Thoughts on axing of Dravid and Prasad

[bunny]

http://dailycric.blogspot.com/2009/10/thoughts-on-axing-of-dravid-prasad-and.html While I dont agree with it completely, there are some pertinent points.

[Sachinism]

tl;dr any chance of posting a few key points

[Online]

holy cow, itna bada post who will read?

[gs]

holy cow' date=' itna bada post who will read?[/quote'] IPL bimaari?

[Sooda]

Its actually well written, worth the read. Makes a few points not sure how to being picking 'key' ones...but heres a go ------------- ...three problems. The first is that senior players are removed before their time, unless their name is Tendulkar. Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble and Laxman were all axed from the one-day squad when they were playing well and still had a lot to offer. ...The second problem is that the ones in the middle tend to get neglected – if one is in one’s late 20s, and not yet picked / dropped from the side, one can more or less forget a future with the Indian team. The late 20s / early 30s are often when people play their best cricket; it is the most common time when Australians become fixtures in the national side. But an Indian in his late 20s / early 30s is always less exciting than the latest 19-year old sensation who has made 40 in a high-profile IPL game, and since we have to keep “building for tomorrow”, it is the youngster who inevitably gets picked.And so, look at the reality of the situation facing us today – we claim to have a dearth of quality middle-order batsmen in the one-day side, especially those who can play short-pitched bowling away from home. Yet Subramaniam Badrinath, who is technically one of the soundest batsmen in Indian cricket, remains perpetually just outside the selectors’ vision. Mohammad Kaif, groomed for years not just as a one-day batsman, but as a Test batsman and future India captain, does not even make it to the Challengers’ Trophy, in spite of performing consistently for UP year in and year out. And Hemang Badani, who could have developed into India’s Michael Bevan with the right encouragement, was destroyed completely. The constant argument trotted out against seniors – that they are not good enough fielders – wouldn’t apply here, as Badri, Kaif and Badani are three of the best fielders in Indian cricket. With proper planning, and genuine long-term vision, how well these three could have supported the core batting line-up of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Then the exclusion of Dravid would have made sense. The third problem is that the youngsters are themselves not properly groomed. We spend an enormous amount of effort and energy on them for a year or two, and give them undeserved and excessive adulation – and then at the first sign of failure, drop them like hot potatoes. So – enormous effort was expended on Sreesanth and Robin Uthappa between 2006 and 2008, but now they have been dropped, with no clear path back, and no clear idea of what is happening when they are out of the side. The same story has repeated itself with Rohit Sharma between 2007 and 2009, now nowhere; and it is in the process of happening to Ishant Sharma. Most spectacularly, of course, this has happened repeatedly with Irfan Pathan, meaning that the one genuine all-rounder in Indian cricket has at no point been properly nurtured; and others like R.P. Singh and Dinesh Karthik, who have proven that they have the games to succeed at the highest level, are people who have not developed the maturity to perform consistently. So my problem is not simply with the selection of Kohli – under certain parameters, that selection makes sense. It is that the system within which that selection operates makes it almost certain that Kohli will go the way of these others. For a couple of series, if he succeeds, he will be compared with Viv Richards. Then at the first sign of failure, he too will join the pile on the thrash-heap, and once he touches 25, even years of sensational performances in domestic cricket won’t bring him back. cant say I agree- I dont think the dropping of those guys has been THAT irration al, they were given a fair rope. Neither do I agree with the 'ganguly, dravid, laxman being dropped too early' point. ------- • That India’s second-most accomplished one-day batsman, with 11,000 Test runs to his name, who is in good form, and who performs a role in the side that no one else has shown the ability or mental strength to perform (Rahul Dravid) has just been dropped; • That the most prolific batsman in Indian domestic cricket last year, who had a record-breaking season in Ranji Trophy, and who holds three of the highest individual scores in one-day domestic competitions, who is only 32 and who could conceivably step into Dravid’s shoes in the one-day side and into Ganguly’s place in the Test side (Wasim Jaffer), is not in the reckoning for either side;- Wj was given a good run, no room for hm • That the most prolific batsman in Indian domestic cricket over the last two years, who is still only 22 and who is probably, simply on technique, the batsman most likely to successfully replace Dravid in the Test line-up (Cheteshwar Pujara), has not been given a chance, probably because he doesn’t have the game yet to play that dazzling little cameo in a high-profile IPL game;- fair point, but again, no room. • That the most prolific batsman in Indian domestic cricket over the past three years, who has been knocking at Indian doors more persistently than most, and who has the game that is most likely to replicate Dravid’s in a one-day context (Subramaniam Badrinath) is somehow constantly superseded by the latest 19-year old; • That the most naturally gifted young Indian batsman (Rohit Sharma), has after two years on the international stage still not managed to convert that talent into consistent performance; - no ones fault but his own, he'll be back too good not to • That the best all-rounder in Indian cricket, who was man-of-the-match in the historic Test win at Perth less than two years ago (Irfan Pathan) doesn’t even find himself in the list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy; again good point, that was daftand • That the highest run-getter (Dinesh Karthik) and highest wicket-taker (R.P. Singh) in our historic Test series win in England in 2007 are unable to hold their place in the side for longer than 2 or 3 games at a stretch; Then surely there is something wrong with the larger picture.

[punjabi_khota]

He says Badri is one of the technically soundest batsman in the country. :hehe:

[bunny]

Its actually well written, worth the read. Makes a few points not sure how to being picking 'key' ones...but heres a go ------------- ...three problems. The first is that senior players are removed before their time, unless their name is Tendulkar. Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble and Laxman were all axed from the one-day squad when they were playing well and still had a lot to offer. ...The second problem is that the ones in the middle tend to get neglected – if one is in one’s late 20s, and not yet picked / dropped from the side, one can more or less forget a future with the Indian team. The late 20s / early 30s are often when people play their best cricket; it is the most common time when Australians become fixtures in the national side. But an Indian in his late 20s / early 30s is always less exciting than the latest 19-year old sensation who has made 40 in a high-profile IPL game, and since we have to keep “building for tomorrow”, it is the youngster who inevitably gets picked.And so, look at the reality of the situation facing us today – we claim to have a dearth of quality middle-order batsmen in the one-day side, especially those who can play short-pitched bowling away from home. Yet Subramaniam Badrinath, who is technically one of the soundest batsmen in Indian cricket, remains perpetually just outside the selectors’ vision. Mohammad Kaif, groomed for years not just as a one-day batsman, but as a Test batsman and future India captain, does not even make it to the Challengers’ Trophy, in spite of performing consistently for UP year in and year out. And Hemang Badani, who could have developed into India’s Michael Bevan with the right encouragement, was destroyed completely. The constant argument trotted out against seniors – that they are not good enough fielders – wouldn’t apply here, as Badri, Kaif and Badani are three of the best fielders in Indian cricket. With proper planning, and genuine long-term vision, how well these three could have supported the core batting line-up of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Then the exclusion of Dravid would have made sense. The third problem is that the youngsters are themselves not properly groomed. We spend an enormous amount of effort and energy on them for a year or two, and give them undeserved and excessive adulation – and then at the first sign of failure, drop them like hot potatoes. So – enormous effort was expended on Sreesanth and Robin Uthappa between 2006 and 2008, but now they have been dropped, with no clear path back, and no clear idea of what is happening when they are out of the side. The same story has repeated itself with Rohit Sharma between 2007 and 2009, now nowhere; and it is in the process of happening to Ishant Sharma. Most spectacularly, of course, this has happened repeatedly with Irfan Pathan, meaning that the one genuine all-rounder in Indian cricket has at no point been properly nurtured; and others like R.P. Singh and Dinesh Karthik, who have proven that they have the games to succeed at the highest level, are people who have not developed the maturity to perform consistently. So my problem is not simply with the selection of Kohli – under certain parameters, that selection makes sense. It is that the system within which that selection operates makes it almost certain that Kohli will go the way of these others. For a couple of series, if he succeeds, he will be compared with Viv Richards. Then at the first sign of failure, he too will join the pile on the thrash-heap, and once he touches 25, even years of sensational performances in domestic cricket won’t bring him back. cant say I agree- I dont think the dropping of those guys has been THAT irration al, they were given a fair rope. Neither do I agree with the 'ganguly, dravid, laxman being dropped too early' point. ------- • That India’s second-most accomplished one-day batsman, with 11,000 Test runs to his name, who is in good form, and who performs a role in the side that no one else has shown the ability or mental strength to perform (Rahul Dravid) has just been dropped; • That the most prolific batsman in Indian domestic cricket last year, who had a record-breaking season in Ranji Trophy, and who holds three of the highest individual scores in one-day domestic competitions, who is only 32 and who could conceivably step into Dravid’s shoes in the one-day side and into Ganguly’s place in the Test side (Wasim Jaffer), is not in the reckoning for either side;- Wj was given a good run, no room for hm • That the most prolific batsman in Indian domestic cricket over the last two years, who is still only 22 and who is probably, simply on technique, the batsman most likely to successfully replace Dravid in the Test line-up (Cheteshwar Pujara), has not been given a chance, probably because he doesn’t have the game yet to play that dazzling little cameo in a high-profile IPL game;- fair point, but again, no room. • That the most prolific batsman in Indian domestic cricket over the past three years, who has been knocking at Indian doors more persistently than most, and who has the game that is most likely to replicate Dravid’s in a one-day context (Subramaniam Badrinath) is somehow constantly superseded by the latest 19-year old; • That the most naturally gifted young Indian batsman (Rohit Sharma), has after two years on the international stage still not managed to convert that talent into consistent performance; - no ones fault but his own, he'll be back too good not to • That the best all-rounder in Indian cricket, who was man-of-the-match in the historic Test win at Perth less than two years ago (Irfan Pathan) doesn’t even find himself in the list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy; again good point, that was daftand • That the highest run-getter (Dinesh Karthik) and highest wicket-taker (R.P. Singh) in our historic Test series win in England in 2007 are unable to hold their place in the side for longer than 2 or 3 games at a stretch; Then surely there is something wrong with the larger picture.

I think I will end up going in a tangent, but the main point is that if players are dropped they need to be given a) valid reasons b) encouragement c) mental help d) technical help e) proper competition. imho, none happens because of which players remain stagnant and demotivated. Just to give one example (again this is just my opinion). Rohit Sharma is a remarkably good front foot player but has 2 flaws a) He doesnt know what to do with deliveries that are a bit wide of off stump (basically doesnt want to leave them). b) He can be lazy getting to the back foot and also sometimes too eager to play shots instead of ducking/leaving. But, whenever I watch him, the problem persists. I think he isnt working on his technique or concentration. He can probably get away with these problems in first class cricket, and if he isnt given proper guidance he will take a lot longer to develop (I am sure he will turn out to be a better player than VVS. He has got too much class in him. But why delay the inevitable?) Then there are others like Badrinath, Jaffer, Murali Kartik, P Patel, etc who are on the fringe. These guys should always be playing meaningful matches. Matches that can give them satisfaction, the motivation to improve, and catapult them into the Indian XI. This can only happen if we play more A tours, play on good pitches and maybe have zonal instead of inter-state cricket, more international players playing the Ranji cricket, etc. Also, we need to develop a player ranking system which will rank players on multiple dimensions (this will eliminate doubts as to who really has performed well, and also serve as a guidance to all players). a) A single metric that reflects his overall performance in the season. b) For a batsman, performance against spin/pace, left arm/right arm bowling. Under pressure. In middle overs, against new ball, etc etc. This would involve maintaining lots of statistics and even ball-by-ball data of each match. Maybe even video highlights. All of this will help a lot, but I am sure nothing will happen.

[Params7]

"So my problem is not simply with the selection of Kohli – under certain parameters, that selection makes sense. It is that the system within which that selection operates makes it almost certain that Kohli will go the way of these others. " tl:dr version. The entire article is a great read though. I want to hurt Kris Srikkanth.