Cricket: Veterans face heat as India fall apart
ICC chief Pawar wants changes in lineup after Australia debacle.
NEW DEHLI:
Pressure is mounting on India’s ageing Test batsmen to make way for fresh talent after the team sunk to the ‘lowest of lows’ in Australia where they suffered a humiliating 4-0 series whitewash.
The eighth consecutive overseas Test defeat – following an identical scoreline in England – left a battered India searching for a way to stop the rot.
Fingers were being pointed at underperforming stars Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman – pillars of the lineup for over a decade.
Tendulkar, who turns 39 in April, was clearly burdened by the pressure of chasing his 100th international century, a feat which continues to elude him despite several failed attempts.
While Tendulkar will get another chance to make amends in the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka, Dravid and Laxman are not part of the limited-overs team.
Even International Cricket Council President Sharad Pawar, a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief, felt younger players needed to be thrown in the ring.
“The time has come for some changes,” Pawar told the CNN-IBN news channel. “One has to take risks and give an opportunity to the younger generation. It might change the entire atmosphere in the team.”
Meanwhile, BCCI President Narayanaswamy Srinivasan also defended the battered Test team, saying the ODI series could change the tourists’ fortunes.
“There is no need for a knee-jerk reaction,” said Srinivasan. “We have faith in the team. Only months back they won the World Cup.”
Chappell criticises ‘star’ system
However, former Australia captain Ian Chappell recommended a thorough review of Indian cricket. “The star system is well and truly ingrained in the Indian team and things won’t improve, certainly not on the overseas Test match front, until this is changed,” Chappell wrote in the Hindustan Times.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2012.
Pressure is mounting on India’s ageing Test batsmen to make way for fresh talent after the team sunk to the ‘lowest of lows’ in Australia where they suffered a humiliating 4-0 series whitewash.
The eighth consecutive overseas Test defeat – following an identical scoreline in England – left a battered India searching for a way to stop the rot.
Fingers were being pointed at underperforming stars Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman – pillars of the lineup for over a decade.
Tendulkar, who turns 39 in April, was clearly burdened by the pressure of chasing his 100th international century, a feat which continues to elude him despite several failed attempts.
While Tendulkar will get another chance to make amends in the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka, Dravid and Laxman are not part of the limited-overs team.
Even International Cricket Council President Sharad Pawar, a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief, felt younger players needed to be thrown in the ring.
“The time has come for some changes,” Pawar told the CNN-IBN news channel. “One has to take risks and give an opportunity to the younger generation. It might change the entire atmosphere in the team.”
Meanwhile, BCCI President Narayanaswamy Srinivasan also defended the battered Test team, saying the ODI series could change the tourists’ fortunes.
“There is no need for a knee-jerk reaction,” said Srinivasan. “We have faith in the team. Only months back they won the World Cup.”
Chappell criticises ‘star’ system
However, former Australia captain Ian Chappell recommended a thorough review of Indian cricket. “The star system is well and truly ingrained in the Indian team and things won’t improve, certainly not on the overseas Test match front, until this is changed,” Chappell wrote in the Hindustan Times.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2012.