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Journalism of Courage
A quick shirt tuck-in and the last-minute comb-work. Looking dapper in their formal outfits, they were all ready to say cheese8230; click click!
Weeks later, smiles had turned into despair, none bothered about their unkempt appearance in a frustrating wait towards the inevitable: the Indian cricket team was in shambles, but the photographers kept on clicking.
Twenty-two months of preparation at home lasted a mere 22 days in the Caribbean, the place where it mattered the most. Greg Chappell8217;s Vision 2007 is now a blurred picture, distorted by factionalism with people he never invited to his party.
Chappell has resigned, submitted his report to the Board. In professional terms the Australian may have failed, compared to his predecessor John Wright, but a close group within the board knows he8217;s spoken the truths that the New Zealander didn8217;t, and that too, at the most appropriate time, in a gentleman-like manner. He didn8217;t keep it all for his book.
In a journey of various twists and turns, Chappell probably lost his way and reached a dead end. Chappell8217;s Vision was for India, but he preferred to remain Australian throughout. However much the Board may have wanted to remodel itself the Australian way, petty association politics always added that indigenous touch. Cricket is a religion in India, yes, but more overwhelmingly, cricketers are gods, can rock Parliament and burn the nation.
Here are the turning points:
Sourav: By Indian tradition, coaches have always bowed to the players. Seniority has always been given preference over performance. One Australian cannot change that. Chappell8217;s frank opinion and a longish e-mail put Sourav Ganguly out in the cold. That was the first battle, won by Chappell. But the war had just started.
Dravid 038; More: Dravid8217;s ascendancy to the throne and having a close aide in Kiran More, then chairman of selectors, meant Chappell rose through the ranks quickly to assert himself.
Experimentation: Chappell8217;s theories of experimentation were scripted through, among others, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni see side story and the crucial No 3 slot.
Success: Success came in the numbers 8212; 17 to be precise 8212; as India reached their zenith with a new world record, chasing 8212; one of Chappell8217;s high points that now remains buried under West Indian sand. While it was certainly good for the team as a whole, certain players had begun degenerating, confused in Chappell8217;s flexible pattern of players ready to bat anywhere any time 8212; Pathan in particular, Raina and Kaif to a lesser extent.
Multi-utility: Multi-utility players meant India went on with their four-bowler theory, looking for immediate success at home with a batting-heavy approach.
South Africa: But the storm was gathering all this while. Once out of the sub-continental comfort zone, the team8217;s fragile structure cracked. Whatever was left from the West Indian sojourn and the Kuala Lumpur tri-series, broke into pieces in the early 2007 South Africa tour.
Dilip Vengsarkar: In the meantime, Dilip Vengsarkar made a dashing late entry and upset the applecart. The Colonel started with a clean slate for everyone; perhaps he had little choice, because immediate results were the crying need of the hour and he didn8217;t get those with the youngsters.
Sourav 038; Zaheer: And he sent his experienced customers, back in. It saw the colossal return of Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan.
Groupism in players has always been the hallmark of Indian cricket; there have been several incidents where players from particular states go sight-seeing or on a dinner separately but not with the team.
Things were not blatant in the present team but the return of Ganguly, and his re-found touch with the bat made him powerful again. To many in this Indian team, he was still their leader; Dravid was just the skipper. This fostered a small but significant group within the team, all probably disagreeing with the coach.
Sachin Tendulkar: The elevation of Sachin Tendulkar to vice-captaincy put things on the backburner again. Tendulkar8217;s hesitance to bat at number four and Chappell8217;s adamant attitude in reforming him to that slot triggered another battle. Senior players suggested to selectors the need for particular individuals for the World Cup. The coach demanded exactly the opposite.
Caught in between was Rahul Dravid, who needed to tag along with the seniors but preferred the backing of coach Chappell, as he kept a middle path. Small battles were won, but suddenly Chappell seemed to have lost the war.
The World Cup : The team for the World Cup looked quite the same as in 2003, with a few cosmetic changes. Old legs were still travelling and fielding. Leading into the World Cup, it wasn8217;t easy for Dravid. The seniors kept to themselves, while he was with the coach on the other side, with his two main men who he had backed to the hilt, struggling to come good. Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, the two with whom Chappell had experimented, were woefully out of form; but thankfully were there in the team because Dravid insisted. The others, Kaif and Raina, sadly, didn8217;t even come into the picture.
Chappell was asked to enact his play when many of his main characters did not make it on the stage. What he had instead, was a bunch of players whom he had openly confronted, even tried to do away with. Dravid and Chappell had few options to choose from. All this while, the focus was on who will make the team 8212; whether Sehwag, Munaf and Pathan or not 8212; rather than even thinking for a moment about how well the team is prepared.
Playing Pathan was almost next to impossible given his form and lack of match practice. That upset the entire team balance and the fifth-bowler-handy-bat option that India so desperately needed. Sehwag, on the other hand, was still coming to terms with his extended loss of form.
Bangladeshis 038; Lankans: Bangla had knocked us down by then and Bermuda were never a competition. The Sri Lankans were waiting, and they slipped through the wide gaps created by mounting pressure of a must-win situation and their small games. End of the World Cup, and, back home it was the beginning of the blame game.
It might turn out, yet, to be Indian cricket8217;s black comedy. The players have all come together, but Dravid is silent. Chappell has come out in the open and raised a few doubts. Still, the seniors will continue to have the final say, and Chappell, who they don8217;t want, may just linger on to help Indian cricket. And they will still be talking of having done a shake-up.
