MUMBAI, 2 November 2007 — There is never a dull moment in Indian cricket. If the action is not on the field of play, there is enough off it. At present, when the players are enjoying a well-earned rest, there is a raging debate over the exclusion of Rahul Dravid from the ODI squad.
Even those who had asked for his head earlier are now stone-walling for him. The height of ridicule was witnessed on a particular TV channel which had promoted an opinion poll on the selection of the Indian team for the up-coming one-day series against Pakistan.
It displayed among the lowest votes for Dravid. Now, they are in the forefront of an orchestrated campaign against the selection committee for axing the former Indian captain. There is no denying the fact that opinions are divided on the issue, with a lot of people, including some ex-players, quoting “The Wall’s” glorious existing record rather than his present form while dubbing the move “illogical,” they are themselves turning their own face away from the stark reality.
A selector cannot be too sacrosanct not to hurt the feelings of highly-respected players when entrusted with the job of picking a national side. Being just and fair and sincere of his convictions ought to be his first and final call.
The fact that Indian cricket has, at its highest level, five men to collectively turn out a piece of selection, must provide the necessary check and balance. Sehwag who was ignored for so long, had a lower frequency of failures.
The difference between Dravid and Sehwag, when one talks of one-day cricket, is that of wind and whirlwind. Dravid of late has been ultra-cautious and has been hesitant to go up the order.
If he stays at the crease, which is rare, he eats away a lot of overs. Sehwag, on the other hand, thunders his way as long as he lasts.
No one is against Dravid, but it is clear that he does not have any defined role to play in the shorter version of the game.
Indian cricket is at present blessed with several young and adventurous players, those who have brought such a positive attitude to the game that was so wonderfully revealed in the Twenty20 World Cup and thereafter. A former chairman of selection committee, Kiran More, has gone on record, saying that an attempt is being made to ease the “Big Three” out of India’s team for the shorter version of the game.
Yes, indeed, that is going to happen in the days to come, what with the amount of pressure being exerted on them by some outstanding performances of younger players.
Wasn’t it Kiran More himself who had started the process by keeping Sourav Ganguly out for over a year? Indian cricket is at the crossroads. There is already such fierce competition among the young players themselves that the seniors will have to act “young” in form and fitness, or be weeded out gradually to occupy the precincts of Test cricket only.
