Not the ideal situation for India on the eve of a crucial Test

In as much as the Australians are consistent in their winning ways, the Indians are consistent in their haphazard thinking. The thought process of the think tank and the selection committee seem to be running on parallel lines. The "Hirwani Hangama" epitomises the confusion prevailing in the minds of the people concerned with selection. Obviously there might have been a divided opinion in the case of Hirwani right from the start but the entire episode does not reflect well collectively on either the selection committee or the think tank. The rolly-polly leg spinner from Indore was enjoying his cricket playing for his state and zone but for reasons unbeknown to him, he had a jolly ride on a huge merry-go-round in the last two weeks. He was called for the camp and one look at him was enough to make out that he was hardly in any shape to play international cricket. Mind you, today we are in situation where the fitness of a player is preferred to his skill. Suffice to say that Hirwani may not have kind words to say about the selection process in this country.

The Hirwani episode shows the desperation levels as the search for spinners continues. The choices are limited and with the home side losing badly at Mumbai, the instant chopping and changing had to take place. What one should realise is that Sarandeep Singh should have been in the side for the first Test. Amazingly enough, no scribe thought it fit to devote even a paragraph when Sarandeep was left out after an impressive debut at Nagpur! The recall of Raju was on the cards as the other left arm spinners were found wanting in their own ways. Joshi has been given enough chances in both versions of the game but he was a big disappointment. Kartik, the promising youngster has not been bowling well in the recent times and this factor has gone against him.

It is incredible that India, the land of match winning spin bowlers is struggling to field three decent spinners. Over the years the spinners have been spoilt bowling on under-prepared pitches most of the time. The easy success enjoyed by them on those pitches has not allowed them to develop their skills. The overdose of one-dayers may also be a contributing factor but it has to be accepted that the present day spinners do not have their basics right. One can hardly see them bowl consistently on the right line and length for a period of three or four overs. I saw the entire lot struggle in the domestic circuit as I was commentating on television during those games. Regardless of the nature of pitches, the cardinal principles have to be adhered to. Unfortunately, the current crop of spinners offer ready made excuses rather than face realities when things go wrong.

The skipper has decided to play on turning tracks if he can convince the groundsmen at the various venues. Based on that plan of his, the net for spinners has been thrown around. From what has been happening in the last two weeks, it is apparent that the skipper should reconsider his game plan simply because he does not the spinners to bowl the opponents out. In defence of the spinners, it has to be said that they do need enough runs on the board to do their job. The skipper is handicapped further with Srinath and Agarkar pulling out due to injuries. The bowling department wears a thin look on paper but it has to be borne in mind that batting failed miserably in both the innings at Mumbai. Ganguly, though inexperienced as a captain, needs to understand that his job is even more difficult when the going is tough.

Ganguly's decision to play the game at Delhi was suggestive of his keenness but his innings did not match his usual touch and elegance. To keep himself going he has remarked that he was happy with his form and it remains to be seen. He will be out in front of his home crowd at Kolkata, which will be an advantage, but the flip is that the Kolkata crowd does not treat failures lightly. More than his personal form and success, his major problem now is to keep his side focussed and how he goes about it will reflect his character as a leader. John Wright may be knowledgeable about the game, but his main job is all about understanding the mental make-up of the players and devising a plan to inspire the team to do well. Wright has been around with the team for a reasonable period of time now and he can't expect to have more time to settle down. His performance as a coach will be evaluated based on the team's success against Australia rather than against weaker sides. As such if he can't deliver the goods in this series the pressure is going to mount on him sooner rather than later.

In a nutshell, the Indians are about to get into a very crucial Test match with the coach and captain under some amount of pressure and this is not the ideal situation.