Tour Diaries: The real test for Team India

Gautam Gambhir doesn’t have runs to warrant a spot

“Captain Cool, Captain Courageous” echoed the entire nation after a historic triumph by MS Dhoni and Co. in the Cricket World Cup 2011, ending a 28-year hiatus. It was a season where Dhoni couldn’t put a foot wrong as he toppled Sourav Ganguly to become India’s most decorated captain. Cut to 2014 and Indian cricket is back to the 90′s. Having failed to secure a win in their last two away series, MSD’s captaincy and Duncan Fletcher’s vision have come under heavy scrutiny with former cricketers calling for their heads, some even labelling their approach as “obnoxious”.

Questions are raised: are MS Dhoni and Fletcher really at fault, or have the selectors got it wrong? Neither is there an unanimous conclusion over India’s slump nor is there an end to this debatable blame game. From an individual point of view, the fast diminishing talented pool of cricketers has contributed to the debacle of the current world champions.

As a batting unit, seeing the new cherry off has been a real cause for concern in the last couple of series. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay have failed to forge partnerships, with the latter’s individual form not being great either. With Gambhir struggling for form and the promising Vijay Zol’s cricketing career in its adolescence, there is no one who is constantly knocking on the selectors’ doors. Unmukt Chand, who was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, has found runs hard to come by on a consistent basis. Having snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals for this edition of the IPL, Indian fans would be hoping that Chand, like Ajinkya Rahane, takes massive strides and improves under the mentorship of Rahul Dravid.

Ashwin (L) and Ojha – The spinners’ conundrum

The bowling department, mainly the spinners, have been under the gun for their dismal performances away from home. Ravichandran Ashwin has failed to replicate his ‘home’ form, looking completely out of sorts on the road. The persistance with Ashwin highlights the fact that the there is a drought of off-spinners; the only fall-back option available is Harbhajan Singh, whose current form is at an all time low. Ravindra Jadeja‘s role in the Test team is still unclear. His contribution with the bat has been ordinary, and lacks the ability to fill the all-rounder’s role.

Pragyan Ojha’s exclusion from the playing 11 is baffling, given the fact that he has been India’s premier spinner over the last 12 months. Amit Mishra has been restricted to the role of a fringe player and has flattered to deceive ever since his impressive series against the Aussies. Iqbal Abdullah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhargav Bhatt and Mohnish Parmar have all faded away. Indian colts star Kuldeep Yadav has all the qualities to become a world class bowler and needs to be looked after by the coaches and the cricket board.

The IPL was conceptualized and launched with a view of nurturing young talent by allowing them to rub shoulders with international players. It is time the authorities sit back and assess the objectives of the tournament and reintroduce the original guidelines: fielding two U-23 and two domestic players in the starting lineup, which would lead to the players’ development and eventually arrest the fast fading bench strength of Team India.