Captain Zombie

THE eyes and hearts of all cricket lovers are now set on the World Cup to be held inMay in the mecca of cricket. The Indian board has given us the TINA (there is noalternative) Mohammed Azharuddin as the captain. As far as the team is concerned, as isclearly visible nowadays, without Sachin Tendulkar it lacks the flavour, charisma andskill to be a world-beater. I am sure that followers of the game in India would be prayingthat Tendulkar regains fitness and get some match practice as well instead of shadowpractice in front of a mirror.

We have worked for long on the basic formula of five batsmen, fivebowlers and a wicketkeeper and tried to balance this equation whenever we had anallrounder handy. This formula will get us nowhere in today’s competitive era and thekeyword for this competition has to be "allrounders". To make the team a forceto reckon with, the induction of at least three allrounders is a prime necessity. Forexample, if a conscious effort is made to use Sachin, Ganguly and Jadeja to bowl 20 oversbetween them, we have the space for an extra batsman who can be used to strengthen ourscoreline.

The most important factor in this World Cup is that it is taking placein England, where the weather plays a big role. The cricket season there lasts for fivemonths—April to August. The first half of this season is characterised by conditionsconducive to swing bowling. While the quickies would definitely have their part to play,the real need is to have medium pacers who can swing the ball. I think we will have tolean heavily on the trio of Sachin, Ganguly and Jadeja, as all of them are mean thinkersand can swing the ball. The final thinking has to be done on the field on a per-matchbasis, but the strategy has to based on these "Three Musketeers". They have thejosh (energy) and hosh (intelligence) to control and gobble up their opponents whetherwith the willow or the leather.

If we label Sachin, Azhar, Dravid, Ganguly and Jadeja as our finalbatsmen, then we require an allrounder in the form of Robin Singh. Robin, fortunately, isfamiliar with English playing conditions and we should stand to gain from it. Since Mongiawill naturally follow him, we have reasonably solid batting till No. 7. For the four slotsleft, we have Kumble, Agarkar, Srinath, Gyanendra Pandey and Nikhil Chopra. With thiscombination, we can strike the right balance to ensure that both departments are strong.Though it is difficult to leave out the talented Amay Khurasia and Virender Sehwag, we areleft with no option. They can be used in case of fitness problems or if somebody is notclicking.

The key to how we fare will be Azhar. He has to increase hisinteraction with team members. That means more effective management and utilisation,resulting in optimum performance by all. Victory is the greatest morale booster andtherefore goading/cajoling players would be the captain’s prime responsibility. Hehas to grab the opportunity provided in the form of some very young, talented and maturecricketers in his fold. He must utilise the bowling abilities of Jadeja, Ten-dulkar,Ganguly and Dravid besides the regulars, and finally, he has to lead by example. Azhar isrepresenting India in the World Cup for the third time. The level of experience he has isperhaps unmatched. But of late, he has not shown the zeal to translate experience intovictory. So much so that even his being appointed captain was being opposed. It is now histurn to prove his critics wrong and bring glory to our country. Azhar also has to improvehis body language as much for himself as for his team and for viewers. There is no doubtthat even if a player of the opposing team has been dismissed, the lone slip fielder inthe form of Azhar just fails to display any emotion—be it joy, pride or unbridledenergy. A little pumping of hands will not do any harm, try it.

I’ve noticed that Azhar has lost his enthusiasm for cricket, a sure sign ofoverexposure to the game. At times we see him getting out to very causal shots andthereafter not taking much interest in the proceedings. If he’s taking things forgranted, he should not. If he’s bored, let him take a break. As captain, we need himto shake out of this zombie image he’s created for himself. That he can inspire theteam to great heights is indisputable. But for that, he has to work upon himself andconvince himself that he has the requisite cricketing brains and skills, and lead his teamtowards the last crown of the millennium.

Azhar has to come back with the World Cup for himself, for the team andfor India.