The Hindu : Sport : Seniors failed when crunch time came

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Sunday, Mar 25, 2007
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Seniors failed when crunch time came

Imran Khan

A crisis can be used as an opportunity to improve, writes Imran Khan

— AP

THE END IS NIGH: Virender Sehwag despairs as India's final league game of the World Cup draws to a close.

The Indian cricket team stare at the exit door now that they have lost their second group game, this time against a fiercely competitive Sri Lankan side.

In my earlier article I had said that this was the arena in which the senior pros of the team like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, not to mention Harbhajan Singh, should have shepherded their side into the next round.

Unfortunately none of these players were up to the challenge on Friday, and now India like their neighbours will be on the flight home a lot sooner than they expected.

Once again there was a crucial all or nothing game and once again Sachin Tendulkar was found wanting. Four years ago, to the day, he fell short in the final at Wanderers. On Friday, he failed once again when it was important for him to succeed. The greatness of Vivian Richards was that the greater the stage the greater was his performance.

When Sachin looks back at his career, he will know that given his exceptional talent, he did not win enough games for his team. He once again missed a chance to live up to his reputation, and it was the same with Sourav Ganguly. Dravid tried manfully, but soon ran out of partners, and after the 25th over, there was only one result likely.

The only disagreement I have with Dravid was his reluctance to play five bowlers. Anil Kumble should have played on Friday, and that would have limited the target to 220.

Dravid's future

Where do the Indian team go from here? Chances are that there will be calls for the removal of Dravid and Chappell from the post of captain and coach respectively.

While I supported Inzamam-ul-Huq's move to quit, because he clearly was getting on in years and was also not enjoying leading the side, I would not support a similar decision from Dravid. He has ability, enjoys leading the side and can contribute to Indian cricket. Coach Chappell should continue as well, because his job to ingrain some professionalism and aggression in the side remains an unfinished project.

There will also be angry calls for the retirement of Sachin and maybe even Sourav, who did not look his normal fluid self in any of the three games.

Here again I would advise a sensible approach rather than a knee-jerk reaction. Sachin remains a vital cog in the team, and perhaps fans and media could help him by not portraying him as a superman. He is a great player, but to expect him to do larger than life things, and to compare him to the incomparable Vivian Richards is harming him more than helping him.

Realistic approach

A more realistic approach to players's successes and failures would be ideal. However dark and gloomy the mood in the Indian camp must be, their performance is not as bad as Pakistan's. Pakistan lost to weekend cricketers, while India was upset by a Test team, and the difference is important.

Gameplan

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