India's Path to Redemption in Cricket
India's exit from the current edition of world cup has certainly not come as a surprise to me. However heartbreaking it was, it was still expected. One of the comments (or predictions) that I had made (of course no one other than a few friends cared to listen) was that India would be a force in the tournament, IF, we overcame Bangladesh. There were a couple of reasons why I had said so - the first one was, based on the format of the current tournament and the fact that India were in the so called “Group of Death” with two test playing nations. No team could allow a slip up. Both India and Pakistan found that out at their own expense. England came mighty close as well - a slip up against Kenya would have left them out - it was just that Kenya lacked the experience and skill of Bangladesh and the intensity of Ireland. Coming back to India's exit - the second reason was, India has traditionally been a slow starter in all major tournaments. My perception is that, they are afraid of loosing, especially early in the tournament. My gut feel is that against Bangladesh, they were far too afraid of loosing - Dravid had mentioned that the game was a banana-skin and it just illustrated the fact that he was worried about loosing the game. In today's sport, mental attitude is a huge factor - teams have employed specialists to assist them in hardening their mental attitude. India themselves did that in South Africa 4 years ago in 2003.
All being said - the question now should be, how do we move forward? What possibly can be done to get a team that has the potential of winning in all sorts of situations - a team that is very comparable to the current Australian team in terms of quality, skills, mental attitude, physical fitness and all other ingredients that make a successful cricket team?
The answer lies in not having a knee-jerk reaction to our exit from the current world cup. There is no doubt in my mind that hard decisions have to be made, however, there is also the need to ask the question – at what cost? What happens if we decide to remove Dravid as the captain and Chappell as the coach? What happens if we remove the core of the team? Will those be enough to create a successful team? Along with the above questions, another question that should be asked is – what is the time frame within which we should expect to see the results of whatever changes we put in effect now? Is 2011 the only timeline that we have - or do we look beyond that?
There are plenty of questions – as there should be. It is just that we have to have short term goals and a long term vision. If only we are able to provide a plan and execute the plan properly, will we be able to provide the nucleus for a successful cricket team. Let us look at some of the things that I am suggesting should be done in order for India to be a real power in cricket – along with the timeline in which to expect results.
I will first tackle the question of timeline – I believe it is very important to have realistic goals within realistic timeframes. It helps – as we would say in our consulting jargon – to tell a story, and a successful one at that.
To set our timelines, it is important that we rely on the ICC calendar. However, the ICC calendar is not the only thing that we need to cling on to. The reason is – the ICC calendar consists of a bunch of ODI tournaments interspersed with Test matches against various international teams. Hence, by just looking at the ICC tournaments, there may be the danger of looking just at the ODI tournaments and aligning our goals to just the ODI tournaments. That, in my mind, is a huge mistake and fundamentally short sighted. There is the danger that we will miss the original point - that of making India a great cricketing team – not just a great ODI team. It should be clearly understood that when we judge our teams at a particular milestone, we not only take the ODI tournaments into account, but also the test matches/series that we have played up to that time. Part of the problem with Greg Chappell’s thinking was that he gave us “Vision 2007” – and hoped that India would become the world champions. I am not sure if India, even if we had won the World Cup, would have been considered world champions. World champions are supposed to be champions, irrespective of the form of cricket they play.
Having said that, these ODI tournaments provide us with a point in time where we can sit down and gauge how the team has progressed over a period of time since changes were implemented, what has been achieved and what needs to be done in order to achieve the end state – which definitely should not be 2011 World Cup at this point. 2011 may be our short term goal – but our long term vision should extend to the 2015 World Cup. Thus, our short term goals should fit the 2011 World Cup time frame and our long term vision should extend to the 2015 World Cup.
After having settled on the time frame – the next step is to make sure that we have the right people to implement the plans that we have in order to make India world champions. The first and foremost thing that we need to realize is that, it is the players who will ultimately win games for us. Not the coach, not the administrators and definitely not the cricket loving public. For that, the players have to fit a certain profile - physically, mentally and talent wise. Just as you would not pick a player with lesser talent, you should not pick a player if he lacks the right mental attitude and the right amount of physical strength. If that means that we have to drop the core of the cricket team, and start building a new, then so be it. We want a team of winners, in all situations - be it 35 degrees Centigrade or be it when we are chasing 350 to win in the last innings. To achieve these, I have no doubt that we may have to outsource some of the training and hire the right people. We may have to send our players overseas (England, Australia, South Africa and even Sri Lanka) to help them get accustomed to the wickets, interact with their state/county players and thus learn the nuances of playing the game. If that is not possible, then we have to at least make sure that the international players play domestic cricket on a regular basis.
We need a strong captain - someone who can lead from the front. Leading from the front has different connotations for a lot of different people. Really, we need someone like Saourav Ganguly as our captain. Someone who is willing to stand up to the opposition, someone who can take the fight to the opposing team, someone who can throw a few taunts around, someone who is a brat. Indians in general tend to take things lying down - it is the way we grow up - respecting everyone, especially our elders, our teachers, someone who holds a higher office, etc. It should be taught to us that we are at par with everyone else in this world. I guess, it is a very cultural thing, but it has to change. The other thing with a captain is that we cannot let the fact that the captain has loads of talent, impose his talent on to the team. More often than not, the most talented individual team is not the best captain. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are prime examples of this theory. Both seem to impose their talent on the team - they expect everyone to perform to the same talent level as theirs. It is impossible for everyone to perform at the same talent level as they both possess. There is no harm in asking people to give their 100 percent, but asking someone to be a Rahul Dravid or a Sachin Tendulkar, puts enormous pressure on the individual. What we really need is someone with great man management skills.
A question that is doing the rounds right now is - should we continue with a foreign coach or should we go back to an Indian coach? The answer really is quite logical - we need a "good" coach, irrespective of his nationality, period. A coach should be given all facilities that will help him do his job properly. Therefore, if the coach needs person X to be his assistant then he should be provided with his requested assistant. However, that does not mean that the coach should be given a free hand at running the show, there should be a process in place that will allow for the coach and his employers (in this case BCCI) to communicate on a one on one level. If the BCCI feels that the coach is not doing his job properly, then he has to be told so at that point in time and similarly, if the coach feels that he is not getting the kind of feedback, either from the board or from the players, then he should escalate his concerns to the BCCI and the selectors and let them take appropriate actions.
Another thing that we need to worry about, are the channels of communication between the seniors and juniors and even with the team management, administrators and players. More often than not this is a leadership issue and should be solved if we have the right leader in place. Other than that, we need a strong manager in the team – someone who can be the siphon between BCCI and the players and the training staff.
Our developmental program needs to be revisited. We don't want players who score thousands of runs in domestic cricket and then are all at sea when facing international opposition. If that requires a change in our pitches, a change in our domestic competition, so be it. If it means that international calendar has to be revisited (and hence impacting our finances), then it has to be done - this will allow domestic players to play against international players - that can only be beneficial to the domestic players. One of the things that needs to be done is to trim down on the number of teams in Ranji Trophy. Currently, there are far too many teams - and hence not a lot of competition. There is a need to consolidate teams - it will also help a little bit with the finances.
It is high time we revisited our domestic structure from the point of view of incentives to players who might never get a chance to represent India in any internationals. Why would a player want to play the game if he knows that after playing for about 10 years, he may not be selected to the international team? Is he going to make enough money, while playing domestic cricket, to be able to sustain himself once he quits domestic cricket? If that is not the case, then my suggestion is to change the structure to mirror the club system in England. With corporate organizations coming in (either through sponsorship or through ownerships), there will be more money in the domestic game. This in turn will make sure that the production line (of players) does not stop (at least not for the lack of money and incentives) - and we continue to have players for a long time to come, otherwise, in a few years time, we might not even have 11 players to represent India at any tournaments.
Another area of improvement is our selection process. Although I am not very close to the entire selection process, I would assume that people at the grass roots level mostly depend on scorebooks to separate the best from the rest. That (looking at the score book) is only part of the equation. I am not sure if there is a system of scouts in the country, who will scavenge at all cricket games at all levels and then report their findings either to the respective selection committee (either national or state).
And lastly, there is a need for the BCCI to be revamped. There cannot be politicians running the show. When I say politicians, I don't mean members of parliament, but more than that. Jagmohan Dalmiya is a politician to my mind. People, who have nothing but the very best for Indian cricket at their hearts, should be allowed to run the BCCI. This is asking for a bit too much I think with the kind of money involved, however, something that should be looked into pretty closely. All BCCI members need to be responsible and answerable to the millions of fans who invest their time, hope and passion for the sport. If that means to change the very structure and constitution of the BCCI, then it has to be done.
India is a vast nation, with a lot of passionate people who love the game of cricket and I am quite confident that if we have the passion for the sport, then we can produce world beaters/champions. It is only a matter of putting a plan together, sticking to it and executing it.
Dhaval Brahmbhatt
All being said - the question now should be, how do we move forward? What possibly can be done to get a team that has the potential of winning in all sorts of situations - a team that is very comparable to the current Australian team in terms of quality, skills, mental attitude, physical fitness and all other ingredients that make a successful cricket team?
The answer lies in not having a knee-jerk reaction to our exit from the current world cup. There is no doubt in my mind that hard decisions have to be made, however, there is also the need to ask the question – at what cost? What happens if we decide to remove Dravid as the captain and Chappell as the coach? What happens if we remove the core of the team? Will those be enough to create a successful team? Along with the above questions, another question that should be asked is – what is the time frame within which we should expect to see the results of whatever changes we put in effect now? Is 2011 the only timeline that we have - or do we look beyond that?
There are plenty of questions – as there should be. It is just that we have to have short term goals and a long term vision. If only we are able to provide a plan and execute the plan properly, will we be able to provide the nucleus for a successful cricket team. Let us look at some of the things that I am suggesting should be done in order for India to be a real power in cricket – along with the timeline in which to expect results.
I will first tackle the question of timeline – I believe it is very important to have realistic goals within realistic timeframes. It helps – as we would say in our consulting jargon – to tell a story, and a successful one at that.
To set our timelines, it is important that we rely on the ICC calendar. However, the ICC calendar is not the only thing that we need to cling on to. The reason is – the ICC calendar consists of a bunch of ODI tournaments interspersed with Test matches against various international teams. Hence, by just looking at the ICC tournaments, there may be the danger of looking just at the ODI tournaments and aligning our goals to just the ODI tournaments. That, in my mind, is a huge mistake and fundamentally short sighted. There is the danger that we will miss the original point - that of making India a great cricketing team – not just a great ODI team. It should be clearly understood that when we judge our teams at a particular milestone, we not only take the ODI tournaments into account, but also the test matches/series that we have played up to that time. Part of the problem with Greg Chappell’s thinking was that he gave us “Vision 2007” – and hoped that India would become the world champions. I am not sure if India, even if we had won the World Cup, would have been considered world champions. World champions are supposed to be champions, irrespective of the form of cricket they play.
Having said that, these ODI tournaments provide us with a point in time where we can sit down and gauge how the team has progressed over a period of time since changes were implemented, what has been achieved and what needs to be done in order to achieve the end state – which definitely should not be 2011 World Cup at this point. 2011 may be our short term goal – but our long term vision should extend to the 2015 World Cup. Thus, our short term goals should fit the 2011 World Cup time frame and our long term vision should extend to the 2015 World Cup.
After having settled on the time frame – the next step is to make sure that we have the right people to implement the plans that we have in order to make India world champions. The first and foremost thing that we need to realize is that, it is the players who will ultimately win games for us. Not the coach, not the administrators and definitely not the cricket loving public. For that, the players have to fit a certain profile - physically, mentally and talent wise. Just as you would not pick a player with lesser talent, you should not pick a player if he lacks the right mental attitude and the right amount of physical strength. If that means that we have to drop the core of the cricket team, and start building a new, then so be it. We want a team of winners, in all situations - be it 35 degrees Centigrade or be it when we are chasing 350 to win in the last innings. To achieve these, I have no doubt that we may have to outsource some of the training and hire the right people. We may have to send our players overseas (England, Australia, South Africa and even Sri Lanka) to help them get accustomed to the wickets, interact with their state/county players and thus learn the nuances of playing the game. If that is not possible, then we have to at least make sure that the international players play domestic cricket on a regular basis.
We need a strong captain - someone who can lead from the front. Leading from the front has different connotations for a lot of different people. Really, we need someone like Saourav Ganguly as our captain. Someone who is willing to stand up to the opposition, someone who can take the fight to the opposing team, someone who can throw a few taunts around, someone who is a brat. Indians in general tend to take things lying down - it is the way we grow up - respecting everyone, especially our elders, our teachers, someone who holds a higher office, etc. It should be taught to us that we are at par with everyone else in this world. I guess, it is a very cultural thing, but it has to change. The other thing with a captain is that we cannot let the fact that the captain has loads of talent, impose his talent on to the team. More often than not, the most talented individual team is not the best captain. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are prime examples of this theory. Both seem to impose their talent on the team - they expect everyone to perform to the same talent level as theirs. It is impossible for everyone to perform at the same talent level as they both possess. There is no harm in asking people to give their 100 percent, but asking someone to be a Rahul Dravid or a Sachin Tendulkar, puts enormous pressure on the individual. What we really need is someone with great man management skills.
A question that is doing the rounds right now is - should we continue with a foreign coach or should we go back to an Indian coach? The answer really is quite logical - we need a "good" coach, irrespective of his nationality, period. A coach should be given all facilities that will help him do his job properly. Therefore, if the coach needs person X to be his assistant then he should be provided with his requested assistant. However, that does not mean that the coach should be given a free hand at running the show, there should be a process in place that will allow for the coach and his employers (in this case BCCI) to communicate on a one on one level. If the BCCI feels that the coach is not doing his job properly, then he has to be told so at that point in time and similarly, if the coach feels that he is not getting the kind of feedback, either from the board or from the players, then he should escalate his concerns to the BCCI and the selectors and let them take appropriate actions.
Another thing that we need to worry about, are the channels of communication between the seniors and juniors and even with the team management, administrators and players. More often than not this is a leadership issue and should be solved if we have the right leader in place. Other than that, we need a strong manager in the team – someone who can be the siphon between BCCI and the players and the training staff.
Our developmental program needs to be revisited. We don't want players who score thousands of runs in domestic cricket and then are all at sea when facing international opposition. If that requires a change in our pitches, a change in our domestic competition, so be it. If it means that international calendar has to be revisited (and hence impacting our finances), then it has to be done - this will allow domestic players to play against international players - that can only be beneficial to the domestic players. One of the things that needs to be done is to trim down on the number of teams in Ranji Trophy. Currently, there are far too many teams - and hence not a lot of competition. There is a need to consolidate teams - it will also help a little bit with the finances.
It is high time we revisited our domestic structure from the point of view of incentives to players who might never get a chance to represent India in any internationals. Why would a player want to play the game if he knows that after playing for about 10 years, he may not be selected to the international team? Is he going to make enough money, while playing domestic cricket, to be able to sustain himself once he quits domestic cricket? If that is not the case, then my suggestion is to change the structure to mirror the club system in England. With corporate organizations coming in (either through sponsorship or through ownerships), there will be more money in the domestic game. This in turn will make sure that the production line (of players) does not stop (at least not for the lack of money and incentives) - and we continue to have players for a long time to come, otherwise, in a few years time, we might not even have 11 players to represent India at any tournaments.
Another area of improvement is our selection process. Although I am not very close to the entire selection process, I would assume that people at the grass roots level mostly depend on scorebooks to separate the best from the rest. That (looking at the score book) is only part of the equation. I am not sure if there is a system of scouts in the country, who will scavenge at all cricket games at all levels and then report their findings either to the respective selection committee (either national or state).
And lastly, there is a need for the BCCI to be revamped. There cannot be politicians running the show. When I say politicians, I don't mean members of parliament, but more than that. Jagmohan Dalmiya is a politician to my mind. People, who have nothing but the very best for Indian cricket at their hearts, should be allowed to run the BCCI. This is asking for a bit too much I think with the kind of money involved, however, something that should be looked into pretty closely. All BCCI members need to be responsible and answerable to the millions of fans who invest their time, hope and passion for the sport. If that means to change the very structure and constitution of the BCCI, then it has to be done.
India is a vast nation, with a lot of passionate people who love the game of cricket and I am quite confident that if we have the passion for the sport, then we can produce world beaters/champions. It is only a matter of putting a plan together, sticking to it and executing it.
Dhaval Brahmbhatt
posted by dhaval brahmbhatt at 4/03/2007 07:45:00 PM
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