Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.
Mr. Chappell, stop experimenting…….
The time to honour the Indians as world cup contenders is over, and with the tournament just four months away, a big reality check is needed. The match against Australia clearly proved that the think tank is clearly short of ideas and is finding solace only in experimentation. Yes, experimentation lost us the match and the chance to reclaim the Champions trophy.
Clearly the decision to send Mongia to bat at number 3 was a blunder. When Tendulkar departed, the Indians were scoring at 5 an over and against teams like Australia you need to maintain that to post a good total. The momentum was all theirs to lose. And lose they did. Why send in a batsman, who you can’t say is in great form, who would surely feel the big match pressure, especially when you have arguably the world’s best bat at no.3, Dravid and also another run grafter in Kaif in the side, both capable of scoring at a run a ball. Mongia groped away for runs and the kangaroos were able to get their bowling back into rhythm and strangle the Indians beyond recovery.
True you had to play Mongia when Yuvraj was out and playing him also meant that we played a spin bowling batsman, in place of Romesh Powar. I am not getting into the selection issues, because I sincerely think that they got this one right, but, and that’s a big but, time has passed rather too quickly for Greg sir.
It has been more than a year that Chappell took over the reins of the side against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka last year, and since then the experimentation hasn’t stopped. True, two years before the world cup, you should begin to identify players who are going to try and win the cup for you, and test them at various positions. It seems more and more to me that the Indian think tank is applying Liverpool’s manager Rafael Benitez’s approach of changing and chopping the side every game. For your information, Rafael hasn’t started with the same team in 99 consecutive matches.
Voices were already raised when the team didn’t win in the Windies this year, that the players were quite insecure that no fixed position has been given to them. And believe me its true. Just by saying the role of each player is clearly defined and communicated by the evening before the match is just not enough. It may be so for the Australians but Greg has to realize that he is coaching India.
Comparisons are imminent, so let me make one too. Its not that John Wright and Sourav Ganguly didn’t gamble at all, but they did stop it right before the world cup and the players were quite settled into their roles during the tournament. Dravid and guru Greg have just carried things too far.
Sure the team is plagued by other worries as well, bowling, fielding et all. But concentrating on our so called strength would make it possible to set up totals & defend them, plus give the confidence to chase the targets. I am sure the selectors have identified the core which will be going to the world cup, its time their roles were made more clear and please oh please stop this experimentation.
With 15 ODIs against South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies in the run up to the world cup, there is still cause for hope. After all, with regards to cricket, isn’t that what we do?
Mr. Chappell, stop experimenting…….
The time to honour the Indians as world cup contenders is over, and with the tournament just four months away, a big reality check is needed. The match against Australia clearly proved that the think tank is clearly short of ideas and is finding solace only in experimentation. Yes, experimentation lost us the match and the chance to reclaim the Champions trophy.
Clearly the decision to send Mongia to bat at number 3 was a blunder. When Tendulkar departed, the Indians were scoring at 5 an over and against teams like Australia you need to maintain that to post a good total. The momentum was all theirs to lose. And lose they did. Why send in a batsman, who you can’t say is in great form, who would surely feel the big match pressure, especially when you have arguably the world’s best bat at no.3, Dravid and also another run grafter in Kaif in the side, both capable of scoring at a run a ball. Mongia groped away for runs and the kangaroos were able to get their bowling back into rhythm and strangle the Indians beyond recovery.
True you had to play Mongia when Yuvraj was out and playing him also meant that we played a spin bowling batsman, in place of Romesh Powar. I am not getting into the selection issues, because I sincerely think that they got this one right, but, and that’s a big but, time has passed rather too quickly for Greg sir.
It has been more than a year that Chappell took over the reins of the side against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka last year, and since then the experimentation hasn’t stopped. True, two years before the world cup, you should begin to identify players who are going to try and win the cup for you, and test them at various positions. It seems more and more to me that the Indian think tank is applying Liverpool’s manager Rafael Benitez’s approach of changing and chopping the side every game. For your information, Rafael hasn’t started with the same team in 99 consecutive matches.
Voices were already raised when the team didn’t win in the Windies this year, that the players were quite insecure that no fixed position has been given to them. And believe me its true. Just by saying the role of each player is clearly defined and communicated by the evening before the match is just not enough. It may be so for the Australians but Greg has to realize that he is coaching India.
Comparisons are imminent, so let me make one too. Its not that John Wright and Sourav Ganguly didn’t gamble at all, but they did stop it right before the world cup and the players were quite settled into their roles during the tournament. Dravid and guru Greg have just carried things too far.
Sure the team is plagued by other worries as well, bowling, fielding et all. But concentrating on our so called strength would make it possible to set up totals & defend them, plus give the confidence to chase the targets. I am sure the selectors have identified the core which will be going to the world cup, its time their roles were made more clear and please oh please stop this experimentation.
With 15 ODIs against South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies in the run up to the world cup, there is still cause for hope. After all, with regards to cricket, isn’t that what we do?
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