Considering the amount of money Dr. Vijay Mallaya has, it would not have been impossible for him to buy some better players. What I am trying to say is not that he should have interfered in the selection of the players, but that he had the cash to buy some other players.

“My biggest mistake was to abstain from the selection,” he said. “I had a separate list of players but since Dravid is such an iconic player I trusted his judgment. And Charu Sharma also backed him. I was very tempted to bid for players whom I wanted but they held me back. I backed them thinking they advised me properly. Obviously, things have turned out differently. Unfortunately in cricket, unlike in any other sport, the captain is the boss.”

But, is the team bad? I don’t think so. Consider this list, and don’t think about their IPL Stats:

1. Kallis : Best All Rounder in the world
2. Dale Steyn : Best Bowler in the world
3. Mark Boucher : One of the most successful Wicket Keepers in the world
4. Misbah ul Haq : The best T20 player (or one of the best)
5. Anil Kumble : India’s most successful bowler

And many more distinguished players. Where Rahul Dravid went wrong was in thinking that the IPL is a Test Match tournament.

Let us now talk about the players Mallaya wanted and how Dravid refused them:

Mallaya: MS Dhoni
Dravid : he is too expensive ( I am tempted to laugh at this)

Mallaya : Mc Cullum
Dravid : No, we’ll take Boucher

And the rest, as they say, is history. Kallis though, seemed confident about Bangalore’s chances for next season! He needs to be reminded that he really did not justify his $900,000 paycheck.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Rahul Dravid, are you listening?

Let’s dig up some stats.

How has Tendulkar fared as India Test captain in comparison to Dravid and Ganguly, the other two recent skippers?

So there. Point taken.

However, unlike Ganguly and Dravid, his batting never suffered during captaincy.

As you can see, his batting average suffered a decline of about 4 points. Not negligible, but not bothersome either.

Stats aside, you may like to note that Tendulkar has quit captaincy in the past. It was silly on BCCI’s part to expect him to lead again. I was unsure if he would agree to the offer. And it comes as no surprise to me that he has turned it down.

Captaining India is no child’s play. It definitely sucks up a lot of one’s time and energy fielding media inquiries, attending conferences, etc. Add to that, one has to put up with the politics that is always doing the rounds of BCCI’s headquarters.

So that leaves BCCI with the following options:
Dhoni, Ganguly, Kumble, Laxman

Kumble and Laxman don’t fit the bill. Not only are they too low-profile, timid, but they haven’t really been with the team much lately. And to be honest, they are not going to be around for a long time either.

Now that leaves us with Ganguly and Dhoni. Ganguly, of course, is India’s most successful captain. But after the Chappell scandal, BCCI would be reluctant to appoint him. And with the current state of affairs in the team, that might not be a very wise thing to do indeed.

Dhoni, as some are opining, is way too young for that spot. Ugh. He’s older than Nawab Pataudi (who took over as captain at age 21), at least, gentlemen. Dhoni’s already handled seniors in the Future Cup, and he did fine. Besides, it’s clear that sooner or later he would have to take up Test captaincy too. So why not give him a chance now? And given that Pakistan’s current team comprises mainly of rookies and not much of a threat, this is the best time to test waters. IMHO, of course.

Kumble has been reported as saying that he’s ready for any “duty” that the board assigns him. Wow, that’s going to make the BCCI jump with joy. They can do anything in this state of desperation!

What’s your take?

Post from: EveryJoe

Tendulkar says “nah”; the captaincy drama continues

Sadly, the match that was truly poised for a thrilling finish, came to nothing as England’s shoddy weather intervened. Day 5 started with India needing some 250 runs for the win, or to save 7 wickets to ensure the draw. England were in a strong position after day 4 following some terrific batting from KP, which he subsequently described as his best batting performance to-date, and some equally terrific bowling from James Anderson and Monty Panesar. Late in the day, Monty yet again claimed the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar to set it all up.

In fairness, that there was even as much play as there was nothing short of a miracle and is, in part, testament to the quality of the £1.2m drainage system at Lord’s. Play was uninterrupted until midway through the middle session when bad light forced an early tea. Rain then stopped play for good. At the time, India were perilously close to losing, with 9 wickets down, but some spirited batting from Mahendra Dhoni in particular, saw them do just enough to stave it off.

England do look the stronger side, despite a massively inexperienced bowling attack, but once again, people have stepped up when it mattered. Sideshow Bob has moreorless cemented his place for the foreseeable future and Jimmy Anderson repaid the selectors’ continued faith with a well earned 5fer. Chris Tremlett looked good enough, but didn’t do enough to keep his place when the likes of Hoggard and Flintoff are fit again. However, with both out for at least the next test, Tremmers will certainly get another chance to prove himself. Runs for Strauss and Vaughan in the first innings were welcome and overdue, and Matt Prior continues to illustrate the type of consistency that is required, and has been severely lacking, in the England wicket keeper – it’s a massive relief to have the questions over that position finally put to bed.

The 2nd Test gets underway at Trent Bridge on Friday.

Post from: EveryJoe

1st Test peters out