India vs England ODI Series: What Happens Now?

The test matches have ended, but the test has not. After a humiliating 4-0 whitewash by the English team, a broken team India looks to salvage some pride in the upcoming ODI series. The Indian emerging side, on the other hand, has managed to win their tournament down under quite conclusively. While the seniors of the team look to Anna Hazare for fitness tips, the young guns (emerging side) have impressed with their technique and temperament. The Indian cricket team finds itself in a position where the Aussies were a few years ago. It’s the end of an era of greats and we have to be careful with the ushering in of the new generation. On the cusp of a new era, there needs to be careful planning to avoid a complete downfall.

Tell me, with all your conviction; what happens now?

- Porcupine Tree

The bone of contention lies actually in the bones (read hamstring, ear, shoulder, brains) of the players. What was Sehwag thinking? Scoring a paltry 40 something in 4 innings wasn’t exactly the return he was hoping for. I wonder how he injures himself considering the fact that he doesn’t move his feet while at the crease and avoids singles as a rule. Sorry Viru, but honesty doesn’t come with drinking gallons of milk. The player is the best judge of his fitness and must not play until he feels he is fit enough to do so. There is no point in blaming the foreign physios when the player isn’t being honest. Players who lie about their fitness should be penalized with some amount of their match fee (if not banned). While tight scheduling has to be blamed, it’s not the only aspect to be blamed. It’s hard to remember even a single consistent Indian pacer in recent times. They should have ‘fragile’ stickers on them. More than a compulsion towards the team, it should be a player’s personal duty to stay fit whether during the playing season or not.

The likes of Rahane and Manoj Tiwary have proved that all hope is not lost. It’s high time though that these boys are started to be given opportunities outside the IPL. The Indian team, especially the test side, in on the verge of a major facelift as Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman etc. are set to retire in a couple of years. The important thing to be done now is to gradually phase out these veterans and not overwhelm the team by their simultaneous absence. The young guns should be given opportunities outside of India on seaming, bouncy tracks in order to improve their game and not to do a Raina when finally called upon. More India A tours outside of the sub continent should be arranged and a bit more faith has to be invested in these young talents.

The pitches in India are as flat as Manmohan Singh’s speeches. It’s completely logical of Dravid to be irate with the board when he gets chosen for the ODI squad overseas but not in India. Someone like a Murali Vijay can pile on runs in India and not get past double figures on foreign pitches. True story. Pitches here have to be improved in order to challenge batsmen. Batsmen here can hit through the line without worrying about lateral movement. They are then pushed into new territory where the ball whizzes past their noses and they can’t survive without footwork. You can’t change the inherent nature of the pitches but some aspects can be changed to accommodate swing and bounce. The BCCI should allow a certain level of autonomy to the curators. They should not be bullied into preparing flat pitches to ensure high scoring matching and thereby, increasing ticket sales.

It’s been a horrid tenure so far for Duncan Fletcher. The support staff has to be more involved with the team and needs to be able to help the players. Eric Simons for instance, would not be of much help to the weakening spin department. Politicians’ holding eminent positions in selection bodies is a disgrace. The recent favouring of Vilasrao Deshmukh over Dilip Vengsarkar is one such case. It’s high time the BCCI stops commodification of players and makes more humane schedules. Commercialization is an inevitable part of sport but the board can’t compromise the quality of cricket. It has to earn both money and respect.

In conclusion, it’s not the end of Indian cricket (don’t be stupid enough to suggest that). Just a bit of re-structuring and oiling up of the parts is all that is needed. Maintaining high fitness levels, having more tier two team tours; having specialized coaches for different disciplines, ex-players in offices; better pitches and more exposure. And yeah, Gambhir is likely to be fit for the ODIs.

P.S. BCCI – Please don’t ruin Aaron. Thank you.