A new order, on the wings of expectation

Jagmohan Dalmiya no longer runs Indian cricket. He has some fine qualities and even if grace isn’t one of them he was unquestionably Indian. He was not afraid of antagonising people, sometimes he might have invited it, but he fought some good wars for Indian cricket. But like most chiefs, he preferred supreme power and consequently in his regime, the inability to have an opinion or being amenable to pressure, became a qualification for high office. Most giants like the company of dwarfs.

The new team carries new expectations. There are within its fold, men of vision, some able lieutenants and some manipulators. Their genuine test will come in putting personal ambition and occasional vendetta behind them and focusing on providing the best possible support to Indian cricket. Others come to power in India recently have made a mad dash to occupy houses and fight on the streets!! They need to be providers and it is in playing that role that they will become performers.

For a start they can look at the deplorable itinerary that India’s cricketers have been provided. Between the last of seven one-dayers against Sri Lanka and the first of five against South Africa they had no more than three days — only one if you take away the travel. That is also the number of days they have between the end of the one-dayers and the start of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Worse lies in store. India reach Pakistan on January 2, play a two-day (yes two-day!) warm up match the next day and head straight into the first Test. That is not much help if you want to win a series. It is though, if you want to milk them for the Asia Cup that follows immediately thereafter.

They can look at the men who pick teams. Selectors have to be conscientious, men of conviction, and must always put the team ahead of the individual. The last time the selection committee those virtues were in very short supply. Three yes men tried to do much harm to Indian cricket.

Selectors also need to be aware of what is happening in Indian cricket to be able to, as the lawyers say, “apply their mind” and look beyond mere numbers, state loyalties and show-biz images. I don’t know, for example, whether Bhupinder Singh (sr) and Ranjib Biswal, both decent first class cricketers for a while, have watched or followed our cricket closely. They might have, but again they might not have and there doesn’t seem to have been enough time to check that out.

The good thing though is the return of one of our best selectors, and a good man, Sanjay Jagdale.

Among other things there are marketing and sponsorship issues to resolve, on both counts there is a need to forge partnerships, and the occasionally bizarre rotation system to improve upon. Just as player and team rankings have a lot of factors built into them, so too can itineraries. A simple programme that factors in things like intense heat and rainfall, distance from closest airport, the quality of accommodation and pitches and the size of the stadium can help draw up better tour programmes.

A final word though on what happened in Kolkata. I have rarely been as disheartened for a city with a reputation let itself down badly. I fear this trend of agitating for a particular player, of creating an us-and-them situation, is extremely dangerous. Where was reason, where was caution, where was class?

Rahul Dravid’s dignified but strong comments must hurt, but I am not sure they will. Sadly, as a result of this paranoia, Sourav Ganguly will walk out to bat at Chennai with a lot of people hoping he fails. That is the sad, but inevitable, situation that Kolkata brings upon itself and the man they try to promote but actually endanger.