In hindsight, the we never really turned up at the tournament. It was somewhat similar to Indian teams on 1990's where defeating Pakistan was the only emotionally charged moment in an otherwise lax campaign. We nearly lost to Bangladesh and struggled vs SA. Reasons for this have been outlined very well by many posters in the WT20 thread.
Before we look to the future, we need to scrutinize a few elements:
1. What was Paddy Upton's role? Didnt seem to work for us at all. Haydos did a far better job with Pakistan instead.
2.
@Bevab rightly pointed out that we tried way too many reserves in the lead up. We didnt' know about our best XI or even our 2nd XI (I am not sure whether they know it now as well). Blame the selectors? Do we need a new crop- Given the hype, it does seem many will be asked to leave
3. The aggressive attitude which was hyped up by the captain miraculously went missing. Dravid's selections ,strategies didnt work at all. Is he still the right person for the job?
I hope the BCCI does have a review. A team full of superstars ought to cross the KO hurdle atleast once in 10 years!
Few of My Suggestions:
Rahul Dravid:
Look at Dravid's role- is he still the right man for the job? The number of India caps and captains in the last one year has gone up considerably. This is not University/ Schoolboy cricket where you need to give each and every player a game. If this is the attitude he wants to hold at the highest level, maybe he is better off doing the U19 and India A/B teams.
The BCCI seems keen on having Dravid in the top role. To me, the tenures of Dravid and Greg Chappell seem very much similar here. The more I watch the Indian team under Dravid these days, the more convinced I am that Chappell was wronged back then. If Dravid needs to remain, make him Director of Cricekt, with all Indian teams+NCA reporting to him. He seems to do a better job in an office enviornment.
If not Dravid- then who?
1. Anil Kumble
2. Brendon McCullum
3. Mahela Jaywardena
Captains, Formats & Rotation:
Rohit is good, but cannot be your all format captain. He doesn't play each game and defeats the purpose of clarity among formats. Given the amount of cricket being played, we cannot have someone who can lead in all formats. Identify the players who can potentially captain and give them a free reign- Pandya, Gill, Iyer (try them, you have nothing to lose)
The seniors too are resting as though they are on the field 365*7. This needs to be looked at properly. Ask them which formats they intend to play. In the aftermath of this edition, I think Rohit, Virat, Ashwin DK Bhuvi ,Shami need to move on from this format. You cannot win 2024 unless you do so. Seniors also need to take a stance on the format they want to represent in- Rohit is a no-go for Test. Virat, can still play ODI. This ties into rotation as well.
Foreign Leagues;
Like it or not, we are getting left behind. Pakistan succeeds cause its players are globe trotting. india seemed to have no idea about how the Pakistan attack would look like on a surface like the one they played in Melbourne. The BCCI can always call back a player from one of these tournaments. Allow, the players to take part in Eng, SA, Aus league. Limit the participation to 1-2 leagues and maybe only allow the capped/ contracted ones to do so.
Responding here so as to not to cloud the WT20 thread with India related posts.
I disagree with your opinion here. Sharma seemed a good captain given the resources at his disposal. Yes, a few selection calls are quite dubious- like playing Pant, KLR, DK, Ashwin. Also carrying the likes of Harshal and Chahal only to have them carry drinks. Now, I do not know whether this is the captain's call or the coach's, but whosoever got it wrong, needs to own up.
I still believe in Sharma for the fact that he seems to get results. Agreed, the IPL is a different ball game, but nevertheless it has honed his captaincy skills to a large extent. Carrying this team to the KO in itself was an achievement, given the performances that were showcased against SA, Ban. Perhaps, a freer hand in team selection is required.
Sharma's Critique of the Team:
Lot of media and twitter personalities talking of how Sharma shouldn't have thrown the team under the bus. To me, it is fair. The points made by him are spot on. If they can handle IPL pressure, they can very do so in World Cup KOs.
Talks of the next captain- interesting to note how everyone has jumped the gun to Hardik, based off just 1 IPL trophy. He isnt a bad captain- actually, I felt a great deal of pro-activeness from him-something not seen since the time of Ganguly. If Hardik has to take over, he can do so for T20, which means the setup must be revamped. Clear the decks for a comprehensive upgrade. Select based on form, not reputation.
