Should TV commentators play selectors?

Cricket commentators are supposed to describe what is happening on the field. They're meant to describe what happens when bat meets ball ...

Cricket commentators are supposed to describe what is happening on the field. They8217;re meant to describe what happens when bat meets ball and 15 men run around. In the days of radio cricket commentary, the people who commentated seldom played the game and few had represented the country. The best known cricketers-cum-commentators were Pataudi and Bedi, called in to shore up the innings, sorry the commentary.

Since then we have travelled a long way. We have learnt from Australia8217;s Channel 9 that cricketers make better commentators than commentators do cricketers, simply because they have been there in the middle and know what happens in the heat of the moment.

Ever since STAR Sports and ESPN, we have been priveliged ? to watch matches in the company of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kirti Azad, Geoff Boycott, Ian Chappell, Richie Benaud, Michael Holding and many other former international cricketers. Their presence has undoubtedly enriched the pleasure of watching a game.

But sometimes, it seems, they go too far. Take the current example of Azharuddin and the cricket commentators in Sharjah. Almost singlehandedly but collectively, the commentators have been unashamedly promoting the cause of Ajay Jadeja and in the process, without quite saying so, trying to ensure that Azharuddin stays in the pavilion. In their comments on air, in their newspaper columns the next day, people such as Gavaskar, Shastri, Boycott and Chappell have praised Jadeja for almost every move he made as captain of the team. By the end of three successive matches he captained and India won, they were openly supporting his candidature for the captaincy for the World Cup. The team, they said, had been rejuventated under Jadeja, it had a new cohesiveness under Jadeja, it played as one unit under Jadeja, it had received the kiss of life from Jadeja or words to that effect.

Praising Jadeja is fine. But calling for his investiture is another matter especially when it is no secret that Azharuddin has been appointed captain of the Indian team for the World Cup. This is important because these comments are placing terrible pressure on Azharuddin, Jadeja and the entire team which will now believe it is playing under the wrong captain. No wonder it played so badly in the finals on Friday.

Praising Jadeja is fine. But to praise him for everything is not. Take one small example: in the past, Azharuddin has sent Srinath in high up the batting order in order to boost our score. It hasn8217;t paid off. Jadeja does the same, it pays off. Luck favors the brave? Perhaps. But the commentators, the Indian commentators, were aware of this fact: however, they never made the comparison.

Whether or not Azharuddin should be the captain of the Indian team is not for us to decide. The question for us is: should TV commentators be choosing the captain instead of the selectors?