Selection chaos fuel India's woes

The events in Indian cricket that led into the New Year have left me completely disenchanted. Nothing seems to have changed over the years except the dizzying remuneration offered to players. One cannot help but think that the current players are being over-paid, especially after watching their dismal performance in New Zealand.

While most of the top teams are improving in leaps and bounds, the Indian team has taken the road in the opposite direction. As has been the case with Pakistani cricket, there is no shortage of talent in India, but harnessing the talent has never been a priority issue in the subcontinent. The success of a Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid is clearly because of the effort that particular individual has put into his game.

The results show brazenly, and no Indian cricket fan can be happy about the way this Indian team has crumbled repeatedly in New Zealand. With the World Cup just a month away, the team management and the selectors have between them delivered a few shockers as New Year gifts. Can anyone explain why Shiv Sunder Das was played in the first ODI? Why was Rakesh Patel sent to New Zealand if he was not going to play a game before December 31st?

With the exception of one selector, all four of the others have played for India, and they will be the first to admit that they too have been victims of the selectorial whims and fancies in their playing days. Which is why it shocks me even more that these gentlemen are following the same beaten track. In fact, to make life somewhat easier for themselves, the selectors have been consulting the team management about the choices, which makes it difficult for John Wright and Sourav Ganguly to wash their hands of the responsibility for the selection chaos.

© CricInfo

And what exactly did that chaos throw up? Most prominently, VVS Laxman was dropped from the Indian side for the World Cup in favour of Dinesh Mongia. I am not going to believe that it was just his form and performance in New Zealand that led to Laxman being axed. Had that been the case, Ganguly himself should have been the first to go. The Indian captain's form has not been inspiring at all, whereas Laxman can hardly be faulted; at the time of the World Cup squad selection, Laxman had averaged 40.33 in his last 10 one-day games, including three half-centuries. In comparison, Mongia in his last 10 one-dayers averages a meagre 16.44.

It must have been some crazy logic indeed that led the selectors to replace a batsman averaging around 40 with one who averages a shade less than 17! My own view is that Laxman has been singled out as the scapegoat for the collective failure of the Indian team in New Zealand. I feel for Laxman, who has been pivotal in Ganguly becoming one of the most successful Indian captains. Neither Ganguly nor Wright would have been around now had it not been for India's startling victory at Kolkata against Australia. But Laxman need not live on that one big knock; he would have made it into the World Cup squad on sheer merit, as the statistics reveal.

© CricInfo

One of the explanations given for Mongia's inclusion was his fielding ability. But if that is a primary selection criterion, then there are definitely a few more in the squad who will not make the cut. Murali Kartik, for example, is a far better fielder and batsman than Anil Kumble, and to boot, Kumble's bowling in his last 10 ODIs has been alarmingly poor; he averages 42.5 and sports an economy rate of close to five runs per over.

To give credit where it is due, I am glad that young Parthiv Patel has been added to the Indian squad. The emphasis of the selections should have been on youth, as the Australians have done. Having said that, I must say that it is quite sad to see Steve Waugh not making it into the World Cup squad. Few would cast any aspersions on his form, ability or agility, and it is ironic that he would walk easily into any other squad, purely on merit.

Now that the Indian squad has been named, I wish them all the best for a successful World Cup in South Africa. One can only hope for the best, but after watching yet another poor performance by the Indian team at Christchurch, I wonder if there is anything left to hope for.