Desperate Measure

In a desperate bid to find the seniors’ successors, the Indian selectors’ latest contributions to the big league are Virat Kohli and S Badrinath, both of whom made their ODI debut in Sri Lanka (August 2008). While an irregular opening slot was Kohli’s shield for his hard fought efforts until he scored a 50 in the fourth match of the Idea Cup, Badri’s unbeaten 27 in an Indian run chase of 143 was hailed as a laudable effort. The Tamil Nadu batsman followed that up with 6 and 6 in the next two matches.

If the Indian performance in the Idea Cup is anything to go by, serious speculation should be the order of the day. They have struggled every bit to get to a total of 143, they have been bowled out for 258 in 49.3 overs from 224 for 3 in 41 overs, a rookie leg spinner (Ajantha Mendis) has made them dance to his tunes (a feat Abdul Qadir and Shane Warne couldn’t even dream to achieve) and they not for once looked champion material.

The least the selectors and the officials could do to provide some direction to this young bunch is add a bit of experience to the squad. It’s far easier for Suresh Raina, a tremendous prospect for India in the future to play alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly than Virat Kohli and S Badrinath. And as is evident, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh would still take time before broadening their shoulders in crisis situations.

With Sehwag’s inclusion though, the Idea Cup squad seems a near perfect one. With three seniors (Sehwag, Yuvraj and Dhoni) around, the combination of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Robin Uthappa looks not only formidable but dangerous. But if any of the three is not available, what’s the point in looking for more replacements for them from the younger lot! There is still a legendary ODI batsman in Sourav Ganguly, who has not called it a day. Does Virat Kohli justify a call ahead of Ganguly in the team? Sri Lanka though on the other hand has groomed their younger cricketers (Chamara Kapugedera for example) but for once not at the cost of Sanath Jayasuriya, the old war horse.

To say that the Indian cricket administrators and logic do not go hand-in-hand would be nothing new. Their attitude towards the game sends a clear message that things could now be taken for granted. Whatever goes on, the broadcasters and sponsors are certain to get their money back from cricket and in turn, the BCCI is certain to get richer.

The fans are left alone in the hands of Kohli and Badri, none of whom could care less as both became IPL players even before their international debut. The reactions of Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, who desperately needs to learn the art of communication, though would be interesting once this anarchy sets up its promised date with failure.