Curious Case of the Indian Cricket Team

The Great Indian Cricket Team (men) has seen an unprecedented rise in fame and accolades in the past 2 decades. From a team whose wins were regarded as a fluke to a team whose loss is regarded as an upset, it has come a long way.

A lot can be credited to the foresight of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) , the introduction of the Indian Premier League India , and a series of strong men who have led the team to many memorable victories.

This reminds me of the saying

Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times?

Today, on paper the #indiancricketteam looks like a formidable side with a strong batting lineup, the best all-rounders, and a world-class spin/pace attack in all formats of the game. Dominating almost all bi-lateral series, but then you question why this team doesn’t win tournaments.

There have been ample instances in the recent past with World Cups, World Test Championship, or Champions trophy where the team has been knocked out without even giving a fight, in some instances, without even taking a wicket of the opposition.

Experts from around the world of cricket have all blamed India’s fear of ignominy and out-of-form players. But, like 1.4 billion other Indians, I would like to believe myself to be a cricket expert and I feel the issue is much deeper than that.

Here are the Top 5 issues which I feel are hurting the Indian Cricket team and pose a threat to their success in the future:

The Problem of Plenty

When it comes to players in the team, we haven’t had a stable selection in limited overs since 2015. All of us are aware of the Pareto 80:20 principle, in the context of team selection 80% of your team must be stable and 20% must be experimental.

I bet no reader of this article can guarantee which 8-9 players will for sure feature in the next ODI series, but then again there are people who question, why should players perform well in parallel tournaments sit out.

The recent inclusion of Ishan Kishan and his blistering 200 or the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav after winning Player of the Match in the previous game sit at one end of the argumentative spectrum on the other end we wouldn’t have had Rohit Sharma as an ODI great had the team not backed him in the initial phase of his career. In conclusion, the current team is struggling to find the right balance between Meritocracy vs Stability.

Stars and their sunk cost

Pay Scales of BCCI contracted Indian Players today are significantly higher than in any other country with the added revenue opportunities with endorsements & IPL, the players are considered Stars. With Stars, follow their tantrums of availability and egos.

I think like in many corporate job roles today, the players also need to be on a performance-based pay scale. One prominent beneficiary is our stand-in captain KL Rahul. In spite of failed performances in all formats, not only does he have a guaranteed place in the team, but also the honor of captaining the team which many have questioned.

Quid-Pro-Quo

It is no secret that state cricketing boards have some weight in player selection for the national team. It was quite apparent pre-2000s, I can see it returning. At the highest level of the game, there is little to choose between the best players.

In economics, they represent the indifference curve, where the resultant output combining various qualities is similar. But not at the cost of addressing critical issues like pace bowling attack deficit vis a vis Umran Malik warming the bench. Image Indian cricket without M S Dhoni had the state board played a role

Selecting our Selectors

How many times have you felt why him or why not him? I recently felt a strong WHY when I saw Dhawan captaining the ODI side, Unadkat returning to test cricket after 12 years, and Sarfaraz Khan not in the consideration set against smaller teams in spite of phenomenal first-class performance with triple and double centuries. What are the selectors trying to achieve, are they making a team for the future or even aiming for the world cup? With the ODI world cup less than 12 months away, the team is in a similar situation as it was before the 2015 world cup, What is the best Probable XI. I would definitely not like to see a Vijay Shankar 2.0.

Pack of cards under pressure

All these issues are resulting in 2 things:

First is a lack of role clarity: Is Hardik Pandya a middle or lower-order batsman? Is Pant in for hitting or strike rotation? Between Rohit and Rahul who is the aggressor? Which bowler is in for taking wickets irrespective of runs? Who is the team’s death overs bowler? Because of excessive team rotation players are unsure of their batting and bowling positions and their impact on the game

Second is Leadership: As much as I am a RO45 fan, I have found his captaincy at the international level underwhelming. While the stats might be decent, the overall presence like we see in IPL is not the same. One reason is consistent presence. He has been in and out of the team for quite some time. This of all is easier to address.

Thank you for reading through the tirade of an Indian Cricket Team Fan. What do you think went wrong?

#teamselection #teambuilding #playtowin