The ills of Indian Cricket

The Indian cricket team has been under the pump ever since the Boxing Day test at the MCG. Problems have compounded on the Indian captain with each passing day Down Under. Negative field placements, unimaginative team selections, slow over rates, rotation policies etc. – most cricket pundits, commentators and former players have been pointing there guns towards M.S.Dhoni. The latest episode of the Dhoni-Sehwag spat has given some insight into the atmosphere of the dressing room. It isn’t surprising that the showing off the field is in sync with the performance on it – no co-ordination, no bonding and single-mindedness of goal at either side of the boundary line.

While Dhoni needs to take a decent chunk of blame on himself (and to be fair to him, he has done so publically), it is imperative that we should remember that the root cause of such issues is the Indian system. Our nation has always been and will always be proud of its unity and harmony, inculcating diverse faiths, religions and social beliefs. Forces such as religion, class, caste etc. are so deeply engraved in the psyche of our people that they are bound to influence all facets of our lives. The structure of our belief systems is hierarchical in nature; be it in terms of social classification, sects within religions, etc. Their effects show even on the field of cricket. The positives when we are winning and the negatives when we are under the hammer.

Not for a moment, am I suggesting that issues such as class, religion etc. are the reasons in themselves that have an impact on cricket. What I want to drive home is the fact that such forces inculcate in us the negative ideas of ‘otherness’ and ‘differentiation’. These negatives of our culture and social fabric mar our system and the way we function. Cricketers and cricket boards are no different. Especially during tough times, this issue gets exposed. There appears to be factionalism within the team and in the board. What we lack in the Indian system is the single-mindedness of goal or purpose. It was there during the world cup, we won it. I feel, and I can be wrong, that Gary Kirsten recognized the fact that for the Indian team to be at its best there has to be a long term goal for all, the board, the team, the coach and the support staff. He understood the Indian system and more importantly, its short-comings. I’ve been cardinally sinful of harping on the same thing because the Indian social system is peculiar, complex and intricate. The senior-junior issue cannot be the only overwhelming reason for the situation in Indian cricket is in (has been often) because this issue is common to most countries and most cricket teams. Senior-junior divide is also more strongly manifest in the Indian cricket team because it works on the principle of hierarchy and hence, stratification.

Any organization requires an aim, an aim that should be common for all and nothing else besides it. When some players start playing with the intention to fulfill personal agendas and to show that “I am your better”, the rest suffer too. These issues are ‘generally’ not made public and often remain unsaid amongst players. Body language is enough to convey the message. The Indian team’s body language suggested an ill during the test series, the speech of some has cleared whatever little air that remained.

What the Indian team needs, is a good man-manager whose job should be to get the captain and the rest of the team on the same page. Duncan Fletcher, I am afraid might not be the answer. Then there needs to be a communication channel between the team leadership and the selectors/board. Traditionally, it has never has been the case with the Indian team. For starters, these issues need to be recognized, if at all they are to be addressed. Will that ever happen? Or will a good run for the team or a few sparkling individual performances create a euphoria in our country. For very often, it happens so; we choose to let the system be as it is and obfuscate the reality deliberately. We then wait for the next gust of wind to sway along with; go back and forth, swing left and right – not realizing that we’ve gone nowhere.