A tragedy of ERRORS

Abhijit Chatterjee analyses the reasons behind the ignominious exit of defending champions India from the T20 World Cup in England

When the going became tough in this T20 World Cup, Dhoni probably was not equipped to inspire his team since his own batting form had taken a nosedive. AFP photo

Was it sheer bad luck on the part of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men that the defending champions had to bite the dust in the T20 World Cup in England after losing two back-to-back matches in the Super Eight stage? Or is the reason more deep-rooted, calling for an immediate corrective action not only by the team management but also by the ‘money-hungry’ people who run the BCCI? Had the Indian team’s thinktank run out of ideas once the team lost quick wickets in the most important game it was playing this year? Does the reason lie in-between?

For Dhoni, in particular, the T20 World Cup bashing was something he was not prepared for mentally, having it fairly easy ever since the mantle of leadership was handed over to him in 2007 after he had taken India to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, leading a squad of youngsters. But when the going became tough in this T20 World Cup, Dhoni probably was not equipped to inspire his team since his own batting form had taken a nosedive from his earlier days when he was unafraid of sending even the most fearsome bowler over the ropes. Of course, Dhoni should not be the only one to blame with coach Gary Kirsten shouldering his share.

Matches at home, the below par attack which the team had faced in the New Zealand series and the worn-out pitches in South Africa where the IPL games were played, had not prepared the Indian squad for the lively strips which they encountered in England. To add to their problems, the defending champions had been placed in a relatively weaker pool, figuring Ireland and Bangladesh, where neither their batsmen nor bowlers were really tested.

Despite Dhoni parading his whole team in front of the media, there is no denying the fact that there was lack of harmony between the skipper and his designated deputy Virender Sehwag. — Photo AP/PTI

So when the Indians had to face the big boys of the game in the Super Eight stage they simply had no answer to the quality of pace bowling being dished out to them, first by the West Indies and then by England.

The Indian team has been playing non-stop cricket this year. It arrived in England barely a couple of days prior to the start of the tournament after a hard-fought IPL in South Africa where the tenacity of the Indian players was tested to the hilt by the war lords of the BCCI, who made the players perform day after day. After the long tour of New Zealand, where no doubt they had tasted victory, though not in a Twenty20 game, the cricketers immediately left for South Africa for the one-and-a-half-month long IPL before heading straight for England for the Twenty20 World Cup. Do the powers that be that run the IPL and the BCCI think the players are zombies or robots who can perform with no rest?

This was definitely not the way for a champion team to prepare for the defence of its title. Of course, the BCCI can argue that professional cricketers must keep themselves match-fit no matter what the conditions are but then the human body does need rest not only to relax but also to recover from niggling injuries which affect most professional players some time or the other. There was hardly any time for a proper game-plan, which both the West Indies and England had in plenty to hasten India’s exit.

Even the practice sessions were made optional during the tenure of the T20 tournament in England. Most of the players opted to give the practice session a miss undoubtedly craving for some rest. Though nobody has yet owned up this bright idea but was this the BCCI’s way of giving players the much-needed rest which they could not afford to do in the first six months of the year?

Even younger players like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, who have yet to learn a lot about the requirements of international cricket, were not present at the nets. They were ill equipped to deal with the real thing when the going became tough at the centre. Simply put, there was no plan on how to take any of their opponents as is the case with most international squads and which England aptly showed with its short deliveries, knowing the Indian team’s weakness for them.

But there were many other factors, which did the squad in. For one, no matter how much mileage Dhoni tried to garner by parading his whole team in front of the media, there is no denying the fact that there was lack of harmony between the skipper and his designated deputy Virender Sehwag, probably aggravated by the fact that Sehwag was carrying an injury sustained during the IPL and not known to the captain. The BCCI did try its fire-fighting measures by saying that the board knew that Sehwag was carrying an injury but had included him in the squad in the hope that he would recover in time for the "big games". That did not happen but the rumours floated by a section of the media accompanying the team only added to the woes of the Indian squad, especially its skipper.

Both the West Indies and England had done their homework well. They knew that Indian batsmen are uncomfortable against the deliveries aimed at the ribcage and they exploited this deficiency to the hilt.

But that was not the only reason for India’s inept showing. Their bowling lacked passion and class, specially in the slog overs. With Zaheer Khan just returning from injury and Ishant Sharma plainly exhausted from too much cricket, the team could have examined the option of playing R.P. Singh or Praveen Kumar. R.P. Singh did send down three lively overs against England but the lack of match practice was apparent.

The Indian fielding, always a problem, was much below par. Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravinder Jadeja and Gautam Gambhir are a decent bunch of fielders but since they had not practiced together they were not consistent in the matches where it mattered the most.

But the primary shortcoming of the Indians was in the batting department, which cost India both games against the West Indies and England. India were missing the one player who had worked on his weakness against the short ball. Virender Sehwag, who earlier used to succumb when bowlers targeted his body with the short-pitched deliveries, had recently added the hook and the flick to his repertoire of shots. And few international cricketers can match Sehwag’s hand-eye coordination and gumption to send wider short balls sailing over the backward point. Sehwag’s absence was felt the most in the tournament decider against England.

Dhoni’s decision to field first after winning the toss against England is a decision which will be debated for quite some time. But it was a sure sign that Dhoni was not sure of himself or about the capability of his team and was willing to allow England to lead the proceedings. But the biggest blunder, which the Indian skipper did in the decider against England, was to send Jadeja at the number four position when the more experienced Yuvraj Singh would have been most suitable for the job. Why he did so only the skipper, or Kirsten, can answer. To top it all, a batsman like Yusuf Pathan was held back for so long.

India will have to come up with a new Twenty20 gameplan, particularly against the rising ball, if it hopes to stay in the top bracket of the game’s shortest format. The biggest difference between 2007 when India won the T20 World Cup and now is that the other teams have finetuned their gameplan largely due to the experience they have gained from the two editions of the IPL.

The BCCI, too, must plan its calendar well, giving the players enough time to recover from small injuries and adequate rest between the tournaments. Also, the players must themselves take a call and opt out to seek rest when they think their body would not be able to deliver.

The youth policy, started by former skipper Saurav Ganguly and pursued by Dhoni, must continue as there is no substitute for experience. And experience will come with a judicious blend of cricket and rest, orchestrated by the BCCI, the selectors and the team thinktank.