The issue which occupies any thinking Indian, an issue more important than the nuclear deal or much more worrying than rampant poverty is how to get rid of the seniors from the cricket team.
The fab-four, regardless to broad hints, refuse to make a graceful exist.Compounding their refusal is the reluctance of the grateful BCCI to wield the axe.
This leaves the onerous task of flushing the seniors out of the team to the fans. Fortunately for the Indian cricket fans, corporate India provides them a solution.
Corporate India, for the matter the corporate world has devised a sensitive way of getting rid of redundant employees. For instance, an indebted organisation creates a fresh Vice-President post and appoints these men to the post. By doing so, they achieve two objectives, one, getting rid of the employee and two, freeing the position for influx of fresh blood.
The Indian cricket fans should force the BCCI to adopt similar measures.
For example as recent as yesterday, Kohli a new inductee into the Indian team was voluble on the subject of sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar. This suggests a way to farm Tendulkar.
Make Tendulkar the coach of the Under-19 team. This will give the youngsters an opportunity to share the dressing room and gain from his experience.
BTW, we welcome similar suggestions for Laxman, Ganguly and Dravid.
19 comments:
I think Laxman and Dravid may quit after this tour . Ganguly may also
follow suit.. But Sachin the other real wall of our cricket may prove to be a tough customer. If he is leaving after getting at Laras record let us all collectively pray for his success.Now his wicket is the easiest for any bowler.
I agree with Ravindran that SRT will prove to be the toughest - I feel that Dravid atleast will announce plans for retirement - say maybe after the australia series or end of the year? I am wondering about SRT in ODIs mainly - I hope he does not disturb (Viru-Gauti) opening. Lets all hope that SRT breaks all records soon!
R,
Lets pray for SRT's success.
RS,
Tendulkar will be one of the openers in the ODI.
If both Viru and Gauti are selected then either Gauti will play at 1 drop or Viru will play in the middle order.
ott - how about the same dressing down room
NC,
Will he accept?
hahaha gaurav...they definitely deserve one...
IPL etc wont let them see light OTT...they will get 'the price' only if they are in the team...
and since they are in the team they are in IPL...
its so intermingled...
otherwise who with semblance of brain will PAY them to play in T20...
If the industrial houses have a semblance of cricket sense the fab- four may see themselves out on their ears.
pepsi has started it...rest will follow...
soon.
I hope so.:)
I think you Ottayan and SP are entirely right about Pepsi and Tendulkar (and the others are way easier to drop). But the problem is not whether they'll be dropped, it's what will happen after them. Won't you all be pining for the good old days of a match-winning middle order sooner or later?
dcsiva
yes you are right...they should never be dropped till the time comes when the stretcher is required to lift them from ground...after all they have booked it for life for nothing...
dc,
You are suggesting that we will pine for the fab-four if their replacements fail.
I will take a chance on that. Would not the situation be the same if the fab - four retire on their own and their replacement fail?
irrespective of change is forced or voluntary...
change is constant...inevitable...
SP & Ottayan:
I think the thing that makes a cricketer great is precisely the skill to be able to change. The skill surely has something to do with knowing oneself better than anyone else.
The big question about Mendis, for example, is whether he'll be mentally acute enough to get wickets once everyone has figured him out thereby forcing him to alter both action and strategy.
But think of the many phases of Tendulkar's career and Dravid's initial inability to play aggressively in ODIs. Ganguly has had more changes and come-backs since Rambo. In fact, I think Laxman is the only one of the Fab4 who has never changed much.
So to say that they're ready to retire, voluntarily or otherwise, is to say that they can't find it in themselves to change anymore.
Is that really the case? How would we know? I say let them figure it out for themselves.
dcsiva,
I am not presumptuous to think that what I say should matter to the fab-four. :)
However, I find this argument about letting them decide tiresome.
The very reason that you are defending them is an indictment.
I am sure that if your love for them has not blinded you to their faults, you would find some merit in our arguments and also accept some of our somber points.
I also know that my arguments are to put it mildly, offensive to you and others like VMM.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I like playing Don Quixote and like him I end up tilting at windmills.:)
BTW, I like the way you link all the myriad opinions in your blog post.
Cheers.
If the choice of replacement is going to be a kohli or a ojha who have not merited a place yet for all their talent... which actually deserves them to play and compete in the domestic circle... it really doesn't matter. The second best player in the domestic circuit is sitting out, Badri... the best has just got in... gautam. So lot of food for thought on this selection policy. Remember, this 'catch them when they are young policy' has failed miserably in my opinion.
Scorpi,
Similarly, the 'experience' mantra has played out. :)
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