It's India's Time To Rebuild

[meetdilip]

Two months ago, India set foot on the English soil as the No. 1 Test side and world champions in ODIs. They return, callously stripped off their ranking and their airs. After the 4-nil humiliation in the Tests, we've slipped to No. 3 in Tests. And not winning a single ODI has pushed our ODI rank off a cliff, too.


But the point is not so much about the rankings. We'd climb the ladder again playing the home fixtures over the next few months. Rankings, we must understand, cannot be an absolute representation of calibre, both of the loser or the winner. So, while things can only improve hereon, we must not brush off this painful experience as a nightmare. Lessons ought to be learnt.

Time To Groom Youngsters

For the longest time India's team composition didn't need much tinkering — most of our batsmen were in form and bowlers were fit and performing. In fact, we'd often face the problem of plenty, and perhaps that is why we didn't spend time preparing the second line.

Now, with at least three top players in the twilight of their careers and a couple more hanging by a thread, it's time to start putting a process in place to find able replacements. The next few assignments shouldn't be seen as opportunities to regain lost pride but to build for the future.

The ODIs against England should be used to provide the likes of Rahane and Parthiv an extended run and the Tests against the West Indies for Pujara and Badrinath. Give them a chance to stake their claim in the longer format. If we fail to groom them now, we won't be able to fill the void the seniors will leave. Also, it's time to look beyond Zaheer in the bowling department too.

Shape Up, Or Ship Out

Fitness should be the top criterion for selection, not reputation. The England tour proved that all is not right with the way injuries and fitness is assessed. The persons issuing fitness certificates have to be made accountable.

I'm not saying that a player once given an ‘all clear' can't get injured. In the first place, we can't justify picking someone who isn't 100% fit. Instead of players choosing series to rest, it should be the board's responsibility to manage their workload.

It's also imperative to acknowledge the elephant in the room — too much cricket. If we can't decrease the quantity of cricket being played, we must increase the pool of selection-worthy players.

Prepare Well, And Make Tough Selections

The tour to England should serve as a rude reminder of our inability to prepare well for an important series. Preparation must start by identifying the right personnel who could succeed in prevailing conditions and also providing ample time to acclimatize. There's no point picking an opener who's predominantly a back-foot player for England or a batsman who's at sea against short-pitched stuff in Australia.

Pick horses for courses even if that means taking tough decisions. Yes, it's important to play a couple of warm-up games but only if we're able to find a proper window for them, for the players must get time to bat and bowl for hours in the nets too.

[Rising Sun]

Very true... its the time to get back into groove.