5-point plan for the Indian team after the 2011 Boxing Day test loss, looking ahead to the New Year and beyond.

It’s time to have a plan for Dravid

How long is he going to play? He obviously wants to take it series by series and match by match, but No.3 is a crucial position, not to mention first slip. India has to phase him out, starting with moving him out of first slip to begin with – far too many catches have gone down in the recent past, the drop of Hussey towards the end of Day 3 at the MCG only being the latest of many over the last year.

Decide on one batsman who’s identified as good enough for the future

This is not easy given the limited chances they’ve got but it’s got to be one of Pujara, Sharma or Kohli. (If I had to take a punt, that would be on Pujara). You have to give that person an extended run.

Dhoni as batsman

He has to work harder as a test batsman. He’s more capable than he’s letting himself be. I know his technique is nowhere as good enough for a top order batsman, but he needs to develop a mind-set that allowed players such as Gilchrist at No.7 and Kapil Dev and Ian Botham (who could bat at number 6) to play counter-attacking cricket consistently.  

Dhoni as captain

We can’t give away easy singles, no matter what the situation is. Probe a guy for six continuous balls – that’s the best way to build pressure on a batsman. Singles were far too easy to come at the MCG. Is it the absence of Kirsten that Dhoni is letting the game meander? Are the senior trio and Sehwag not giving him inputs? They should be, if they are not.

Running through the tail

We all knew Kumble’s absence was going to hurt in this area. Harbhajan, to begin with, was promising, but then up and down and now out. Ashwin has to take up the responsibility for this job, with support from the pace bowlers, and more importantly his captain with the fields he sets.

3rd Day, 3rd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2008 - New Delhi

Simon Katich, Matt Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke all played gritty knocks in amuch improved batting display as compared to the abject collapse in Mohali. The bowling was good as well and made for a delightful day for the purists - hard-fought cricket with each team trying its best to outdo the other.

The Indian bowling was good, but lacked luck today as there were so many ooh and aah moments which went unrewarded, perhaps to a large extent caused by the lackadaisical fielding approach. Our close in fielders seem to disappoint more often than not, and our outfielders are bad. The infielders dive around occasionally, but given the average age of the team and the absence of even one outstanding fielder, it is no real surprise that fielding has continually been a let down. Gautam Ganbhir probably was the best on display in the field today, but he doesn't inspire much confidence as a close-in catcher. The other decent fielder we normally have is Harbhanjan Singh, and he was missed on the field as well.

Of course, the absence of Harbhajan was felt in the bowling attack further weakened by Kumble's lack of form and even presence on the field. One wondered whether Harbhajan or even Munaf would have helped make greater inroads into the shaky Aussie batting order. Further fuel at the Feroz Shah Kotla today for doubting thomases as Kumble failed to pick up a wicket, and Dhoni shone in sharp contrast as stand-in captain when the unlucky Jumbo injured his left hand in a valiant catch attempt.

Virender Sehwag produced some good wicket-taking balls, including one that counted for Mike Hussey, a crucial wicket towards the end of day's play. Sachin Tendulkar was closely involved with thinking out the present day Bradman, and so was Gary Kirsten, some footage would lead us to believe. All in all, a happy decision making unit, conspicuous by the absence of Anil Kumble.

Time's running out for Kumble who now seems to be running on the goodwill of those who have seen him fighting hard all these 18 years. Hopefully he'll be fit enough to bowl tomorrow. I get the feeling we'll need him if we have to force a result.

Else, one last opportunity at the Nagpur test. If not something's got to give.

Time to turn it on Jumbo. I am rooting for you.

Response to Mukul Kesavan's "The last tour"

Kesavan writes on "Why the Australia series marks the end of India's great middle order, and even, possibly, of the primacy of Test cricket"

It is premature to write obituaries for Test cricket. It's been done before, but the longer version of the game is the essence of the game. No amount of money can change that. T20 will have an impact, but my prediction is that it will produce more of the fearless cricket and cricketers the Aussies produced over the last ten to fifteen years.

Yes, teams will take some time to rebuild after the last generation leaves, and it will take more than some time for the new paradigm to take shape where players catch the eyes at T20 and move on to the longer versions, rather than moving up from first class cricket. But a new equilibrium will be attained - maybe 4 day tests (something Steve Waugh had advocated long back), maybe the leagues playing longer versions as well (you need good practice to do well in any format), maybe a window for wonderful exciting Test cricket between the best 4 to 6 trams only (we should already stop this Bangladesh, Zimbabwe nonsense right away, anyway)...

The ICC, though needs to get its act together and look at its options proactively. Else, what you say might well come true. But I am hopeful, if not the ICC or the stupid twerp of a BCCI... the market will come out with a solution to satisfy everyone... including test cricket lovers like me and you.

And I am hopeful about the cricket ahead. India-Australia, (paint something over the Champions League), but look ahead to the Ashes! Like I said, way too premature to write obituaries for real cricket.

Cool ICL for School Cricket

The ICL is here again. It is heartening to see that the underdog is alive and kicking, and continues to give the BCCI something to think about, in spite of the unabated witch-hunt. One wonders if it can capitalise on the recent developments, particularly the birth of the Dhaka Warriors and the Sri Lankan Board’s reversal of the ICL ban for domestic cricket, using these shots in the arm to move to a position of greater strength. The IPL seemed to have stolen the thunder right away from the ICL, the original path-breakers and the concept-providers. It was able to mesmerise with glitz and star power, something which the ICL failed to do as originally intended, thanks to the ridiculous extents to which the BCCI went to ensure that the ICL would not get off the ground. But given the Himalayan restrictions imposed by the monopolist, the ICL has done quite well. Some of the things which have worked for it include the deep pockets of Subhash Chandra, the courage of Kapil and other devils, the dedication of the players who have committed to it, and not least, the underdog tag which has excited cricket lovers.

The IPL has also, hopefully, taught some crucial lessons. Kapil admitted that the product had been marketed really well. I hope the ICL does a decent job of it as well, because these “rebels” fighting it out deserve a proper exhibition of their talents in living rooms across the world. Of what use is it, if a batsman hammers a 40 ball century when about 40 people are watching? Sound marketing is necessary for people to sit up and take notice; for the public and the media to cry out for the inclusion of fresh talent in the national team, irrespective of which streams it flows from. The franchise system did wonders for IPL teams, polarising the fans and igniting a few good contests. While this seems to be in the offing for the ICL, it can’t come a moment sooner, as ICL team identities haven’t been forged very well. To an outsider, Kapil Dev makes it look as if it is a welfare association of sorts where players come to “make a life”. This is clearly not true, and it is actually hampering perceptions, making keen contests sound as if they were benefit matches. Pit the teams against each other, and for god’s sake pit yourself against the BCCI. Don’t keep requesting the power-corrupt BCCI for recognition… demand it by producing excellent cricket. Force everyone to sit up and take notice. Personally, I rather love the tag “rebel”. If we have been branded rebels, let’s employ it to our advantage (and in advertisements), making the devil-may-care attitude our own! “Be a Rebel!” as Aamir Khan would say...

One suggestion I have which could make the BCCI look rather silly is to announce the biggest school cricket tournament the country has ever seen. While the BCCI has a decent junior level cricket structure, it has nowhere nearly done enough for the development of the game at the grass-root level. The popularity of cricket has meant that kids are attracted to the game, and that talent can move up through the levels to break through to visibility without too much effort from the administrators. Schools and private coaching academies provide an adequate support structure in the early stages of a budding cricketer’s life. It is dedicated coaches who work for little or no returns and for the love of the game who ensure that the assembly line for professional cricketers is always running full. The BCCI, by virtue of its monopoly power just laps them up as they make the grade from school and club cricket to district and state level cricket. If the ICL unfolds its opportunities for a budding character somewhere at these levels, it would act as a crunching monkey wrench in the works. I see a number of crucial advantages accruing to the ICL, not to mention, a shake-up and consequent improvement of the cricketing structure. A high profile event would boost the ICL’s image as seriously working towards the development of cricket in India. Importantly, the BCCI will also be forced to think about development of cricket at the grass-root levels. And to what extent will it then proceed with its witch-hunt against the ICL? Would it ban everyone who ever played in an ICL school tournament? If it does something like that, the BCCI will look ludicrous and will have to relax its rules.

Hence, the ICL needs to move down - to school cricket and to the under 16/17/19 levels to get some of the best young talent and accelerate their ascent to the prominent televised stage. Nepotism and favouritism are rampant at every level in the BCCI’s cricketing structure, and if the ICL can provide a clean alternative, the resulting talent pool would be worth watching out for. The ICL does not need to spend millions of rupees on all this: all it has to do is to host regular school tournaments, find sponsors, use the network of (many disgruntled) coaches to identify talent and build junior level teams, starting with one massive nationwide inter-school tournament. Although results in terms of financial returns may not accrue immediately, this is a long term investment which will work. The ICL can tap in to this extremely valuable resource to identify and hone talent for its own. The BCCI has no ownership over the love people have for cricket. If the ICL absorbs some of the best talent there is, say a pool of about a 100 per year, the BCCI will be left with what remains. The first mover’s advantage will work for the ICL, one way or the other – either the BCCI drops its illogical ban, or faces the probability of steep drop in its quality.

The ICL might want to start with the cities in which their leagues are based, because the existing structure is already good. But there are a large number of other untapped talent resources such the wide and vast rural India, north-eastern India and even the islands of India from where cricketers hardly emerge. I bet this is not because of dearth of talent, but because of the lack of a system for identifying and grooming talent. Going to hitherto neglected resource bases not only brings raw talent to the fore, it also marks ICL as a different product, where there’s always something new to look forward to. No major investment is needed, though it does require commitment to develop cricket over a long term, and perhaps a slight sacrifice on returns in the short term. The ICL does not have to be an exclusive brand with high-priced jerseys. Cheap mass-produced T-shirts (for school players, coaches, umpires and anybody else who else who wants a T-shirt!) across the length, breadth and depths of India would popularise it more and draw talent better than anything else.

I believe that the ICL is doing well as it is, and it is only a matter of time before there is a change in the situation because there is hectic activity everywhere: boardrooms, dressing rooms and in the very near future, the courtrooms. The ICL will not lose in this war the BCCI is waging against it, but if it thinks and acts seriously about developing cricket, they could end up as the clear winners.