Tour to Windies Ideal Opportunity for India to Regain Its Glory

The World Cup loss has put the Indian cricket team on the backfoot, writes former India cricketer Yujurvindra Singh.

The visit to play the West Indies should be an ideal platform for the Indian team to regain its glory.

(Photo: AP)

The loss in the World Cup has put the Indian cricket team on the backfoot. The inevitable emotional response from millions of their disappointed fans has transformed the team from being positively assertive to being uncertain. One does feel sorry for them, as the team till the final death knell, did look to be a very confident and competent side.

Cricket can, at times, be a terrible dampener and the mathematical analysis and percentages that most Indians thrive on, basically has no substance to it. This is why one keeps repeating the fact that it is a game of uncertainty. India is a very capable and constructive cricket side in all the formats of the game.

The visit to play the West Indies, initially in the T20 and thereafter the ODIs and Test matches, should be an ideal platform for the Indian team to regain its glory.

The West Indian side may match India in the T20Is, but thereafter, they just do not have the firepower to do so in the other formats. The West Indian side have some very good players, but most of them lack discipline and maturity to perform consistently. They seem to play their cricket hoping to make an impact as a player to be recruited by the various T20 professional leagues being played around the world, rather than for their country.

Playing for the country, for them, is just an opportunity to be recognised. One can understand their plight, as cricket to them is the sole source of earning not only for the present, but also for their future.

The Caribbean islands are small and lack any form of industry and rely very much on tourism. Earlier a summer in England playing county or club cricket during their off season gave the cricketers financial comfort. Cricket is now played all year round and with the paltry sum that they receive from the West Indian Board, retaining talented cricketers has become a problem.

One of England's World Cup heroes, Jofra Archer, a Barbadian, who played junior cricket for the West Indies, migrated to England for better prospects. This, unfortunately, is the plight they need to desperately take care of or else West Indies will remain as a low ranked side.

The selection of the Indian side, which may be the last for the MSK Prasad-led panel, had plenty of hidden agenda to it. The explanation as regards sending Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal was far from convincing. Furthermore, it showed that the selection committee was not the decision maker in any of the replacements.

The team management was calling the shots and therefore, it would have been far better, in the future to have the captain, coach of both the senior and the India A side and the main support staff in the meeting when an India side is selected for a tour.

Such transparency and open discussions are essential in today's world, especially as cricket has now become a career for cricketers and not just a sport to play as a pastime.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Windies Cricket)

Prasad's joking retort to Ambati Rayudu's tweet was also not done in a proper spirit. A player has given up his career and profession in disgust and this to me is a serious matter and not one to be scoffed at.

One is glad to see Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer in the side but the inclusion of youngblood Shubman Gill would have sent a seriously brave message.

Playing against the present weak West Indies side and with both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli available, it was an ideal situation to try some new faces, rather than pursuing with players whom one has already seen. With Prithvi Shaw on the injured list, maybe giving the India A opener Ruturaj Gaikwad would not have been a bad move, after all, he has come forth with some sterling performances while playing against the West Indies A side.

The Indian cricket world has gone topsy turvy as regards MS Dhoni. Asking him not to retire till Rishabh Pant can prove himself is quite ridiculous. Dhoni, is a Grade A player getting a good annual remuneration from the BCCI.

Dhoni is a legend as a cricketer, but to ask for a two-month rest is a long break, which in the professional corporate world would have the management raise an eyebrow.

He has done yeoman service to Indian cricket and a serious dialogue between the BCCI and him should be sorted out, so that a proper roadmap for his future could be amicably settled.

Indian Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo: Reuters)

Indian cricket has two definite targets to achieve. One is the T20 World Cup next year in Australia. Rather then waiting for the IPL, they need to identify prospects for each position in the team. New faces need to be inducted soon and given enough opportunity to prove themselves.

But the most exciting is the second target and that is to be the winner of the Test Championship which gets underway in the West Indies. India, is rated the number one Test playing side at present and they will need to show their prowess against each competing country at home and away. A good boost for Test cricket – one hopes it is branded and advertised with gusto and vigour. It will be a super crowning glory for India if they do so.

(Yajurvindra Singh is a former Test cricketer. This article has been published in an arrangement with IANS.)