India8217;s biggest problem is Azhar 8212; Imran

The team went to pieces when it realised that Sachin Tendullkar would not play the match against Zimbabwe and from then, on it was a definite hurtle downhill.

The one person who could have made a difference to the morale of the team was the captain. But he had his own ghosts to fight and in the end, it was the case of the blind leading the blind.

SUBSTANDARD SQUAD: Here, on the world stage, with every cricketing nation of repute on view, it is becoming increasingly evident even to the die-hard Indian fan that the super stars created by the media and nurtured by the ever-increasing fan club, are not a patch onthe top cricketing nations.

If the loss to South Africa showed that India did not have it in them to ambush a crack outfit, the loss to Zimbabwe was alarming. It stripped the Indian team and its players of their pretensions and proved that they simply did not have either the ability or the mental toughness to win.

Henry Olonga, who right through the match was the butt of jokes at the ground, showed in the end that he was far more resilient than the so-called experienced Javagal Srinath, Robin Singh, Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad.

They, along with skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajit Agarkar, Nayan Mongia and Sadagoppan Ramesh are the culprits of the debacle.

Azharuddin has been the worst of the lot. This blue-eyed boy of BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur is beyond the age when he can win a match on his own. He is heavily dependent on others. But he himself does nothing in that direction as his captaincy reeks of only illogical moves. How anybody could have persisted with Ajit Agarkar who was beinghit around the park is beyond comprehension. Further, his set piece moves prevented Saurav Ganguly, who bowled well 5-0-22-1, from sending down his complete quota of overs. Also, his inability to speed up the overrate was unpardonable. Perhaps the skipper was totally unaware of the penalty clause.

EXTRA EFFORT: While at it, the Indian management should also explain how they conceded 51 extras after all their conditioning camp, nets, practise, planning, etc.

Yesterday, after the match, the conclusion was the Indian players could not bat, bowl or field and that their captain was clueless The team8217;s supporters here in Leicester voiced their disgust in no uncertain terms.

Perhaps the best comment came from Imran Khan in his World Cup report: 8220;India8217;s biggest problem is their captain. Can you imagine the plight of Agarkar. If he wants advice, he has to turn to a skipper whose face and body language show he is incapable of solving his own problems, let alone anybody else8217;s.8221;

Meanwhile, witheach match, India8217;s hopes of a Super Six berth is receding further. Of course, they have an outside chance win all three remaining games and hope to squeeze through on quotient. But if the manner in which they shaped against Zimbabwe is any pointer, any win in this tournament must be seen as a miracle.