The Board of Control for Cricket in India, took the unprecedented step of sacking the entire selection panel including the chief selector, Chetan Sharma following the T20 World Cup debacle. It is actually a welcome decision. They have also stated that they are inviting fresh applications to fill the vacant spots. In over 35 years of watching the game, I have never seen an entire selection panel itself removed on account of poor performance. Though BCCI’s communique did not mention poor performance, we will have to assume that to be the case because this decision must have been taken as part of the review of the World T20. Having said that, removal of the entire Indian selection panel, will it solve the problem?
What about the real elephant in the room? The BCCI itself. Why is that the selectors are the ones to have paid the price? What about the poor performance of the board members?
Not for a moment, am I suggesting that the decision was wrong. The selectors deserve to be sacked. Selection committee is unlike during the olden days. Till the turn of the millennium, the role of a selector was an honourary one. The selectors were not paid for their service. Their job was to select and be done with it and hence, there was never any question of the selectors being accountable for their actions.
Selectors become paid professionals
Things changed towards the beginning of the millennium. Selection committee became a professional role. All the selectors were paid quite a hefty renumeration. The chief selector’s salary is now stands at 1CR per annum whereas the salary of the other selectors is now at 90Lakhs per annum. Everyone in India know the value of 1CR. It is an amount only the elite earns in this country. Couple of terms for the selectors, they are settled for life. No one is begrudging them for earning such a substantial sum of money. They are paid for what they do but when they fail in their duty, they must be questioned.
Performance of the selection panel
The just finished selection panel’s results mirrors with that of Rahul Dravid’s. Lost both the series in South Africa. Lost the only Test in England. Asia Cup early exit and now the World Cup exit. Poor handing of the Kohli episode. All these faux paus have come to a head now. Past selection committees were also guilty of all of these but no action was ever taken against them. So why now? Atleast, a beginning has been made. For the money that these selectors are paid, they must be made accountable.
A question arises. How can the selectors be held responsible if the players whom they pick did not perform? Ofcourse, they are responsible. Let us look at some of the players they picked. Rahul, who is an absolute failure. Pant is not a proven T20 customer. Ashwin was brought back from obscurity and he promptly proved his lack of worth. Deepak Hooda was all at sea on those bouncy Australian pitches. Kumar, Shami were over the hill. Rohit Sharma was never told to get fitter.
Bumrah was given frequent breaks while playing for India but was never once told to be rested from inconsequential games while playing for Mumbai Indians. The bowling attack is so wafer thin that it is hard to see this team winning anything. Batsmen are afraid to play shots. They can claim credit for persisting with Kohli and for selecting Arshdeep. If this was the best the selection panel could do, they do not deserve to be retained. Hopefully, from now on, selectors will take their jobs seriously and justify their earning.
The real reason
Are the selectors only to be blamed for India not winning a single ICC trophy in over 11 years? Are they to be blamed for India winning just 4 ICC titles in close to 50 years whereas a much less populous nation like Australia have won 6 and an even lesser populous nation like West Indies have won 4? Certainly not. The players are also equally responsible but the bigger accountability lies with the board.
The board that despite the riches that they possess, is unable to produce a winning combination. They are the real culprit in this entire scheme of things. Their lack of accountability and their unconcerned working is the real reason. Give the same resources to Australia or England or South Africa or New Zealand or even the West Indies, they will churn out teams that will rule the cricketing world forever.
Mindless schedule
I have been saying this for many years and I will say this again. The Indian cricket team is playing way too many meaningless games throughout the year. This is purely because of the BCCI’s stupid schedule. It is hightime the board realises that they are dealing with humans and not with machines. Just a casual look at the number of games the Indian team has played over the last 4 years reveals that the team has played on a average 50 games every year.
This includes Tests, ODIs & T20s but this does not include IPL which is a further 14 games. These are only match days. Once the constant travel, hotel stay, practice games, the period between the games, IPL etc are taken into account, the number of days the Indian team is on the road will easily run over 200 days. This is a competitive sport and it is impossible to be competitive if the players are on the road for 200 days every year. None of the other teams plays this many number of games. Australians on an average plays 45 games a year which is also on the higher side but the general fitness levels of Australian sporting teams are way over any Indian sporting team any day.
Players unable to work on their weakness
It is precisely because of the high number of games, the players are not able to work on their weakness. The bowlers are not able to develop consistency in hitting a certain line and length. Neither are they able to learn to bowl in different conditions. The batsman are not able to eradicate a technical issue that has suddenly cropped up. The classic case of how Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma learned the game at the international level comes to mind. The Indian players are left to that. To learn the game at the highest level. This is because of the BCCI who do not give them a proper time off to work on the weakness.
Not only the number of games matter but the timing of these games also matters a lot. A couple of years ago, just before an important series in South Africa, the Indians were made to play 3 tests against a Sri Lankan side who were not even competitive. These games were played in India. Indian wickets which is completely different from the kind of surface that the team will eventually face in South Africa. This time could have been spent properly by playing a few meaningful first class games which would have prepared to team to face a South African team not high on confidence.
Wrapping up removal of the entire Indian selection panel
The real reason for the Indian team’s continued shoddy performance remains unaccountable and elite. Until they are brought to book, things will remain the same.
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