Forget nepotism, national interest has to be foremost

Panic-stricken Indian cricketers gave another exhibition of throwing away advantage gained in a nail-biting match against Zimbabwe. While...

Panic-stricken Indian cricketers gave another exhibition of throwing away advantage gained in a nail-biting match against Zimbabwe. While watching India8217;s match on television, I alternated to see the South Africa-Sri Lanka tie to keep up with the scores. What a sharp contrast the pictures from both these games provided. Whereas India looked weighed down with the responsibility of winning amid the fear of losing, both the South Africans and Sri Lankans were fighting tooth and nail to retain the upper hand.

The Indian team, bowlers in particular, continued the indiscipline shown in the earlier game. Frustratingly, they even improved upon their previous worst. When you gift 51 runs as extras you are simply careless in your approach. It is a matter of great worry that the virtues of length and line are almost non-existent among India8217;s frontline bowlers. Cricket is a mind game, a battle of wits at the highest level, and it is apparent that India8217;s think tank has not provided any solutions to this persistingproblem.

Barry Richards commented last week that India8217;s cricketers played more for personal glory and not for the team. It is an unenviable quality that needs to be uprooted right from the basic level. A well-set batsman like Ramesh, despite being calmed down by Jadeja, ignored the team situation after scoring his fifty, and played a reckless shot. This calls for a severe reprimand. There seems to be no game plan or astute field placings 8212; that is thought-provoking. The loss of nerves at crucial times in both the games have cost India four points, a huge loss of confidence and self-belief among players.

My heartfelt sympathies to Sachin and his family. His possible return may pave way for a resurgence of the Indian team that needs to win all the three remaining matches and above all enjoy the game to play to the full potential. The reserves in the team must get an opportunity to prove themselves before it is too late.

In cricket, you have to make your own luck. Meticulous field placings, radar-likeaccurate bowling and calculated lofted shots do not happen as a mere coincidence. There is too much mediocrity floating at the top of Indian cricket. The system of promoting players needs to be revamped totally. The feeling I get is India do not function as a team and that is their first hurdle. Nepotism has to be a matter of the past and national interest has to be foremost.