Team India is running through an ‘identity crisis’

Team India is now being governed by a selection committee which has combined to play 13 Tests together, and a support staff which has played 14 Tests in total. But it’s high time we believe that average cricketers can mould a world-class team. Gre

Photo: @ICC   

By GS Vivek

“Jaanta nahin mera baap kaun hai” --- that’s the most popular Indian dialogue. And then there’s a close second: “Jaanta nahin main kaun hoon”

In the typical Indian system, lineage --- a more refined term for dynasty -- has always held influence in the political, social and entertainment industry. And even as the Supreme Court’s nine-member Constitutional bench sits over the validity of the Aadhaar scheme, identity crisis has been India’s biggest issue, at least in cricket and other sports.

They say, once an Olympian, forever an Olympian. In cricketing parlance, once a Test cricketer forever a Test cricketer; and they are considered the best. That is why the Lodha reforms wants only Test cricketers as selectors, even if they have played just one or two, and not those who have represented in ODIs and T20 internationals.

There’s a bigger problem than this little instance --- we judge people purely by their identity ---- rather their achievements, and not by their qualifications or abilities. That is why we mock at Dodda Ganesh or Lalchand Rajput or Rakesh Sharma when they apply for Indian coach job. How many runs or wickets have they taken to tell someone like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni? What voice will he have inside the dressing room --- that’s the common refrain? Their Level 3 cricket coaching courses are dumped instantly. 

And that is precisely why there is such outrage over a man selected as bowling coach who has to his credit 2 Test matches, 4 runs and 4 wickets viz a viz another who has 92 Test matches and taken 311 wickets.

We are talking Bharat Arun vs Zaheer Khan, one of the most contentious and most argued topics in the recent one week. Let’s bring in Ravi Shastri here, and he makes a valid point saying “Team India took 77 out of 80 wickets in the 2015 world cup. If he was a big name, you would have put him on the top of the tree. I don't need to elaborate too much on what he is good at.”

We would take it as a statement defending Bharat Arun --- from a man who wanted him most and got into a bitter ego fight with Sourav Ganguly, and disregarded the great Zaheer as bowling consultant.

Let’s be a bit more pragmatic. Shastri makes a relevant point. It’s not about Zaheer the bowler. Rather it’s about Bharat Arun the coach. Team Indian bowlers need a man who can make Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja pick wickets. And with all his coaching credentials, Bharat Arun can, and has done that in the past.

Team India is now being governed by a selection committee which has combined to play 13 Tests together between three ---- MSK Prasad, Sarandeep Singh and Debang Gandhi. The guy who has a batting average of 11.77 in Tests heads India's selection panel.  It has an assistant coach in Sanjay Bangar, who has played 12 Tests and scored just 1 hundred and fielding coach in R Sridhar, who has never played ODI or Test cricket, just 35 FC matches. But everyone would believe Virat Kohli when he says Bangar and Sridhar have been most useful to them and have contributed immensely to their success -- because there was no big name in competition.