QUALITY PLAYERS: Greg Chappell rates Yuvraj Singh as the key player in the middle overs in ODIs, while the struggling Suresh Raina is still someone with serious ability. — FILE Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Chennai: Greg Chappell believes India might have to go through a critical phase in the season following the World Cup. The period, he says, needs to be handled carefully.

A few of the Indian cricketers are not getting any younger, and at some point, the seniors may have to make way for younger talent. While Chappell is unwilling to put any time limit on it, decisions will be guided by performances, he is emphatic that the reserve talent would have to be ready.

The Indian coach, speaking to The Hindu after the third India - West Indies ODI, admits this would not be an easy process.

Not an easy solution

"There are a whole lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration. Especially, when you have the players of the quality and records that these players have got. There is no easy solution to it. I hope whatever happens is in the best interests of everybody. It will be an interesting period."

Chappell continues: "It has been one of India's best batting line-ups for sure. But in future we will have to get the balancing act right, getting the best out of the senior players and grooming the younger cricketers who can take over from the superstars when they finish. Cricket history is littered with people who have not made it because they have not been given the right opportunity at the right time."

The younger cricketers should not just make up the numbers, he says. "You don't hide them. You don't do them any favours. You play them under real time, real pressure, real opposition. You give them responsibility."

Fairly satisfied

Chappell says one of his biggest challenges when he took over as India coach was to build a team for the World Cup in two years' time. He is largely satisfied with the results. "We are a one-day team in transition. We still have not got it right as consistently as we would like to. It is a difficult process to try and fast track people. It has to be done in a measured way. But to think that we have won a number of matches while doing so is a good feeling.

"We have had to take some tough decisions. A team may be not be the best team picked on that day, the game in Chennai was an example, but we have to identify young players in specific roles, throw them at the deep end," he says.

However, this has been a season when the Indian batting often lost its way and the bowling has not always been seen spot on. While Chappell defended his bowlers, he felt the absence of the influential Yuvraj Singh since the ICC Champions Trophy — he made a comeback in the Chennai ODI — had adversely impacted the run-flow in the middle overs.

"No one knew Yuvraj would get injured and this caught us short in South Africa. We've had to make adjustments. He has just returned and we would have to give him some time. Yuvraj still hasn't made it to the World Cup but it (his fitness) is looking better everyday."

Probe Chappell about the Indian attack and he answers, "I think we are close to having the best possible bowling line-up under the circumstances. Whether it is good to win the World Cup, only time will tell."

Ask him about the inconsistent streak in S. Sreesanth and Chappell responds, "You don't always bowl the ball where you want to. Sometimes it takes two steps back to go three steps forward. When you get to the situation next time, you will have some tools to work with. Sreesanth made major contributions to Test victories in the West Indies and South Africa. Give the kid a break. He has among the best out-swingers I have seen."

The Indian bowling has faltered at the beginning and at the death. "We have had the challenge of giving the bowlers a chance in different aspects of bowling before we got to the Caribbean. If someone has to get better at the death, you have to bowl him at the death. The same applies to the new ball and the middle overs. Some of them were not ready, but how else would you give them the experience?"

A few setbacks

In the brave ploy to give youth a fling, there have been some setbacks too. Irfan Pathan faces a career crisis, so does Suresh Raina. Says Chappell: "You cannot sit in judgment of somebody's career until the end of it. Most of these boys, I am sure, will have successful careers. Along the way they will have failures. It's about how you deal with it and how you come back. I am sure Irfan would be a stronger human being and a better cricketer because of the experiences he has had over the last six months or so. In the end, the only solution was to remove him from that environment, give him some space for himself. I think his future will be as an all-rounder, a batting all-rounder or a bowling all-rounder. Raina is still someone with serious ability."

The Indian fielding and running between the wickets have come under scrutiny. Chappell maintains that, "one-day cricket is about young people." He goes on, "To have the seniors in and maintain the fielding standards is one of the challenges we face. But we have tried to use our assets in the best possible manner."

The fact that younger cricketers like Robin Uthappa are pushing the established names has left Chappell pleased. "That's great. There is nothing worse than getting to this stage and wonder who is going to make up the last couple of positions in the World Cup. We probably have 20 players who could fit in that squad. Only 15 of them will go."

Chappell sees a semifinal berth as a reasonable ambition. Beyond this stage, he says it is anybody's tournament. "We have the ability, but we will have to play well and we will have to have some luck along the way," he says.

(Concluded)

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