Selectors played a planned game to oust Dravid

[DesiChap]

Posted on Oct 29, 2007 at 12 : 24 | Updated Oct 29, 2007 at 15:14 - Sandeep Patil The National selectors have played a 'planned game'. The manner in which they have dumped a devoted cricketer like Rahul Dravid only reflects the degeneration that has come to dominate Indian cricket on and off the field. I feel very sad at the treatment given to Rahul. Captain of the team a few months ago, he relinquished the responsibility for reasons he has not disclosed but it is not difficult to understand the game now. Someday we would learn the truth because Indian cricket deserves to know why someone like Rahul, who played his cricket most selflessly, is being treated so shabbily. What is worse is that this ugly episode involves a dear friend of mine. I fail to understand how come a batsman who always played with a straight bat is now indulging in cross-batted stuff. It will be wrong to blame Dilip Vengsarkar alone for the decision because four others also have agreed to this illogical step. Let us take a little peep into the recent past. We were told that Virender Sehwag was in the Indian team for the World Cup only because Rahul insisted on his inclusion. That means the selectors did not want to pick Sehwag. Now the same Sehwag has been picked, at the cost of Rahul. Something is wrong somewhere. The selectors talk of a rotation policy. How come we have six openers in this team and how do you fit them in the XI even if you happen to be the most flexible combination. Sometime ago we were told that the three seniors - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - can't be replaced. Very true, they can't be replaced. But the first step to replace them has been taken. One down, two to go. The very process stinks. Rahul is sacrificed to accommodate an all-rounder/opener. Pray, tell me what is going on. There is a limit to inconsistency. Where do youngsters like S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary figure in this scheme of things. There is such insecurity among the players I don't know really know how they would give their best, whenever they earn their chance to play. Now I can understand why Rahul appeared so different during the series against Australia. He was under tremendous pressure and I suspect he is a victim of a conspiracy. I am not speaking against any individual but in the team's interest the selectors should have been sensitive when dealing with a stalwart like Rahul. Rahul is no ordinary cricketer. He has always commanded his place in the team and it is very uncharitable to question his utility in the One-Day squad. He needed to be backed. Have they spared a thought to the stature he enjoys in Indian cricket? Have they spared a thought to his awesome contribution to Indian cricket? He has been humiliated and that saddens me most. Rahul has not been handled properly by this selection committee. My protest is not against Vengsarkar but against the decision. It is indeed amazing that the selectors have excluded Rahul before a tough series against Pakistan. I am sure the Pakistan team must be relieved at not having to worry about Rahul coming out at No. 3. This great batsman was not even given his No. 3 slot by this team management even though Rahul may have created problems for himself by sparing the No. 2 slot to others when he was the captain. If I had the choice, I would have played Rahul at No. 3. After all, he has failed only in one series. I had earlier supported the idea that Sharad Pawar, as BCCI president, should not interfere in selection matters. I would revise my decision now and recall how once NKP Salve, as then BCCI president, had intervened and influenced the selectors to include Sunil Gavaskar after he had been dropped. I had written earlier that we do not treat our heroes well. My friends, I am sure you must be convinced now after seeing the humiliation that Rahul Dravid has had to suffer from this selection committee, which I am very sorry, lacks in stature to take such a decision.

[Online]

well said :appl:

[yoda]

Sandeep Patil is as removed from selection internal details as you or me. This is all speculation on his part. But it does seem like Vengy is doing a tit-for-tat for RD sticking out for Sehwag earlier (against Vengsarkar's wishes) and then relinquishing captaincy abruptly.

[coffee_rules]

There were similar articles when Ganguly was dropped too. So, any senior gets dropped, the ex-players cry out the same tune. Only this time there will not be any ruckus in the parliament or assembly. or no effigies will be burnt, and most definitely the Indian team will not be "booed" by a home crowd. What sorry ass fans of Ganguly in Kolkata....

[dial_100]

I have no words. The way his game has fallen just in few weeks clearly says that something really happened under the table. Heck we wouldn't know that anyway. We need to drop him, then do so but treat him well. We did it with Kumble many a times, Gangs once, now with dravid, next is SRT. Pathetic. :angry_smile:

[beetle]

The very fact that he was not made to play challenger means that Vengsarkar didn't want to pick him in the first place.....and he made sure that he didn't get a chance to come back to form. Don't be surprised if this small pathetic chief selector tries his best to edge him out of the test team too...... From what I have heard ...this sick %#^^ was a selfish player and he continues to be a petty small person.

[fineleg]

The very fact that he was not made to play challenger means that Vengsarkar didn't want to pick him in the first place.....and he made sure that he didn't get a chance to come back to form. Don't be surprised if this small pathetic chief selector tries his best to edge him out of the test team too...... From what I have heard ...this sick %#^^ was a selfish player and he continues to be a petty small person.

Vengcircus is a shame to the selection establishment.

[Chandan]

I have no words. The way his game has fallen just in few weeks clearly says that something really happened under the table. Heck we wouldn't know that anyway. We need to drop him, then do so but treat him well. We did it with Kumble many a times, Gangs once, now with dravid, next is SRT. Pathetic. :angry_smile:

Weren't Sachin and Ganguly dropped for the Bangaladesh ODI series earlier this year?? They were given time to regroup and think about their limited version game and both returned with a bang at Belfast. Let us hope that Dravid does so too. Why are we so quick to write the obituaries as soon as a senior player is dropped? This is the team just for the first two ODIs, for heaven's sake!!

[beetle]

Let's not kid ourselves chandan. With the kind of relationship that vencircus has had in the recent past ...it is quite clear it was all planned .No one says he shouldn't have been rested...but shouldn't he have been given a chance to perform in the challenger matches? Vengsarkar apparently didn't even inform dravid ... because the creep is still smarting from dravid's resignation that was sent directly to pawar. I hope the ass gets hit by a train.

[fineleg]

Vengcircus is a 'veng'eful guy.

[beetle]

Vengcircus is a 'veng'eful guy.

Good one....:D

[fineleg]

I hope Dravid comes back strong despite this cunning foxcircus

[Chandan]

I just hope that it is not true, Radhika because we had heard all sorts of rumours even after WC, all of which turned out to be untrue. I hope Dravid regroups, clears his mind and returns with a bang. However I'd not have minded a bit if Vengsarkar had treated the other two seniors also like Dravid, at least for this ODI series. We have to play 26 tests in next 15 months and these batsmen need to play all, of those. And for that, they need a complete break from ODIs. And when on earth are we going to see how the younger generation responds when none of the seniors are there, at least in ODIs?

[Guest Hiten.]

holy crap... get out over it dude. Indian media has nothing better to cover than cricket. RD dropped due to PATHETIC show in past 2 ODI series. You wanted BCCI to work like Aus Cricket Board, there you've got it, stfu (directed towards: Indian Media, former cricketers). IMO, BCCI has taken a gutsy step by dropping Dravid and looking beyond him.

[fineleg]

Dravid is too much of a gentleman. If he decides to opt out of the full Aus tour, then that will send a shiver through Vengcircus. But he probably wont do it. He may be tempted though. Without the assuraning strokeplay of Dravid in Aus, things may get "interesting" for DB Vengeful-circus.

[Chandan]

Instead of indulging in too many conspiracy theories, can we just say that Dravid has been handled roughly by selectors? Instead of using the word "dropped" they could have used "rested" and refrained from adding additional sentences, Afterall, they had rested Sachin and Ganguly too in May. I liked Prem Panicker's analysis of the selection :

At this stage Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir are the middle-order batsmen, and waiting in the wings are Manoj Tiwari, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma. So we have a lot of options.

Of all the funny lines in an interview that is more stand up comedy than anything else, this one takes the biscuit. The esteemed chairman of selectors must have had his mind on other things while he was giving it—else how explain his bizarre statement that Rohit Sharma is “waiting in the wingsâ€; a comment made immediately after his committee picked young Sharma for the team? Vengsarkar says selectors must have the courage of their convictions—and that is one statement no one will dispute. The question left answered is, do you and your committee have any convictions? I wish the interviewer had thought to ask, because the answer is not readily apparent from the latest selection exercise. Keep in mind that this team is being picked for just two one day games; home games, what is more, which means additional players are on tap, just a couple of hours flying time away. From that perspective, what kind of balanced composition do you want? I would submit that a good team would break down thus: Three openers, from which you can pick two; five bowlers, from which you can pick four; at least one all rounder; two, if you have identified more than one, from which at least one will play; and five middle order batsmen, from which you will want to pick four. That is a 15 member squad from which you will pick 11; on the bench will be one reserve opener, one bowler, one middle order batsman and ideally, one all rounder who can be slotted into the team in various positions should the need arise. Against that, check out the break up of the team Vengsarkar and his merry men managed to pick: Five bowlers from which you will pick four; one all rounder who you will play willy nilly; three middle order batsman from which you have to pick four; and six opening batsmen from which you will pick two. Or put differently, the selectors expect the team management to pick both Tendulkar and Saurav to open (Tendulkar will not bat anywhere else, and it is a tenet of Indian cricket that his feelings are of paramount importance; and Ganguly cannot bat anywhere else anyway), and then shoe-horn the remaining players into various gaps in the batting order. Vengsarkar has said, famously, that there is no talent in the country; he has on another occasion suggested there are no left arm spinners in the country; the only construction to be put on his latest actions is that there are no middle order batsmen, either. Weird. The purpose of the Challengers is—or should be—to bring the best available talent in the country onto one platform, to give the selectors a comprehensive sampler to pick from. If, then, the Challengers formed the basis of this particular pick, how explain a couple of things: (1) The dropping of a middle order batsman in Rahul Dravid in preference to an opening batsman in Sehwag, and (2) The gratuitous addition of yet another opening batsman, in Praveen Kumar, in preference to in-form middle order options like Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary and others? “Courage", it certainly took to produce this particular selection exercise; but where lies the “convictionâ€? Vengsarkar’s argument is that Gambhir, Uthappa, Sehwag and such have all batted in the middle order. Sure, and by that logic, the tyro Praveen Kumar will happily bat at number 11 if you ask him to—but the question is, what kind of conviction, what sort of vision, prefers to pick openers (Gambhir, who Vengsarkar casually lists in the middle order, was picked by this same committee as first choice opener in T20) and shoe-horn them into other positions, rather than pick players who are temperamentally suited to those positions in the first place? This particular selection gives the impression that the selectors knew who they wanted to pick (and drop) and just went ahead with it, leaving it up to the team management to sort it all out later. And that brings up the issue of Rahul Dravid—an issue that is not confined to the sole question of whether he should be picked or not. First up, it is pointless for us to rabbit on about rotation policies, and then to beat our breasts every time a regular member of the side is rotated out of it, so I am not on the same page as some of the knee-jerk “outrage†I read in some media outlets on this one. Resting a player is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. Now see the situation from Dravid’s shoes (Disclaimer: none of what follows is based on anything the player told me): He has played his share of very good one day innings, played his part in some terrific partnerships, and on occasion shepherded the team to fine wins off his bat. But the fact remains that he will be known, lauded, for his Test performances; when his cricketing epitaph is written, his one day deeds will receive passing mention at best. Whether he deserves more as a one day player than such off hand notice is a debate for another day; the point is, that is what he will in fact get. So from the point of view of what is best for him at this point in his career (and none of this is to discount the possibility of his forcing his way back into the side; if he does so, good luck to him), would you not want him to enjoy the personal time he is clearly in need of, while simultaneously working on lifting his Test game to another plane altogether? Tests are to follow against Australia and Pakistan; if Dravid is anywhere near his peak, his could be the contribution that makes the difference to the team, more than any other member of the side. So I am not too sure he needs to fret about what is, stripped off all the emotionalism, an opportunity to rest, recoup, and be at his very best for the long form of the game. That said, there is the larger point of view—while no one will quarrel with any player being dropped, the proviso is that the reason be clear and transparent, and in Dravid’s case it is neither. The word filtering through about the latest selection meeting is that the selectors spent most of their time arguing the case of Sourav Ganguly. By all accounts, three of the selectors including the chairman were of the view that the opener’s recent knocks have been tailored more for his own needs than for that of the team; that he is at a point where he finds himself unable to force the pace, but will not risk trying for fear that a mistake or two, and the resulting low scores, might be used to force him out. If that is in fact Ganguly’s mindset, he is at fault, but so is an administration that does not have the sense, or the heart, to take a player of his seniority and accomplishments aside, and talk to him about what they require of him, and what they feel about his current performance, thus giving him a sense of where he stands in selectoral thinking. Interestingly, judging by the buzz filtering out, both captain MS Dhoni and vice captain Yuvraj Singh, contacted on phone while the selection meeting was in progress, shared this apprehension. So the situation is that the selectors are concerned about Ganguly’s contributions, and dropped Dravid? The only way you can read this is by assuming that the selectors, including the chairman, have no desire to be burnt in effigy, nor to have their funeral rites performed while they are still alive. What makes a silly situation worse is that the selectors, clearly worried about Ganguly, decide to paper over this problem by providing the team with a plethora of opening options—it’s like, look, we picked this bunch, now do with it what you will and if you guys think Ganguly is not cutting the mustard, don’t complain, we’ve given you half a dozen openers, no stint. Fine—but such a proceeding does not make too strong a case for the selectors’ “courageâ€, or “convictionâ€. Sambit Bal argues, with some justice, that Dravid is paying a price for being a team man first and last. A Tendulkar can act like a spoilt brat any time the prized opening slot is taken away from him, and when he is asked to bat in the middle to fill a gap few are as capable as he of filling; a Ganguly who is at this point in his career increasingly ill-suited to any other position will hang on to his place; but a Dravid who voluntarily bats up and down the order depending entirely on the match situation in hand will pay a price for his “lack of consistencyâ€. Pity, but there it is. PS: Apparently, Prem is a big big fan of Dravid. So this analysis might interest you.

[Zap_Brannigan]

First, Noone wants to bat in different slots every single game. Everyone has a fav spot, a comfotable spot which they would like to bat and just cos some open their mouth and some don't, doesn't mean they do it voluntarily or otherwise. Second,Dravid looked indifferent in the aus series. But he shouldn't have been dropped. There are loads of other free-loaders in the side that should have been dropped ahead of Dravid. But when has the selectors made any sense?

[King Tendulkar]

Axing of Dravid is a disgrace!

[beetle]

I have read that article chandan...and what I get from that too is that Dilip vengsarkar had made up his mind about dropping Dravid .... If he wanted him ...he would have asked him to play challenger matches. The fact that he didn't make him play those and then dropped him means only one thing. He wanted him out without giving him a chance to prove himself.

[zubinpepsi]

I have read that article chandan...and what I get from that too is that Dilip vengsarkar had made up his mind about dropping Dravid .... If he wanted him ...he would have asked him to play challenger matches. The fact that he didn't make him play those and then dropped him means only one thing. He wanted him out without giving him a chance to prove himself.

I think Dravid doesnt have prove to anyone . . and morever he doesnt have to play challenger matches to prove his class.. it is good if he has been rested truly.. but reading all these stuffs it seems like vengi's ego is the reason for dravid's resting more than his form.. and also his replacements r wuite pathetic.. if vengi has opted for raina, tiwary or badri it makes more sense.. but he chose to bring shewag which is absolutely ridculous.. i think its high time he shudb given the boot.. but we all know it wont happen .. so have to live with this stupid BCCI..