals, they should be able to adjust with the one they have been provided. I am flabbergasted. If I was Rahul Dravid I would have bowed and said “Excuse me sir, I play for India. Whose side are you on?” I suspect Dravid is trying harder to win in Australia than the secretary!! India are in Australia for more than 70 days and it is difficult to keep the intensity up for so long (talking of which how come Australia don’t come to India for seventy days!!). If they lose the first Test, it will be a very very long tour. Hopefully that will change. Meanwhile there are other cricketing matters to look to. Like the future of four good cricketers who find themselves at home while their colleagues play in England. Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan can either be hurt and disappointed or look at it very positively since they have a lot of cricket in them still. I actually believe the selectors have done Patel a good turn by leaving him out. He now has four months in which to become genuinely fit and strong. If he uses these four months well, he will return to the Indian team twice the player he has been. And using these months well means not listening to anybody who tells him anything to the contrary. He will find people who tell him that he deserved to be in the side, maybe even that he has been sinned against; they will calculate his income lost. Such people will do him harm and the only reason I bring this up is that far too many young Indian cricketers have petty people around them. If Patel accepts the real reason he has been left out, and makes his comeback a challenge, he will play a lot of cricket. Otherwise he will watch a lot. Pathan will also get the time to work on his rhythm and these four months should be good for him. Very early in life he has seen both success and defeat and he will, with the right attitude, become tougher for it. So too with Harbhajan who is still a young man but finds himself at the crossroads. I suspect we need to be patient with him and maybe some time away from the limited overs game will do him no harm. He bowled quite well at Chennai in the Afro-Asia Cup and you could see why he is a special cricketer. Both Harbhajan and Sehwag need to play cricket before the home season begins. It might be a good idea to do a short term contract, if one is still available with a good county in England, to keep themselves match fit so they have something to show before the test series against Pakistan in November. Indian cricket needs more commitment and some good news. Neither is impossible if the desire awakens. Sadly, it has been in a long slumber.

[Predator_05]

Harsha's articles are just as boring as his commentary.

[Cricketics]

pred, may be it sounds boring because this topic has alredy had tonz of articles and headlines and is the most boring topic too..