It’s hard to imagine that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandarins will initiate swift and harsh measures to put its T20 team back on track following their ignominious exit in the semi-finals of the World Cup. But sweeping changes are the need of the hour.
Seven years ago, English cricket suffered an almost similar debacle in Adelaide when they lost to Bangladesh and failed to qualify for the quarter finals of the 50-over World Cup. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s review for the failed campaign claimed the scalp of its managing director Paul Downtown and created a new position, director of cricket.
Andrew Strauss took over as the top boss, a step that was seen as an effort to overhaul English cricket. Clear planning and perfect execution saw captain Eoin Morgan and coach Trevor Bayliss go about their task of rebuilding the team. Specialist players were assigned specific roles in the limited-overs format and the results are visible.
Having won the ODI World Cup at home four years later, they are now the undisputed white-ball champions, the Matthew Mott-Jos Buttler partnership completing the revolution with the T20 world title in Melbourne on Sunday.
While Morgan has been credited for the transformation, Buttler has made an imprint in his own style. Focusing on long-term goals rather than short-term accomplishments has remained the limited-overs captain’s single-minded mission.
A misfiring Jason Roy was dropped and Alex Hales, the top scorer in the Big Bash for Sydney Thunder last season, was promptly recalled to the World Cup squad when Jonny Bairstow got injured. A Harry Brook or a Liam Livingstone was preferred to the more accomplished Joe Root since their strike-rate was far superior. Backing match-winners like Ben Stokes or Sam Curran or Adil Rashid and managing their workload have also been the hallmark of their triumph.
If the BCCI has to follow the ECB model, the process of rebuilding the team has to begin now. The next T20 World Cup in the West Indies/ USA will be held in June 2024. Hardik Pandya being chosen as the regular T20 captain is only a matter of time but the BCCI is still undecided on having a separate coach for the shortest format.
There have been calls to split the coaches’ roles too and the issue could come up for discussion during the apex council meeting later this month. The formation of the Cricket Advisory Committee will also gain precedence since choosing the restructured selection panel will be its top priority.
There has been talk in the BCCI about including a Mahendra Singh Dhoni in some capacity with the T20 side to bring in the expert skill for that fearless brand of cricket in ICC tournaments. Dhoni worked with the team during last year’s World Cup in the UAE but that was in an interim capacity.
Dhoni is expected to retire from the game after next year’s IPL and the BCCI is keen to use his experience and technical acumen in the right manner. The former captain could be asked to work with a specialised set of players since managing three formats is proving to be too demanding for head coach Rahul Dravid.
Dhoni, who led India to three ICC titles, is well-versed in the daredevil approach and could play a role like Strauss’ to perfection. Former England captain Michael Vaughan too feels the the BCCI should “swallow pride” and look “at England for inspiration”.
The apex council includes former captain and past chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, who was instrumental in unearthing talents like Dhoni during his tenure as head of BCCI’s now-defunct Talent Research Development Wing.
Vengsarkar’s views will be of much importance. Vengsarkar is known to speak his mind and could vouch for comprehensive changes in the format. The process has to begin now and any soft pedalling won’t be of much use as has been proved Down Under.
Kumble tip: Invest in all-rounders
New Delhi: Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble has suggested that India should look to have different squads in limited-overs cricket and Tests in order to do well in the international arena.
“Definitely, you need separate teams. You need, certainly, T20 specialists. I think what this English team has shown, and even the last (T20) World Cup champions Australia have shown, is that you need to invest in a lot of all-rounders. Look at the batting order,” Kumble told ESPNcricinfo.
“Today Liam Livingstone is batting at No. 7. No other team has a No. 7 of the quality of Livingstone. (Marcus) Stoinis walks in at No. 6 (for Australia). That’s the kind of team you have to build. That’s something that you need to invest in.
“I’m not really sure whether you need a different captain or a different coach. It all depends on what team you are going to pick and then choose how you want to build the support and the leadership around it.”
Written with inputs from PTI
