Author: Bobji

Interesting take by Ian Chappell

Posted on by Bobji

A few days ago, during the Langer controversy, I came across an interesting suggestion by Ian Chappell. He is known as one of the best Australian captain and when he talks, generally everyone listens. His cricketing acumen is among the best. Naturally, when he brings up a revolutionary idea, naturally, it is bound to be taken note of. What was that interesting take by Ian Chappell?

“I don’t think the coach makes much difference at all. But having said that, if you’re appointing a new (coach), the first thing Cricket Australia should do is go to the captain and ask the question ‘do you want a coach? If he says yes, well ‘who do you want?’ Within bounds, the captain should get someone he can get along with and works well with. I don’t know why the hell Pat wasn’t asked that question or those questions.”

These were the words of Chappell. He doesn’t think that a coach will make any difference. Was Chappell correct in his assessment? Does a coach have any role at all in the team? The answer I think is yes and no.

The coach is an essential part of the team

The coach does have a role to play not just in a cricket team but in any sporting team. The argument against coach for an international team is that anyone who plays for the country, must have come up the hard way. He or she must have endured coaches right from an young age and as such is bound to have their bases covered anyway. In other words, they must be having a solid game to be considered for the highest level. It is correct upto a certain extent but if you think deeper, yes most of the players would have had coaches till a certain level. Their games would have been honed and nurtured but an overwhelming coaches do not have that international exposure. Hence, whatever they teach their wards is likely to take them to the next level but not to the highest level.

I think a coach is necessary at the international level. Even for a senior cricketer with loads of experience. A junior definitely needs that coach. The coach who has been there and who has done it will be able to help the junior with regards to the opposition, the conditions, the pitch and various other aspects of playing for the country. No player enjoys good form throughout their careers and hence a coach is necessary even during the later stages of one’s career to correct faults that is likely to have crept into a player’s game.

Steve Waugh holds Simpson in high esteem

Steve Waugh, in his autobiography heaps praise on Bob Simpson, who was the coach when he made his debut.  He says that it was Simpson who brought in the much needed discipline in the team and that he was responsible for improving the fielding standards of the Aussies of that era.

Ofcourse, overkill must be avoided

Having said that, I do agree with Ian on onething. Nowadays, there are far too many coaches, one for batting, one for bowling, one for spinners, the other for fielding and a head coach on top of that. Various franchises around the world have gone overboard and they have mentors, directors and all sorts of nonsense for an event that does not extend beyond 2 months.  This is certainly overkill but I am afraid that it is here to stay.

The other interesting point that Ian raises is about the Australian board

“Cricket Australia don’t know much about cricket that’s one of their problems. When I say they don’t know much about cricket, they don’t know much about winning games at the highest level and that’s been a problem all along. But I don’t think that question is even going to be asked now.”

I really cannot believe my eyes when I read that. Here is Chappell accusing Cricket Australia of not knowing anything about winning games at the highest level. I do not know in what sort of universe is Chappell living in. This is the same board that had selected players who went onto win not one, not two but 6 World Cups. Their team had been the runaway number one for close to 15 years.

They had defeated everyone in every part of the world. Some of their players are among the all-time greats of the game like Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist etc. They hold the record for the most successive wins in ODI World Cup. Also, Australia have twice had won 17 tests consecutively. Not to mention the fact that when the West Indies ruled the world, Australia were the only team to have had a positive record against them. They always produce top quality players even when were at the nadir.

These words of Chappell must be directed towards the Indian board. Given India’s resources and money, if Cricket Australia had access such richness, Australia will be unbeatable until the universe explodes.

Conclusion to interesting take by Ian Chappell

Though he has a little bit of merit, coaches at the highest level is required for both the experienced as well as the inexperienced players. As for Cricket Australia, I don’t know what do they need to do.

Other Australia news can be read here and here.

Bold decision by ECB

Posted on by Bobji

James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England’s most successful new-ball pair have been dropped from the squad for the tour of West Indies. This is a significant development. The two elder statesmen, who have been part of so many English wins are no longer required by the ECB. There are arguments on both sides. Some of the former players are really disgusted with their axing and some of supportive and understanding of the decision. Let me try to analyse the bold decision of ECB.

Andrew Strauss, the man at the helm of English cricket said,

‘It was a very hard conversation and, of course, it’s a high-profile decision. We know there will be a lot of interest in this but we feel we’re doing it for the right reasons and it is going to help the England team at a time when it really needs to develop quickly.’

Steve Harmison has lambasted the decision

‘I can understand Stuart being annoyed and he will be annoyed. Stuart’s a bowler I would have taken to the Caribbean because of the bouncy surfaces. Jimmy can bowl on anything. He’s the best bowler of all time and can bowl on any surface. If there was one tour to give him off this was possibly it, getting him ready for what would be his last hurrah in the summer.’

On the otherhand, Michael Vaughan, the former captain, has supported the move to drop both of them.

This was not something unexpected

It has been coming for quite some time. Those who have not seen it must be living under a cave for a long time. Ever since the emergence of Archer, Stone, Wood and to a lesser extent Robinson, Woakes and Overton, the days Broad and Anderson playing together have been less. Both have been loyal foot soldiers for English cricket but the game does not wait for anyone. When it is time, everyone moves on. So now, it is Broad and Anderson’s turn to make way. To attribute the sacking or axing or resting or whatever it is called to the Ashes humiliation is not correct. England did not lose the Ashes because of the bowling of the duo. They lost because of their shoddy batting.

Over the last several years, one of Broad or Anderson have always been rested. Especially, in India, Sri Lanka and Australia. This was with the aim of prolonging their careers. Anderson is 40. Though he is supremely fit, his bowling does suffer from potency as the game and the series moves on. Broad hasn’t been that effective outside of the environs of England except for a few games. From the outside, the decision seems quite harsh to drop bowlers who between them have taken more than 1100 wickets but Root and England wants to clear break after the Ashes mauling. Questions can be asked. Is this the correct way to do it?

Difference of opinion in the Ashes

Even during the Ashes, not all was well between Root and his two leading bowlers. Root complained about the senior bowlers not bowling full and of being afraid for which Broad replied that no matter who bowls, if the team scores only 140, England cannot expect to win.

Have England selected the correct bowlers?

The argument that can be put forward in their defence is that England have selected Robinson and Woakes to tour the Caribbean. Woakes without the Dukes ball and outside of England is certainly a liability. Robinson has great fitness problem. He hardly is able to bowl in the 3rd or 4th spell. With Archer & Stone not available either, it beggars belief that Anderson and Broad are treated as expendables and not the other two.

The only hope here is that Robinson is younger and he will be able to improve his fitness. Ofcourse, I do not know how Woakes have survived the culling of several players from that wretched Ashes tour is hard to believe. However, to Strauss credit, he took the decision away from the hands of Joe Root. Root was there in the meeting and he would have certainly found it difficult to drop his elder statesmen but it was Strauss who prevailed.

We have not seen the last of either of them

Strauss did insist that this is not the end of the road for either of them. I reckon both will be back as soon as the English summer starts but after all these years, both Anderson and Broad would not want to be bracketed as specialists good enough to bowl only in English conditions. I don’t know about Broad but Anderson has had his fair rate of success. Remember, a few years ago, Dhoni termed Anderson as the difference between India and England after England won the test series. I do believe that both the bowlers will back for the English season but I do think that they will consider this to be humiliation. This leads to the question. Will they announce retirement?

I believe Anderson must and Broad, perhaps. As and when Archer and Stone is back, assuming that they retain the same potency, it is difficult for either Anderson or Broad to play ahead of those two. Play a few games during the summer and announce retirement. I certainly think that this is the end of the road for either of them outside of England. Their touring days are all but over.

Strauss went on the rampage

8 players from the Ashes squad were sacked. Most of them deserves. The likes of Buttler must never have played so many games. The surprise was however Dawid Malan. He started the series brightly but tapered off after Melbourne. Perhaps he could have been given one more series away from the pressures of Ashes. Mind you, England’s record against West Indies in the island is poorer compared to Australia. For some reason, they always end up short or West Indies raise their game to a whole new level against England.

Conclusion to bold decision by ECB

The writing is on the wall for Broad and Anderson. They will do well to play a couple of games during the summer and announce their retirements.

ECB have ringed in the changes

Posted on by Bobji

0-4 defeat out of home, in Australia. All the defeats were of humiliating in nature. This is enough for any board to change the setup and the ECB have ringed in the changes. Chris Silverwood, the head coach, Thorpe the batting coach and Ashley Giles have all been removed from their respective positions but the most surprising part was the continuance with Joe Root as the captain.

It really is tough for most of the England cricket team’s management to survive after such a drubbing. The English fans were baying for blood. They are not stirred until England have lost the Ashes for it is the Ashes that they care about and no other series or even tournaments even come close. Even World Cup takes a backseat for the English fans. Naturally, they cannot withstand such an annihilation to the old enemy. Structural problems still remain with English cricket but this is something that the ECB must be seen doing.

Silverwood, Thorpe and Giles removal

Silverwood’s removal must have been the easiest of the lot. He was the one who found positives in a 2.5 days loss at Melbourne when England were bowled out for 65. No one in their right mind you have even thought that there were any silver lining but the fact that Silverwood somehow saw one beggars belief. He must have ideally resigned after the debacle but he chose to stay on but Andrew Strauss could not resist the pressure that was building on him and the ECB. The next was Thorpe. Batting was the biggest disaster in Australia. Except for Bairstow, no one else managed to score a hundred. Even fifties were few and far between. Malan who started the series brightly, faded away quickly and so did Root. Stokes, Hameed, Burns & Pope were quite miserable throughout the series and Thorpe wasn’t able to improve their performance either.

There were also reports about Thorpe’s drinking culture but that is besides the point. His fate was already sealed when England did not score more than 300 runs even once.

Ashley Giles who is credited with removing the role of national cricketer and handing over the entire selection to Silverwood was the third to leave. It wasn’t a surprise at all.

Does Joe Root really deserve to continue?

However, what was surprising was the retention of Joe Root as the captain. In 3 attempts, Root has not managed to win a single Ashes series. Since he is not the captain of the white ball format, he will be judged based on his Ashes success. He had a chance to win the Ashes in England but he fluffed that. It was a series that marked the return of Smith and Warner. If only Paine had been a little prudent in the use of reviews, Australia would have won the Ashes outright.

Towards the early and middle part of his captaincy career, his batting suffered a lot. So much so that an average of 54 came down to 47. Off late, he had a fabulous year but that is besides the point. The question is how is Root allowed to continue? What must have worked in his favour?

Are there no alternatives?

The first rather obvious one is that there is no alternative. Ben Stokes is not exactly keen to take on the captaincy chores. He has just returned from several injuries and also from mental breakdown. He does not want to take that extra responsibility. The rest did not cover themselves in glory with continued failures. Broad and Anderson are the other alternatives but Broad is no more a sure starter and Anderson is 40 years old. All said and done, it still is a mystery how Root is allowed to continue. Back in 2011, when India lost 8 tests outside the country on the bounce, Dhoni was allowed for continue just because there is no alternative. Shouldn’t boards take efforts to build leadership? Root has been the captain for more than 5 years and as Ian Chappell used to say, captains have their shelf life and 5 years is long.

Root has had a decent captaincy record

It is not that Root hasn’t had success as captain. England have won 5 consecutive tests in Sri Lanka and they won their last series in South Africa rather convincingly. Ofcourse, Sri Lanka are not the same team any longer but to win 5 games in Asia is not something any English captain will be known for. Having said that, he also has the ignominy of losing in West Indies and New Zealand. Not to mention England’s record in India and Pakistan. It is also worth mentioning that Root won just 2 out of the 12 tests in 2021 and lost 9. That is a statistic that will not sit well with any board.

Conclusion to ECB have ringed in the changes

The other terminations are not difficult to fathom but the continued reliance on Root for lack of options will be troubling for England. Root himself must have resigned owing moral responsibility for not able to win a single Ashes series. It is difficult to accept that England is short of captaincy credential. The failure of the ECB to groom someone to takeover from Root after all these years is startling. Probably they had Bairstow on their minds but it was the ECB who destroyed his confidence by playing Buttler above him. Root has had a long innings.

England needs Root the batsman more than Root the captain. ECB will do well to find another captain before the start of the next Ashes which is in 16 months. Australia will want to repeat their achievement and will want to retain the Ashes. It will be Cummins’s first away Ashes and he will want to prove himself. Root is certainly not the player on whom England can trust for one more Ashes. England will dearly want to win the Ashes in their home.

What do you think of the changes made by ECB? Does Root deserve to continue?

Langer’s resignation leaves Australia in meltdown

Posted on by Bobji

It is hard to believe but it is true. Langer’s resignation leaves Australia in meltdown. It has hardly been a month since they won The Ashes. Three months since Australia won the World T20 and just about 2 months since Cummins was appointed the captain. Former players have attacked Cricket Australia and Cummins for the way Langer’s appointment or the lack of it was handled. Everyone who has ever played with Langer has laid into Cricket Australia with disdain. What I am not able to understand is that why lay into Cricket Australia when it was Langer who decided to quit?

Langer in the middle of the storm

Langer was in the middle of the storm just a few months ago following his aggressive coaching stint over the last few years. Anyone who has watched the Amazon Prime show The Test, was clearly able to see the firm school principal type coaching methods of Langer. His overbearing attitude and his intolerance to a couple of failures were wide open for all to see. He did not tolerate dissent nor was he accommodative of the opinion of others.

Things really tumbled down after the series defeat to India in 2020. Langer, the support staff and the players had lot of discussion amongst themselves and from then on, Langer told the players that he will be less intense and open to suggestions which seemed to have brought the team together. They proved that with twin victories at the World Cup and The Ashes.

However, things have again gone into a tailspin since then. Langer wasn’t happy with a short term contract extension and that he wanted to be the coach for a very very long time. Now, Langer has resigned because the negotiation with Cricket Australia wasn’t a success. Langer did not wanted to continue for a short time and decided to leave.

Langer’s statement

“Last night I was offered a short-term contract until the end of the T20 World Cup in Australia, with the sentiment of ‘going out on a high’. After careful consideration I have decided not to accept this contract renewal, and as a result I believe it is in everyone’s best interests for the Australian cricket team to begin the next chapter immediately.

“If media reports are correct, several senior players and a couple of support staff don’t support me moving forward, and it is now apparent the CA board, and you Nick, are also keen to see the team move in another direction. I respect that decision.”

My inference

Langer himself says that several seniors is against him. If most of the team members did not want Langer to continue, it essentially means that he has lost the dressing room. I am sure these tensions were simmering below the surface but the players had to bide their time because of the lack of positive result. The World T20 and The Ashes gave them that cushion and now the tensions have come out into the open.

This is not new. Langer knew about player resentment more than 10 months ago. He must have left at that point. Nevertheless, negotiations were held and Langer and the players continued till the Ashes. With the Ashes won, Langer must have immediately tendered his resignation. He must have left on a high which he didn’t. He choose to wash dirty linen in public.

What is even more damaging is the reaction of the former players. Most of them have played with Langer and that shows in their reaction.

Mitchell Johnson chose to direct his anger at the hapless Cummins

“He had plenty of public opportunities to endorse an extension for Langer. So when he let it through to the keeper every time, it became pretty obvious he didn’t want it to happen.

“Cummins holds a lot of power and must have been central to what’s happened. He’s clearly had an agenda to get in a coach he wants. His recent interviews have been gutless by not respecting his coach when he could have been upfront from the start.”

Michael Clarke, one of the most respected former captain says,

“My advice to Patty is he has got to stand there. He needs to tell the fans where he sits on this because everyone thinks it is Patty who made the decision. That accountability sits with him.

Adam Gilchrist says,

“Absolutely, there seems to be some disunity there. I don’t think the players would have pushed so hard both privately to CA and clearly, I could not tell you if players were doing (it) or player managers, but feeding information to the press. There was a concerted push to have Justin out of the positions.

Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden have all blamed Cricket Australia for the way things have panned out. All of them powerful voices with years of experience, World Cup winners with multiple Ashes to boot. When men with such pedigree speaks, the whole country listens.

Maybe the success was because Langer took the backseat

However, did any of these former greats think before they heaped insults upon Cummins and CA? Apparently not. Here is a player with a clean image and someone who wants to play the game by the rules and not resort into abuse and just 4 tests old since becoming the captain is targeted by these players when he must be supported. He is trying to create a legacy where Aussies play the game with respect towards their opponents. Something that was missing for a very large part of their history. He requires everyone’s support but instead he is criticised for things that may never have been in his control.

Did any of these past players stop to think that perhaps the success of the last few months was because Langer took a backseat and let the players express themselves? The players finally started to enjoy the game and that showed in the results. Australians inherently are a sports loving country and they do not require an intense coach who will only complicate matters. If only Langer had left few months ago or after the Ashes, no one would have had anything to say. For me, it just felt like Langer wanted everyone to talk about why he left and the reasons behind it. For someone who retired from the game when no one expected just after winning the 2007 Ashes 5-0, this was not what was expected of Langer.

Langer back in the news

Posted on by Bobji

The controversy surrounding Justin Langer refuses to sleep. Whether it is his penchant to be in the news all the time or does controversy follow him whatever he does is not really clear but it looks like he rather enjoys to be in the middle of a storm. Ever since Australia lost their home series to India, Australian cricket did not settle down until the 2021 Ashes. Most of the topic revolved around Langer. The players unhappy with him, he was overbearing and does not tolerate failure all kinds of things. Cricket Australia infact had a discussion with him where they told him to tone down his rhetoric and take a back seat. It seemed to work well with the World T20 success and then the Ashes triumph. Now, a controversy regarding him contract extension has erupted.

Langer was expected to reapply

Cricket Australia are in the process of appointing a coach for the Australian men. They have a process that everyone needs to follow. Accordingly, Justin Langer the current coach is required to reapply for the role. If reports are to be believed Justin Langer was furious when he was asked to reapply. The meeting between Langer, Cricket Australia’s CEO Nick Hockley and high performance manager Ben Oliver were not cordial to say the least. It has left Cricket Australia quite embarrassed and thereby diminishing Langer’s chances.

There is a section within Cricket Australia that wants Langer to be relieved so that the renewal process that began with Pat Cummins being appointed as the captain and CA is expected to appoint a new chairman can continue in full earnest. After all the controversies surrounding Langer, he could have chosen to leave as a hero after the twin success of World T20 and The Ashes but he has chosen to continue.

Langer’s future as the coach of the Australia side following the Ashes has been the hot topic for awhile in Australian cricket. The point of contention is that Cricket Australia wants to sign a short term contract with Langer and he does not seem to be happy with that.

Cricket Australia have rejected the rumours

However, Cricket Australia has rejected that the meeting the accusation. They have said that there were a number of inaccuracies in the report that has come out.

“While we do not comment on confidential conversations, we felt on this occasion it was important to correct the record,” a statement said.

“Among other false claims, we reject outright the assertion that the meeting was fiery or heated and that Justin was asked to reapply for his job.

Michael Vaughan and Damien Martyn have come out in support of Langer.

“If it’s true the Coach of Australia has to reapply for his position when he has taken them to No 1 Test team in the World & the T20 World Cup champs in the last few months .. the landscape for success has hugely changed … Isn’t it about Winning ?? !!!,” he posted on Twitter.

Infact, Vaughan has gone onto suggest that ECB must hire Langer

“Gary Kirsten would be a great candidate as well, but if you want one person to come in with a huge point to prove, then it is Langer. He is an Ashes winner, T20 World Cup winner, and knows everything about playing in Australia. Just go get him. This England Test team needs some tough love. Joe Root needs a forceful coach next to him too.”

I don’t see that happening because Langer is a proud Aussie and he will be loathe to assist the old enemy against his country.

Respective captains are not prepared to endorse Langer

Tim Paine was a big supporter of Justin Langer. However, he is not around the scene anymore and he is unlikely to comeback into the team. He was replaced by Pat Cummins as the captain of the test side and Finch will lead the white ball team. Both Cummins and Finch have stopped short of endorsing Langer.

“It lies in Cricket Australia’s hands. JL has been doing a fantastic job. He has been there for four years,” Cummins told reporters on Thursday. “His contract is obviously up soon. So they’re just going through an evaluation process at the moment which I think is fair and the right thing to do.

“We all get evaluated all the time as cricketers, it’s part of a high-performance environment.”

Conclusion to Langer back in the news

If both the captains is not categorical about Langer staying on, it is almost a foregone conclusion that Langer will not enjoy a longer reign provided his contract is extended. Langer, who wants to stay as the coach for a very long long time perhaps will have to gracefully step aside. The entire team was against Langer’s style of functioning just a few months ago. Things have settled down after that with Andrew McDonald taking charge and Langer directing from behind. It is quite rosy for Australia now but the simmering tensions will come to the surface once the team starts to lose a few games.

It may very well happen in a couple of months when Australia travels to Pakistan. This year will be as difficult for Australia as it can be with tours to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. They have not done well in Asia over the last 20 years. Tensions will raise and the old Langer may even come to the fore.

After such an acrimonious last few months, it will be difficult for Langer to gain the respect of the players and for the players to trust their coach completely. Langer must stop being adamant and must learn to let go. If he does not do so, Cricket Australia is likely to be forced to do so in a few months time. Cricket Australia must decide which is better. Whether to search for a new coach in a few months if things starts to boil or continue with the renewal process by appointing a new head coach who will work well with the players. It is a tough situation for CA to find themselves in and that too after such a successful few months.

Other blogs related to Langer can be read here and here.

The BCCI have gone mad

Posted on by Bobji

The schedule for the Indian team throughout 2022 was released. India is set to play 11 tests, 26 ODIs and 20 T20s. This does not take into account the T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. All of them put together will increase T20s to around 30 games for the whole year. A closer look at the schedule will reveal that the Indian players will be involved every month from January till December. This is absolute madness. The BCCI have gone mad.

I have said this often. The Board of Control for Cricket in India does not really care about Indian cricket or the players. All they worry about is profit and a way to fill their coffers. They will not leave any stone unturned in their quest for money. Under the presidentship of a former captain, things have not improved at all. Infact, it has gone the opposite way. More and more games are planned and the players made to go through the motions. The players are subjected to unspeakable stress. I do not think that the players can voice their opinion against the board. If they do so, they will find themselves out of the team.

Too much travel for too little games

There are some series in the schedule that does not make sense at all. Why would India travel all the way to New Zealand to play just 3 I repeat only 3 ODIs? For that matter, why play South Africa right in the middle of a scorching summer over 5 T20s? Another one. Travel to West Indies for just 3 ODIs and 3 T20s. All these games could have been avoided. Every series must consist of tests, ODIs and T20s.

No team must be made to travel such far distances just to play some meaningless white ball games. This shows the poor planning and co-ordination in the BCCI. It is a board that will one day kill the golden goose that lays the eggs. Ofcourse, some of the biggest stars will skip these games but should that even be permitted when you play for the country? Shouldn’t they instead skip IPL? That leads us to the next big drain on the resources.

IPL is another behemoth

IPL 2022, another behemoth, is not even considered. With an enhanced group of 10 teams, the number of games will increase to over 90. All the Indian players will be expected to play in IPL barring injury. Mainly because they do not have a choice. All of these put together, the Indian players will be on the field for more than 200 days. This does not include the travel time between cities and countries.

Ideally, IPL must not extend beyond a month. Two groups, less games and the entire tournament must be finished in one month. Atleast the players will get one full month to rest and recuperate. Some can work on their technique against moving ball, some can work on increasing pace or improving accuracy. This will ultimately help Indian cricket and we will be able to win more game. However, the BCCI will have none of it. They need their coffers to be full and for that they need their star players to play throughout the year.

The longer BCCI continues with this sort of overkill, the longer it will take for Indian cricket to reach its true height. Even the fans will at one point lose interest in the game. I am actually waiting for that day when 5 sports fights with cricket to gain the spectators attention. The board will then start to lose spectators which will result in less revenue and that will force the board to reform itself. Will that day ever come?

Harsha Bhogle and the number one ranking

“I don’t want to be seen to be poking holes into an outstanding record, but the closer you look into that record, there wasn’t a win in South Africa, there wasn’t a win in New Zealand, there was a 4-1 defeat to England in 2018,” Bhogle said. “This is the easiest time in the history of cricket to be No.1.

“Australia is, despite the 4-0 in the Ashes, not the Australia that we have seen in the past. England are at a low. South Africa are probably at their poorest since readmission, and I know that’s a controversial statement to make. Their bowling side is excellent in those conditions. But this is not the side of Kallis, Amla, de Villiers, Faf, Graeme Smith. You’d have thought India had to beat South Africa in South Africa.”

Harsha is hit the nail on the head. He is absolutely spot on. For any team to be considered as number one, they must have won atleast one series in every country over their entire cricketing history. This must be the minimum requirement. By that yardstick, only England, Australia and South Africa can legitimately claim to be number one when they were actually number one.

The ICC ranking system needs a complete overhaul. India were number one until recently but they didn’t won just 2 series in the SENA countries over that period. How is that worthy of being number one? Take Pakistan who were ranked number one for a brief period. They are yet to win in Australia and South Africa and managed to win a series in West Indies only about 6 years ago. West Indies over the last 25 years is not that worthy of being a top test cricket nation any longer.

Other BCCI related blogs can be read here, here, here, here, here

Were there any silver lining from SA tour?

Posted on by Bobji

Were there any silver lining from the SA tour? This is the question I have been pondering for awhile now. After thinking long and hard, I finally found one. It is rather an important one. Rahul as captain. Yes, this is the silver lining from an otherwise disastrous tour. It is now clear the Rahul is not captain material. No other captain in my living memory has had such a horrendous start. 4 games captained and 4 lost. That too against an inexperienced South African team.

Right at the outset, questions must be asked of the BCCI and the selectors. What made them appoint Rahul as the captain? Was he even part of the first choice playing eleven till the beginning of the England tour? Does he command a place in the side based on performance in the first place? 

Unfortunately, the answer for all these questions, we will never come to know. Let us look at the facts.

Rahul’s career so far

Rahul made his debut way back in 2014. He had a decent start to his career with a hundred in Australia. That was something most Indian batsmen will only dream about. However, he didn’t set the carriage on fire with till the end of 2015. Then he had a couple of good seasons with lot of 50+ scores. Indian finally heaved a sigh of relief that we have finally found an opener for all occasions. Something that the team missed since Sehwag retired. Alas, it proved to be a false hope. Rahul was so miserable from then on that he lost his place in the squad itself. He was not considered good enough to replace the likes of Dhawan or for that matter, even Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal.

His form was so bad that it rubbed off on his performance in white ball cricket too. White ball cricket is something in which Rahul is considered as a natural. Even there he failed to impress. Added to that Kohli and Shastri thought Rahul to be fit enough at the top but not in the middle. As a result, he never was able to breakthrough into the side. Rohit, Dhawan, Mayank and Prithvi always played ahead of him in tests as well as in limited overs.

In such a scenario, what made the selectors appoint him as the captain? It is utterly ridiculous. Manoj Tiwari, the former Indian batsman was quite critical of the decision.

“What did you see in Rahul as captaincy material? Suddenly, they’re saying that they’re ‘grooming’ him as a future captain. I don’t understand how you can groom a captain,”

Rahul’s creditable achievements

Granted that ever since his return to the team, he has got couple of hundreds in England and South Africa. Creditable achievements no doubt. It is something not many Indian openers can claim. However, in England, after he started the series quite positively, his form tapered off towards the middle and end of the series. The same template followed in South Africa too. Moreover, in both the series, he was extremely circumspect. Rohit in England was able to cover Rahul. In the absence of Rohit in South Africa, Rahul failed to take the lead.

Rahul was not even part of the original eleven

Before all that, how did he even get into the squad in the first place? Gill’s injury paved the way for Rahul to be considered as an opener. Otherwise, he was seriously considered as an replacement for Rahane or Pujara. For someone who was thought to be a replacement for someone else, how did he end up leading the team? Isn’t this quite strange? Leave alone the fact that it was ridiculous, does it augur well for the selectors and the BCCI? The selectors and the BCCI made someone a captain just 6 months after he wasn’t even part of the original eleven. It essentially means that the BCCI and the selectors admit that it was a mistake to drop him in the first place (I do not adhere to that view) or they failed to identify a captain in the event Kohli resigning the captaincy.

Eitherway, it reflects poorly on the BCCI and the selectors. Here is a bunch of people who does not have a plan for Indian cricket nor do they know what is best for the team. Suffice is to say that the state of affairs for the game in the country is abysmal.

BCCI and the selectors are completely useless

I for one always knew that the T20 World Cup in 2021 and the England and South African series in the same year will define Kohli’s legacy as captain. I certainly felt that if Kohli fails to win the World T20, he will either be removed from the white ball captaincy or he himself will resign. He did that. Along the same lines, if he fails to win atleast the South African series, he will certainly resign. He did that. Having been captain of the team for 7 years, the end of his captaincy tenure was near.

When I as a cricketing novice can sense these things, how come the board wasn’t able to? I do agree that they were forced because of the untimely injury to Rohit who would have been the defacto captain. However, I do not subscribe to the view that the board and the selectors are trying to groom Rahul afterall, he wasn’t even part of the playing eleven until a few months ago.

Ashwin was the ideal option

The ideal option in the absence of Rohit would have been Ashwin. I do realise that I have written scathing comments about Ashwin’s bowling and his lack of usefulness outside India but in South Africa, when Kohli and Rohit was not around, Ashwin would have made a good captain. He certainly possess a good tactical brain. You never know. Ashwin could have actually won the series in South Africa. The extra responsibility may have even inspired him to pick up wickets. With India not slated to play any test series outside the sub-continent and the West Indies over the next 18 months except for the one test in England, Ashwin must be made Rohit’s deputy immediately.

I do see him playing in all those tests except for England. Perhaps this will give the much needed time for the eventual captain. It could be Pant or it could even be Gill or for that matter, Bumrah.

Conclusion to were there any silver lining to SA tour?

Except for establishing the fact that Rahul is not a captain, I do not see any other silver lining. Everywhere I look, it is only despair. Hopefully, Rohit will change that with wins in England and both the World Cups in 2022 and 2023.

What do you think? Were there any silver lining to SA tour?

The wisdom of Indian selectors

Posted on by Bobji

The Indian team that will take on West Indies in 6 games was announced. Rohit Sharma, the designated captain will take over from the beleaguered Rahul. The series consists of 3 T20s and 3 ODIs. The team consists of as many as 3 leg-spinners. Kuldeep Yadav is back and Ravi Bishnoi has been selected for the first time to represent India. As expected, V. Iyer has been dropped from the ODI squad. However, do the Indian selectors know what they are doing? What is the wisdom of Indian selectors?

One reason for picking leg-spinners is because India struggled to pick up wickets in the middle overs. This was something that haunted the team for a long time and was famously arrested by the emergence of Kuldeep and Chahal. After the 2019 WC game against England, suddenly their inability with the bat came into sharp focus and as a result only one of them was preferred to be in the eleven subsequently. A strategy that was followed for more than 2 years and which proved to be successful, was jettisoned after just one bad game for both the spinners. Now, the lack of wicket taking bowlers in the middle overs has again come back into focus. However, things have changed drastically after that. India wants to go back to that trusted formula. It is not the same anymore. Too much water has flown under the bridge.

Why is Kuldeep back?

The first contentious decision is the recall of Kuldeep Yadav. Wasn’t he dropped just about a month ago from the team that toured South Africa? Wasn’t his form cited as the reason behind it? All it took was 3 hammerings and Yadav is back in the squad. One, this does not reflect well on the national scene that there is no other bowler who can be picked. Two, this again reaffirms the fact that the selectors are clueless as to what is required or how to plan for the short and long term. Kuldeep did not play any competitive cricket in the interim.

When he was dropped because of poor form, what has he done to earn a recall in the intermediate period? What did the selectors suddenly see in him that they did not a month ago? The wisdom of the Indian selectors is something that can never be fathomed. This is not new. This has happened in the past and it will happen in the future. If Kuldeep is good enough to be in the squad, he must have been part of the squad to South Africa. Remember, in 2018, Kuldeep and Chahal were the reasons India won handsomely. In the interim, it is a fact that Kuldeep lost his form.

The team management did not help his cause by picking Axar ahead of him. On the pitches where Ashwin and Axar spun webs around the English player’s technique, Kuldeep was the most expensive and the least productive in the only test he played. Kuldeep’s stocks have certainly gone down from when Shastri proclaimed that he will be India’s prime spinner in overseas conditions.

Kuldeep must rediscover himself

It is better to allow him to go back to Ranji cricket and rediscover himself rather than in the harsh world of international cricket. There is no better sight than Kuldeep in form. I still remember that beautiful loopy leg-spinner to Peter Handscomb in his first test. That is the Kuldeep that this team needs.

Bumrah must have played

Second, Bumrah is again rested. Yes, he played in all the games bar one in South Africa. Bumrah seems to be suffering from too much expectations. His inability to bowl India to a series victory in South Africa will rankle him for time to come. Moreover, he has seldom played in India except for IPL. He must be playing in the series against West Indies.

Sundar is a batsman

Third, considering Sundar as replacement for Ashwin. I have said this before and I will say this again. Sundar is a much better batsman than a bowler. It is unfortunate that he himself does not realise that. His has enormous potential with the bat but is a limited bowler. He showed his prowess in Australia and against England. It was not easy for a debutant and someone who is considered a bowler to hook the world’s best bowler for a six. It was a perfect shot. Selectors and the team management must give him the confidence that he is in the side as a batsman who can bowl if required and not the other way around. I also think that Sundar is much better suited to test cricket than limited overs.

Ashwin, it is understandable

It is perfectly understandable that Ashwin is not part of the squad. The official version is that he is injured. Nonetheless, he should not have been considered in the first place. He has had his chances and he blew it. It is time to recognise that Ashwin is a test specialist and in India, West Indies & Sri Lanka. He is 35 and almost with zero chance of improving himself. Moreover, Ashwin’s fitness, his limitations with the bat and the fact that he must be hidden in the field all works against him.

Conclusion to the wisdom of Indian selectors

The fact of the matter is that India is not spoiled for riches. If so, we would have won both the test and ODI series in South Africa with time to spare but we didn’t. We were miserable in the ODIs. If they selectors want to get the team right for the next world cup, they must get the team right. Pant is not number 4 and Rahul is not an opener. Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur or for that matter even Siraj cannot be frontline bowlers. Bumrah must be nurtured back to top form. I do not expect Bumrah to play for more than 7 years. During that time, he must be motivated to win as many games as possible. If required, he can be rested from IPL games.

What did we learn about Ashes?

Posted on by Bobji

One more year and one more Ashes is done and dusted. Australia swept to an easy win. England were nowhere found in the entire series. It was a complete one-sided affair. For the 3rd consecutive series, England were humiliated in Australia. 0-5 in 2013, 0-4 in 2017 and now 0-4 in 2021. All said and done, what did we learn about Ashes?

The difference between the teams is enormous

Australia is now leading England with a whopping 40 wins. In other words, Australia have won 40 tests more than England. Ever since the Aldermann inspired triumph in 1989, it has mostly been one way street. Till then, the Australian and English wins were more or less equal. Since then, Australia have absolutely skyrocketed. Successive series wins like 3-0, 4-0, 4-1 etc have catapulted Australia into the stratosphere. The difference is so massive that it will be impossible for England to catchup to Australia in the near future.

If England wins all the tests and Australia win none, it will still take 8 years for England to match Australia. We all know that that is not going to happen. For some reason, Australia are always competitive in England than England are in Australia. Even when Australia were at their lowest ebb, they still managed to win a couple of tests including a live test. Whereas England, except for the 2011 series, never managed to win more than one test. In most cases, they didn’t even manage to win one.

Moreover, Australia have the tendency to rebound quickly following a series of retirement. We saw that in the 1980s and now in 2000s. Though they may still struggle to win in Asia, in the rest of the world, they are capable of competing on equal footing. England, though they remain one of the 3 teams to have won atleast one series in every country, were never world beaters. Not even when they were ranked number one. They struggle to replace some of the good players. I am sure they will not find a replacement for Root once he retires. This makes the task of England matching Australia much more difficult.

The series itself

As for the series itself, it is difficult to gauge Australia’s progress. They were up against a weak and completely devoid of belief English side. Moreover, England were without a couple of their fastest bowlers in Archer and Stone. Australia were not exactly brimming with confidence what with the Tim Paine saga and the Justin Langer controversy. Nevertheless, they still had an incredible array of fast bowlers and batsmen who are capable of aggressive cricket as well as piling on the runs.

Marnus and Smith averaged more than 60. Something that world teams will envy. Warner in Australia is a devastating batsman. Travis Head chose this series to come off age with rollicking hundreds. Bowlers did what they were expected to do with Boland who at the age of 32, is now having the most economical average amongst all the bowlers. So much so that the absence of Hazlewood after the first test did not matter at all. The one good thing for Australia is that they did not depend on Cummins alone for wickets. Starc and Boland too contributed significantly.

Despite all of these, have Australia really progressed? I do not think so. They were the favourites before the Ashes and they won the Ashes. The winning margin in each game was slightly above expectation. Nonetheless, I do not see any real progress. In the one game where they had to beat both time, the pitch and the English dourness, they came up short. Currently, Australia are ranked number one but I expect that to go down once the Asian leg is completed and more importantly after the 2024 Ashes in England.

England have a lot to do

England need to find a set of batsmen. Currently, they lack batsmen who can not only play for time but can also score big daddy hundreds. Root is the only international class batsman. Certain players must be replaced permanently like Buttler, Hameed. Unfortunately, the county scene does not seem to be ripe with batsmen who can replace the ones playing for England. Hameed is the prime example. He was plucked from nowhere, put on a plane to Australia and he was like a fish out of the water. Just a few months ago, he wasn’t even considered for England. It clearly showed that England did not plan properly for the tour.

Root is really unlucky. Right after the Ashes shellacking, England will travel to West Indies. England have traditionally struggled on those shores. Even the last series was won by West Indies. In this day and age, only 2 teams lose to West Indies repeatedly and England is among them.

Ashes perhaps is given too much importance

Is the Ashes overrated? It probably is. None of the series with the exception of 2-3 series over the last 33 years have been competitive. Having said that, Ashes still captures the imagination of all the cricket fans worldwide. It is the only series that even a neutral watches keenly. Broadcasters earn in the millions. The ECB and CA laugh all the way to the bank. The competitive nature of the teams really does not matter. For an average Australian or English fan, success in Ashes is what matters. Until that passion is there, Ashes will generate huge revenue.

Conclusion to what did we learn about Ashes?

Well not much. Come 2024, most of us will be glued to the TV to watch the next set of games between these traditional rivals. Competitive or uncompetitive, this is one series that every cricket fan around the world would like to talk, discuss and fight about. Above all, the broadcasters, ECB & CA gets to earn an enormous amount of money from this series and they will want to milk the cow as long as it takes. Ofcourse, we all want the series to be between two equals but that will remain in the firm hands of ECB. If they are not able to develop a team of high quality players, this series will suffer.

Other Ashes blogs can be read here, here, here, here and here.

Disastrous tour of South Africa

Posted on by Bobji

It was a disastrous tour of South Africa. Whichever way you look at it. There is no escaping from this plain fact. A tour that was supposed to announce to the world that India is now the undisputed leader irrespective of the WTC final result, has ended in one disappointment after another. For every Indian fan, the ignominy of this tour will linger in the memory for years to come. South Africa has become the new Australia for India in that we are unable to win a series despite multiple attempts.

Were the expectations unreasonable?

India were expected to create history. India were expected to become only the 4th team to win atleast one series in every country where they have played over their entire cricketing history. England, Australia and South Africa remain the teams that have won across every condition and in every country. The ICC must mandate this as the first condition for a team to be ranked as numero uno. South Africa achieved that in just over 30 years is rather impressive. India were expected to join these teams with a win in South Africa. They went with the best possible combination save for a couple of first choice players and South Africa on the otherhand, were inexperienced and not much was expected from them. Before the series began, the discussion was whether India will win 2-0 or 3-0 but what transpired on the field was the exact opposite.

In hindsight, to win the first test and that too convincingly perhaps infused lot of complacency into the rank and file of the team. They must have felt that South Africa are ripe for the taking and that proved their undoing. India weren’t prepared for a South African onslaught. They weren’t prepared for a South African bowling rejuvenation and the batting of Keegan Pietersen.

Board, selectors and Rahul Dravid cannot escape blame

The selectors, the BCCI and the team management must all share equal responsibility for this disgrace. They placed their faith on players who weren’t able to raise their standards. Be that Pujara, Rahane and Mayank or be that in the choice of making Rahul a temporary captain. Deserving candidates like Vihari and S. Iyer were kept out to prolong the careers of Pujara and Rahane. Atleast in the case of Mayank it was understandable. He was coming off a successful series against New Zealand and he was expected to start the series. Kohli’s ego and inflexible attitude is another reason for the surrender. With another series squandered, Kohli’s legacy has taken a severe beating. He hasn’t won a single series in the SENA countries except for the 2018 one which doesn’t count for obvious reasons.

Towards the end of the series, Indians were left with the ghastly sight of 3 of their most experienced cricketers shouting at the stump mic. It summed up everything that went wrong. It really pays to play for the most powerful cricketing nation. Whatever you do, the ICC is spineless to take any action.

I have written enough about the tests and so I will stop here.

ODI series was another disaster

If the test series turned out to be disappointing, the ODI series turned out to be a disaster. 0-3 is not what you would expect. Especially, after winning so handsomely during the last series. It turned out to be a blessing that the T20 series was postponed. Otherwise, that would have been another 0-3. It is onething to plan for the next world cup and it is quite another to lose the current games. You are expected to win a majority of the game while planning for the world cup that is 2 years away.

One good thing to happen on this tour is that Rahul will or must not be considered as captain in any format anytime. His position in the team itself is quite tenuous. It was a mistake to have made him the vice-captain in the first place. He probably has the worst initiation to cricket captaincy. Losing all the 4 games. I have said this before and I will say this again. Rahul is not an international opener. Particularly in limited overs. He does not have a clue what to do if he is asked to open. He gets into a shell and refuses to come out. His ideal position is number 5 or 6 where he can express himself.

Another merry go around

Another mistake was sending Pant at number 4. It is hard to believe that even after 5 years, India has not been able to find a stable number 4. It could also be that those who were found, were not given consistent run. Sheyas Iyer played at that position from his first game and suddenly he finds himself demoted by one. Why would someone do that? Pant who was found to be disastrous in the 2019 WC, is now back at that position. His position is at 6. Indian management will do well to stick with Shreyas Iyer at number 4 till the end of the next world cup. Venkatesh Iyer, who has hardly played a handful of first class games is now a first choice player.

It seems IPL performance is the yardstick for players to be selected to play international tests and ODIs. This is ridiculous and must change. Players who have hardly played first class cricket will not know what pressure is and how to handle it. Agreed, Ranji pressure and the pressure at the highest level is vastly different but these players will not be able to handle even the slightest of pressure. V. Iyer looked all at sea against the South African bowlers. It seemed that he does not have the middle game of rotating the strike which he would have learned if he had played more than 75 FC & List A games.

Surya and Kohli

Surya Yadav who is in the form of his life was dropped in favour of V. Iyer. That was stupid. What feedback does that give him? Despite his form and despite his rich experience at the first class level, he is not good enough to be placed above someone who has hardly played any. Surya is not young and he does not have too many years of cricket. It is time Indian cricket makes proper use of him.

Kohli’s search for that elusive hundred has certainly placed enormous pressure on him. It is clear in the way he bats. He does start slowly but gradually increases the tempo and finishes with a flourish. All of that except for the first part was missing in this series. Lack of hundreds is weighing heavily on him. Dravid must ask him to forget about that and play freely. A free Kohli is a dangerous Kohli for the opponents. Will Rohit be able to do that?

Bowling is a worry

The experiment with Ashwin must stop. He is not good enough in limited overs. Kohli and Shastri identified that long ago and Rohit and Dravid must realise that now. He is 35 and does not have the time to improve. Kuldeep and Chahal who were the prime reason for India winning so many games just before the 2019 WC must be rejuvenated. The board and the selectors must make every effort for them to regain the form. Especially, Kuldeep who with his left-arm angle will always be a wicket taking bowler. Kuldeep must be trained to hit and ball and Chahal to hold the bat which will help in team balance.

Conclusion to disastrous tour of South Africa

This tour has ended but it must not be forgotten. Indian cricket must always been reminded how they let go off of a wonderful opportunity.