First find the cat you want to bell

One really can8217;t blame them. This seems to be the only game that could possibly bring back international laurels. Indians rank nowhere in other disciplines 8212; be it hockey or football, basketball or just name it. Maybe only kabaddi! Mind you, I am not talking about individual games.

So it8217;s down to kabaddi.

Who could be held responsible for this catastrophe? The team was virtually considered the best ever, well balanced, great mix of experience and young blood and bubbling with confidence. Many declared Team India as sure-shot semi-finalists, if not finalists before landing in the West Indies.

Add to that the hype created by the electronic media and the corporates. In the middle, there was little knowledge of the fickleness of Indian cricket, its8217; 8216;glorious8217; uncertainties, and the dubious and disastrous records overseas. They badly wanted some recognition abroad, just once in a blue moon perhaps. Ironically, the players always wear blue. These corporate head honchos have learnt their lessons the hard way, though at the cost of the public and their shareholders.

Post-mortem analyses are on. There will be committees and sub-committees appointed, and all these reports will find their way into some cold storage, away from reality. We are damn good at it. It is presumed that many heads will roll and scapegoats will be found.

Who will get the blame? Will it be the captain, who is said to be as good as his team, or the foreign coach, or the chairman of the selection committee, or those old guards in the team? Some even say that the president of BCCI should resign like Pakistan Cricket Board chief did Naseem Ashraf8217;s resignation, was, though, asked to be withdrawn. In India, though, we don8217;t have such practices, we don8217;t accept responsibility.

As a former captain, a cricketing manager for nearly four and-a-half years and as former chairman of the selection committee too, I would know how the democratic system works in Indian cricket and about the meaningless reports and enquiries which take place after each debacle.

The writing was there on the wall just a year back when this star-studded India team visited the West Indies and was beaten 1-4, a humiliating defeat at the hands of a young and inexperienced West Indians. They had none, barring a few like Brian Lara or Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

The team might have won few series thereafter, but remember all these were on home and sub-continental wickets. The corrective methods could have been taken immediately, there and then.

If Greg Chappell was appointed especially for this ninth World Cup, he should have been given a free hand right from the start, to experiment, develop the team into a real combative unit, quite like his illustrious countrymen.

If Chappell found the Indians entirely different from the Aussies culturally, psychologically, physically or otherwise, he should have been given some support from a past cricketer of repute who has gone through all the grills, instead of sending an administrative manager of less calibre who is no better than just a worthy voter.

Don8217;t the West Indies have Clive Lloyd as a consultant? In the process, Mr Chappell must have lost his precious little attention on fielding which is the key to success if the team has to excel in the one-dayers.

And what wrong could Dravid, the most reliable Wall and captain, could have done if the team failed him so? He is not a calculative, conniving, bad guy. He might have appeared to many of his players as a loner, reserved, non-communicative, but he is improving with experience day-by-day, and also getting assertive and aggressive. It8217;s the coach who should have helped him in the matter. Dravid should have been talking to the players more often, taking them into confidence while planning strategy and execution.

Who is the player to replace him at the moment? Tendulkar, a living legend, has never shown any inclination or the will to lead India. Ganguly, coming back is a step backward, though he remains highly motivated with his great comeback. And how many years have both got to remain 100 per cent fit, playing for India day and night? The only alternative could be Yuvraj Singh, young, dashing and experienced. But then he is prone to injuries and greed for the glare. He has to get over it as quickly as possible.

Dilip Vengsarkar has just taken over as the chairman of the selection committee. He is the only Indian to have scored three consecutive centuries in the Tests at Lord8217;s. His tremendous experience will provide a great succour to Indian cricket in future. And if one thinks of chopping him off for no fault of his, where is the replacement? Is it Bhupendra Singh from Orissa, or such from other zones who we have not heard of?

Same is the case with the president of BCCI, though he has his cup filled as a Union Minister. He has been there for only two years and has entered with a lot of promises. He needs time understand the age-old problems so deeply rooted in the system. He is the person who can make the Board richer and can ensure it8217;s investment go for the betterment of the game. He needs the long rope he desires.

Do we also have any replacements for Tendulkar or Ganguly at the moment? The immediate casualty is Anil Kumble, the greatest leggie and the fighter to core. Yes, we can discuss that in the next column and more about the basics and the systems too, if at all the BCCI is to look to the bright future.