Will Sourav Ganguly be India's coach following conclusion of Australia tour?
Asia Cup 2018 is in full swing. In fact, it has entered the Super-four stage and India has already qualified for the finals. They are waiting for the winner of the Bangladesh vs Pakistan match tomorrow to find out who their opponent in the finals will be. Naturally, Indian fans are elated and excited about the prospect of India winning the Asia Cup for the 7th time. Given the tremendous form that India have displayed in the tournament, they are expected to run away with the title easily.
However, unfortunately, all the celebration and excitement from India's Asia Cup performance serves to cover-up their dismal performance in the recently concluded Test and ODI series in England. Given that the World Cup next year is in England, it's India's performance in non-subcontinent conditions that should hold more weight in determining how their preparation for the World Cup is coming along.
At the beginning of this year, India's head coach, Ravi Shastri, had suggested that India's performance in the overseas tours of South Africa, England, and Australia - all in 2018 - would be critical in assessing the team's progress.
So, notwithstanding India's dominating performance against relatively weaker opposition on sub-continent like pitches, let's remind ourselves of how they have performed so far this year until the Asia Cup.
The South Africa series
India started the year filled with optimism and confidence. After winning the series against Sri Lanka at home, coach Shastri was so confident of the team's abilities that he decided to shun an opportunity to send some of India's Test players, a few days ahead of schedule, to South Africa to get themselves acclimatized to the conditions there prior to the first Test.
In fact, the coach and captain's confidence was so complete that they turned down an opportunity to play a four-day match in South Africa to prepare the team for the first Test. The result after two Tests was a convincing 2-0 lead for South Africa. India's win in the dead-rubber somewhat consoled the damaged egos of the captain and the coach.
In fact, Ravi Shastri, even after the series loss refused to concede that lack of preparation was the reason India lost the series. Moreover, India's 5-1 win in the ODI series, against an injury-depleted and uninterested South African side, gave a false sense of renewed confidence to the team and the coach.
The England series
India's next major assignment was the tour of England. Once again, buoyed by India's performance in the ODI series in South Africa, coach Shastri and captain Kohli shunned practice matches and announced to the world that India considers playing in England akin to playing at home - presumably due to their substantial fan base in England.
Unfortunately, the England experience turned out to be even more painful. India lost the ODI series 2-1 and the Test series 4-1. Remarkably, the captain and coach weren't the least perturbed by the loss. They suggested that the Test series was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested and that they were satisfied with the team's performance. Imagine this, after setting a goal to win the series, the coach and captain tried to convince everyone that a 4-1 series loss was something to be proud of and a sign of progress!
Now, following a possible win in the Asia Cup and a series win at home against the West Indies, India will embark on their toughest tour of the year - to Australia - full of confidence and a belief to win, but precious little to show for.
By now, Team India's poor performance overseas and coach Shastri's poor handling of the team on and off the field must have raised some eyebrows among the team's hierarchy. India's failure in Australia may be the final straw that breaks the camel's back.
Despite Kohli's support, Shastri may not be able to save his job as head coach. To salvage India's chances of winning the World Cup, upper management will then seek to replace him with someone that is level-headed, highly competent, ready to step into the job from day one, respected by the players, and driven to inspire the team to perform to their potential.
There is no question that this Indian team has a mix of highly motivated and skilled young and experienced players who are capable of winning the World Cup. What they need is the right man to guide them. The one person that is a perfect fit for that job is former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Expect him to be Ravi Shastri's replacement by the end of the Australia tour.