Trouble at the top

As much as the batting and the tactics, India8217;s inability to hold on to leads in both the Tests and ODIs was down to the complete lack ...

As much as the batting and the tactics, India8217;s inability to hold on to leads in both the Tests and ODIs was down to the complete lack of leadership on all fronts. Sourav Ganguly is the obvious and easy target but he is probably only about 75 per cent guilty.

So who8217;s to blame for the rest?

On the field, the captain, coach and senior players seemed to be pulling in different directions; there was certainly no sign of the unity found in the team of, say, a year ago. Off it, the BCCI failed to prove any direction and only managed to send out further confused signals.

Indeed, the roots of last month8217;s debacle go as far back as the middle of last year September, when the Board was immersed in litigation and big-money TV contracts. It took its eye off the ball during the Australian series and in the bargain the Indians found a pitch at Nagpur where they lost the Test and the series effectively in two days and their confidence for quite awhile.

The Pakistan series suffered more directly when the BCCI dithered on a schedule, so the entire tour was delayed by a week 8212; further into the hot weather. And the conflicting signals over the Kotla match 8212; would it be played here or not 8212; didn8217;t help matters. The contracts system, rather than working for the players, seemed to be the cause of more discontent in the dressing room, especially among juniors who felt shortchanged by the categories and were vocal about it.

All this, just when the BCCI needed to provide strong leadership to the players and coaching staff. Because they were all pulling in different directions. The seeds of dissension among the players were sown in Nagpur, when the skipper pulled out of the Test against Australia at the 11th hour. Something snapped in the team; players were disgruntled and lost faith in the leadership. The communication lines broke down.

It seemed for a while that the team was on autopilot. Wright could have played a greater role in getting the team together but he, too, seemed to be in drift.

The discontent with Ganguly simmered through the season, stirred by his poor form with the bat, and boiled over as the Pakistan series went downhill. On the eve of the Delhi one-dayer, when asked whether the team would miss the services of the regular captain, Rahul Dravid said, 8216;8216;People also miss matches because of injuries. There are 15 guys in the team and everybody is keen to do well.8217;8217;

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Those who have followed Dravid through the years thought they detected something beyond the diplomacy.

Ganguly8217;s innings is widely blamed for the defeat at Ahmedabad, which helped Pakistan turn the corner. With so much at stake, though, why didn8217;t the team management prevent Ganguly from going out to bat at number four? Especially when he was struggling with the bat and Yuvraj Singh was raring to have a go.

When the captain8217;s mind is clouded, it is the responsibility of the seniors and the coach to give direction. In this case, they did not.

Adding to the team8217;s problems were the tensions between Ganguly and Wright. Ganguly had the clear backing of Jagmohan Dalmiya all these years but the imbalance of power between coach and captain led to a disgruntled think-tank. Wright, unforgiveably, made his feelings clear to the dressing room and beyond.

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Frustrated by the system, Wright gave up on Ganguly too early.

Today, India are today without a coach, the captain is in the doghouse and there8217;s no likelihood of a miserable season being reviewed objectively and with purpose.

The BCCI can still redeem itself, and stem the rot, by naming Wright8217;s successor sooner rather than later. The smart money has it that nothing will happen in the next few weeks.