Ill Timing Precedes Speculation of Ill Will!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

It seems the big trio stayed away from the Twenty20 World Cup only to embrace the format in an unusual twist. If that does not throw dubious light on the politics of the sport in India, the skipper’s resignation and the apprehension of selection, all have once again taken the light out of the very version of the sport that has become the centre of turmoil for the money spinners of the game.

Controversy once again dogged the Indian campaign. News of Rahul Dravid’s resignation filtered ahead of the crucial Indo-Pak contest and speculation over Dhoni’s impending succession created a media frenzy that bordered on the inane and the disgusting. No one knows how to stay in the limelight that the BCCI and unfortunately once again the limelight seems notoriously intoxicated with the antics than with any serious breakthroughs.

For once, even the limelight shadow of Rahul Dravid appeared deviously mischievous. A captain that does not consciously court controversies was in the middle of the storm and if BCCI is to be believed, it was all by his design. A decision that would perhaps have been revealed to the media the day the Indian Premier League (IPL) was announced, postponing it by a day only meant the team would wake up in South Africa not thinking of their opposition of the day, Pakistan, but rather of what was brewing back home.

The media were once made to look sheepish as they flocked like a bunch of hungry wolves as if no Indian skipper has ever resigned before. So Dravid had resigned. It had to happen. At least in the one day game. Was he considered the skipper for the next World Cup? It would seem pretty obvious that any level headed sports body would have figured out a change of in order, now or later. When so much has been written about ‘the aging trio’, why did it create such turmoil? Or does India simply thrive on controversy?

While Dravid’s resignation should not have been surprising if logic was applied, what made matters murky was the fact that it seemed sinister for Dravid to make the announcement after a mixed affair that was the tour to England. That there seemed nothing innocuous that the trio shared the podium a day before, speculation surfaced that it was perhaps lobby groups that favoured Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly that had finally got to the harrowed skipper.

Dravid always appeared a reluctant captain. But once thrust with responsibility, Dravid was not the type to back away. Considered the second wheel in Greg Chappell’s mayhem-like handling of the Indian cricket team, Dravid took it all on the chin. Defending himself was something he never felt necessary. Angered by the cheap talk, he refused to be unfazed in his ways on the field. Given the reputation of the sport, no doubt there is more than meets the eye. But knowing Dravid, perhaps even his best selling autobiography will not unravel a can of worms, just one man’s unsuccessful attempt to meet the captaincy role, off the field that is.

But it gave the news channels frenzied newsbytes and once again BCCI stopped short of making a bold announcement. Stretching themselves to only over just ten one dayers, they have given Mahendra Singh Dhoni an immature little stint at captaincy. Dhoni does not appear the kind of person to be affected by the duration of the stint or by the result of the short tenure. But that would be unfair even for the likes of him. One just hopes the BCCI take better care to nurture its young lot, because if players can stand the length of time, there is a decade of players to watch out for.

The team selection is another matter of consternation, not in its composition as much as its timing. The selection of the team for the one day internationals back home would have created considerable personal strife for a few members in the Twenty20 squad. Perhaps it is time it dawned on the selectors to let the current team perform without the threat of the future weighing, especially in a pertinent tournament such as this and a lot of hope hinging on this players to carry the flag further. Could not have the selection have waited until the team finished its Super Eights phase of the Twenty20, just a couple of days later?

It’s all in the timing, be it a shot, the team selection, or a potentially scenario changing decision. The BCCI has not resolved the coach mayhem created by the unceremonious exit of Greg Chappell. Now the team is without a Test captain and significant series against Australia and Pakistan looming. Chappell is back, albeit as Rajasthan Cricket Academy’s advisor and perhaps if his sarcasm and wit is still intact, chuckling at the status quo of affairs within the BCCI. There is still a case for handling matters deftly and with dignity, without deflecting attention from ongoing events.