Opinion Collapse of the top order

Indian cricket is out of its depth when an injury epidemic strikes as there are no obvious replacements waiting in the wings. This generation of Indian batsmen are,through necessity,short-game specialists,often at the cost of dealing with the short-ball syndrome. Tunnel vision in this respect could lead to an irreversible domestic cricket culture where discipline and application in conjunction with technique will be sacrificed for success in the shorter formats of the game. The BCCI need only look at the Australian and English cricketers to note that domestic cricket is still of utmost importance and much attention is given to the longer formats. The rise and resurgence of the England squad is no accident. The team is deep and resilient,with substitutable and comparable talent at each position.

There isn’t a quick-fix solution to being underprepared given the current situation. Practice matches sound fine in theory with plenty of upside — acclimatising to the conditions the most obvious — but in the present circumstances our players need time to recover from fatigue and injuries. Aggravating an existing injury or managing to get injured during a practice match would have greater ramifications than would some batting and/ or bowling time.

The BCCI also needs to look hard and fast at scheduling,volume and farming of talent. Although the England tour may just be an aberration in the scheme of things,given the extraordinary year this has been for Indian cricket and also for the sheer quantum of cricket that has been played,there are still serious concerns. Our fitness and endurance levels,when compared to the England squad,the Australians,the South Africans and possibly even the Sri Lankans,don’t match up. And,with a gruelling schedule for the next year or so against the best teams in the world,this could well be the difference between world-beaters and also-rans.

It is difficult to maintain dominance in each format,which is why a concerted effort must be made at the top to develop specialist talent,and also to farm the talent in sustainable numbers. Scheduling and preparation time are also key and the BCCI will have to reduce the quantum of tours and matches so that the team is given adequate time to recover,rejuvenate and strategise. And we are not even taking into consideration the inevitable club vs country furore that will be sparked as soon as the Champions League T20 comes to India later this year. The IPL and the Champions League T20 have become the $2 billion elephants on the cricket pitch and at some point will be blamed for India’s form reversal and downward spiral in Test rankings.

While it’s easy to speculate and question a player’s motives and incentives,cricketers are contractually bound to participate in the IPL and the Champions League T20,as athletes in any professional sports league would be. So,Indian players have no choice but to participate,even if they are exhausted or suffering from niggles. This may exacerbate their minor injuries or make them susceptible to new ones. However,the IPL and other professional T20 leagues have changed the face of cricket — globalising it and monetising its marketability. They are part and parcel of the cricket landscape,offering viable career opportunities for a much larger cricketer pool,and have brought many positives to the business side of the sport. So,some sort of middle ground must be discovered — and soon.

All said and done,the Indian team is a solid side that needs more bench strength and depth with quality. Above all,it needs the support of its board to ensure that it is on a level playing field with the opposition from the get-go,and not playing catch-up one series after the other. One can only hope that better sense prevails sooner than later.

The writer is a sports attorney
express@expressindia.com