The Indian Cricket Team needs deep introspection

Well, it didn’t take long for the Indian Cricket team to face reality, did it? Prior to December 2009, the Indian team had a 2 year schedule which had a maximum of 3-5 tests. Suddenly, they become the No.1 Test team and lo, the BCCI decides to force Test matches into the International Schedule out of nowhere. When it comes to opportunism, BCCI takes the cake.

With all due respect, India are a good team, not great. First, they need to build a penetrative bowling attack that can bowl out the opposition twice. As of now, only Zaheer and Mishra look threatening. Ishant is woefully short of form while Harbhajan is awful.
RP Singh, Nehra, and Sreeshanth are either injured or pedestrian in matches. With no young bowlers coming up, India’s chance of holding on to their spot remains very bleak. The BCCI must set up a committee to hunt for fresh talent.

Stars to Retire: Let’s face it. The only good aspect of the Indian team has been its batting. Be it Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag, or Laxman, the batsman have been the ones who set up victories. But let’s look at the future. Rahul is nearing 38, Sachin is already 36 and so is Laxman, Sehwag is the only one who can continue for 5 years. So, within 2011, India would have lost 3 out of its 4 main batsmen. Which literally means they are going to be in a very precarious situation somewhere in the immediate future? (Remember the Australian team in the late 1980s)

If they stand to lose these invaluable stars, who is going to replace them? Will it be Rohit Sharma, the promising Mumbai lad, whose performances are restricted to T20s. Will it be Yuvraj Singh who has struggled to become a regular in the test side inspite of playing in ODIs for 10 years, or will it be people like Badrinath, Vijay, or Murali Karthik.
Lots of questions need to be answered. It’s high time that the BCCI gave these youngsters a regular spot in the side. They must rotate the seniors on a regular basis to accommodate atleast one promising young player. In this way, the balance of the team doesn’t get disturbed and youngsters are also groomed.

To be numero uno, India needs a quality allrounder to balance the side. They desperately need someone like Irfan Pathan. Although Pathan has been out of form, he is the best option available. It is a shame that BCCI ignored him in their plans for the future.
Also, Harbhajan needs to be dropped. He has been woefully out of form. Maybe a Ranji stint would help him get back his confidence. Mishra needs to be played more regularly.

India’s recent loss to South Africa is a blessing in disguise. It clearly showed how the Indian team’s performance has relied heavily on a few key players.


It’s high time that the BCCI takes a risk and tests youngsters against quality sides like South Africa. Even if it means losing a few home test matches or series. Better now than never. Truth is harsh. Sachin, Laxman, and Dravid still have 2+ years left in them. But sooner or later, they will be gone. It is upto BCCI to plan it smoothly. It’s now or never. Hope sense prevails.