Planning is the key to revive the Indian Test Cricket Team
The seventh successive defeat abroad is the time to act. And this should not be limited to sacking the players in their late 30s. A more coordinated and sincere effort is the need of the hour.
Let us have a look at India's top cricketers' schedule since the World Cup win. It was followed by IPL-4. Then the team played the West Indies in the Carribeans. The Tests were followed by ODIs. Within 5 days of finishing the ODI series in the West Indies, India landed up in England. After a 3-day game they plunged into 4 Tests and kept on losing. Injury to key players who had not missed the lucrative IPL earlier was given as the reason.
The series in England ended with the ODIs, which England won 3-0 thanks to D/L. Immediately thereafter the English team travelled to India for a 5-match ODI series. Then we played 3 Tests against the Windies with Ashwin running them over. The Test series was followed by 5 ODIs. Instead the tour should have been so planned that India would have played ODIs first and Tests later. This would have helped players like Sehwag and Gambhir, and even Kohli to some extent to get into the groove in the ongoing Test series versus Australia.
The poor form of Laxman, first in England and now in Australia is a signal that the selectors need to record in their log-books. It is time to get Rohit Sharma for the Adelaide Test, followed by Pujara sooner than later. Dravid too, after a great tour of England has shown signs of weakness. Sehwag is a great one-day player and should remain in the team for the shorter versions of the game. He was never a Test player in the true sense of the world. He just bludgeoned his way through bowlers and gave India good starts. But his time too has come as far as Tests are concerned. The selectors should look to blood Rahane in the opener's slot with Gambhir, who too will need to work on his technique.
Unfortunately all this debate and discussion would be lost simply because India do not play a Test series, and that too at home, before November 2012. In the interregnum, Indians will play in the Asia Cup (ODIs) in March 2012 followed by IPL-5 (T20s) in April-May 2012 and the T20 World Cup in September 2012.
Instead of planning meaningless ODI tours in the free periods that the team is likely to get this year, the BCCI should plan professionally for the future. The top players and upcoming youngsters are playing each other in T20 matches only. For Indian Test Cricket Team to survive, we need such contests in the Duleep and Ranji Trophies. The Duleep Trophy should be given more importance. Right now it has been reduced to a knock-out tournament. Duleep Trophy should be played in the round-robin format as in the past with each of the five teams playing each other twice - home and away. As India do not have any international engagements in October 2012, Duleep Trophy should be played in that period. It should be made mandatory for all Test hopefuls to play in the tournament. Then only a Varun Aaron or a Umesh Yadav will get an opportunity to test himself against the skills of a Tendulkar or Dravid. Imagine a young batsman being tested by the guile of Zaheer!
But will all this wishful thinking come true?
Let us have a look at India's top cricketers' schedule since the World Cup win. It was followed by IPL-4. Then the team played the West Indies in the Carribeans. The Tests were followed by ODIs. Within 5 days of finishing the ODI series in the West Indies, India landed up in England. After a 3-day game they plunged into 4 Tests and kept on losing. Injury to key players who had not missed the lucrative IPL earlier was given as the reason.
The series in England ended with the ODIs, which England won 3-0 thanks to D/L. Immediately thereafter the English team travelled to India for a 5-match ODI series. Then we played 3 Tests against the Windies with Ashwin running them over. The Test series was followed by 5 ODIs. Instead the tour should have been so planned that India would have played ODIs first and Tests later. This would have helped players like Sehwag and Gambhir, and even Kohli to some extent to get into the groove in the ongoing Test series versus Australia.
The poor form of Laxman, first in England and now in Australia is a signal that the selectors need to record in their log-books. It is time to get Rohit Sharma for the Adelaide Test, followed by Pujara sooner than later. Dravid too, after a great tour of England has shown signs of weakness. Sehwag is a great one-day player and should remain in the team for the shorter versions of the game. He was never a Test player in the true sense of the world. He just bludgeoned his way through bowlers and gave India good starts. But his time too has come as far as Tests are concerned. The selectors should look to blood Rahane in the opener's slot with Gambhir, who too will need to work on his technique.
Unfortunately all this debate and discussion would be lost simply because India do not play a Test series, and that too at home, before November 2012. In the interregnum, Indians will play in the Asia Cup (ODIs) in March 2012 followed by IPL-5 (T20s) in April-May 2012 and the T20 World Cup in September 2012.
Instead of planning meaningless ODI tours in the free periods that the team is likely to get this year, the BCCI should plan professionally for the future. The top players and upcoming youngsters are playing each other in T20 matches only. For Indian Test Cricket Team to survive, we need such contests in the Duleep and Ranji Trophies. The Duleep Trophy should be given more importance. Right now it has been reduced to a knock-out tournament. Duleep Trophy should be played in the round-robin format as in the past with each of the five teams playing each other twice - home and away. As India do not have any international engagements in October 2012, Duleep Trophy should be played in that period. It should be made mandatory for all Test hopefuls to play in the tournament. Then only a Varun Aaron or a Umesh Yadav will get an opportunity to test himself against the skills of a Tendulkar or Dravid. Imagine a young batsman being tested by the guile of Zaheer!
But will all this wishful thinking come true?
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