Rahul Dravid’s decision on the disastrous tour of South Africa was that India did not play ‘smart cricket’. Not known to be a waste of words, that cryptic analysis not only conveyed Dravid’s deep dismay, but also gave a signal for an immediate rethink on personnel, tactics and team-bonding methods.
Losing five matches in a row – across two formats – was a blow, no less, and none seemed to add to Dravid’s frustration every day as the team lost its chance to win a historic, first Test series in South Africa and then go on to an ODI series. I am going to be whitewashed.
Defeats and setbacks are an integral part of the game, but without taking anything away from a tough, determined South Africa, when a team performs so badly against a formidable opponent, there is cause for concern. For Dravid, his first assignment – the home series against New Zealand – did not pose as much of a challenge. The South Africa tour was an eye-opener. Many problems were emerging which had to be resolved.
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The two-year period is significant since Dravid took over as head coach from Ravi Shastri. There are three ICC titles at stake – T20 WC, ODI WC and WTC. In the previous cycle of these events, India had fared poorly despite wearing the tag of ‘favourite of the three’. In the 2019 ODIWC, the team was knocked out in the semi-finals, failed to make it to the T20 WC knock-out stage in 2021 and, perhaps most disappointingly, lost to New Zealand in the inaugural WTC final in 2021.
These unfavorable results in large part led to Virat Kohli relinquishing the captaincy – voluntarily or otherwise. Workload management and his own faltering batting form were also important factors, but it would be fair to assume that had the team won two of these three tournaments, Kohli’s position as captain would have been secured.
Though he doesn’t have any major titles to show in his 7-year stint, Kohli’s captaincy record in bilateral competitions is stupendous. Apart from this, he also brought a major cultural and mindset change in the dressing room with his aggressive style. His influence is sure to have a lasting effect which will have to be put to an end. With Kohli no longer at the helm, there was bound to be a period of uncertainty which would have to be resolved at the earliest.
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In such a situation, the captaincy and the choice of the players become paramount. The ODI and T20 teams announced this week reflect a desire to change results quickly. The selectors – in close consultation with Dravid and captain nominee Rohit Sharma – have made changes, the most notable of which is the return of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Chahal as a wrist-spinner combo that was not very successful not too long ago.
Senior players like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin (Fitness) have been rested while Ravindra Jadeja is yet to fully recover from the injury. There has been some criticism that newcomer Venkatesh Iyer has been dropped after the South Africa series. This is not a show of distrust towards Iyer. More likely, it is in an effort to coach-captain the best talent and balance to be able to try out other players. Similarly, the Chahal-Kuldeep duo cannot believe that their place is guaranteed now. Both have to show wicket-taking form.
Getting the T20 team ready on time is the top priority as this year’s WC will be played, but next year’s ODI WC should be planned simultaneously. As many players in both formats can fit the bill, it’s a help. The challenge for the selectors, Dravid and Sharma, is to try as many players as possible without compromising on winning matches and series. Continuous losses can demoralize even the side which has rich talent.
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The Test squad, of course, will be announced on the eve of the series against Sri Lanka, which follows the white-ball competition against the West Indies, but some major changes are likely here too, given the top-order’s poor form in South Africa. Has happened. Whether Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are able to stay in their places is the key question. India are precariously ranked in the WTC rankings and need a lot of victories to come back into a strong fight for a place in the finals. Here too, some urgency is inevitable in identifying and trying out players.
The issue of Test captaincy remains unresolved. Will the selectors go for a split captaincy (white and red ball), or give full charge to Rohit Sharma now that Kohli has resigned?
Logically, it must be Sharma who was made the vice-captain for the Test matches in South Africa before pulling out of the tour over fitness issues – apart from captaining the ODIs. His ascension to the top position in white-ball cricket has been widely appreciated. His leadership credentials are excellent and this includes some multi-nation tournaments as well as IPL titles. In this role, he has displayed maturity and strategy reflecting his vast experience. He is also India’s best batsman at present, which has made his rise to captaincy more or less inevitable.
Apparently the delay in naming the Test captain has been due to uncertainty over Sharma’s fitness. Obviously, a captain who is in and out of the team due to poor fitness makes the team unstable and weak. But the decision cannot be kept open for long. This dilemma can be easily resolved by talking to the sports medicine experts at NCA who have been treating him for some time.
While the recast and the big IPL, ahead of the mega auction, have all been in the limelight, it is the matches that will be played before the cash-rich tournament that are more important. It is a period of rebooting and will determine how and where Indian cricket is going.
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