India’s New Zealand tour could be a mirror held up to Indian cricket

By K.R. Nayar 

Before the New Zealand series, many things are happening in Indian cricket. Experiments with new players have been going on, new team combinations have been tried out, and now there is a split captaincy during the New Zealand tour. When Head Coach Gautam Gambhir was resting or unavailable, VVS Laxman stepped into his role, leading to rumours that soon there may be split coaches too. A selection committee with Pragyan Ojha as chairperson and Ramesh Powar as a new member has taken charge.

The just-concluded West Indies series was supposed to be easy for India, but India won the One Day International series by just a 2-1 margin, and the T20I series ended 2-2. 

Despite all the efforts being made to carve out a strong team, a few questions remain. Though India has many good cricketers, are there enough match-winners? Selectors are finding it tough to finalise who matters most and who will deliver.

The domestic structure has been producing many talented cricketers. The IPL has widened the talent pool. Now India A tours, age-group cricket, state cricket and franchise cricket, are all giving opportunities for cricketers to come up. There are now multiple pathways to becoming an international player, and one can quickly knock at the doors of the national team. What India needs is cricketers who can win matches, rather, individuals who can perform when the match is balanced on a knife-edge.

Due to the abundance of talent, a pertinent question has emerged - is competition creating insecurity? Every player has to accept that competition is intense in elite sport. This is what makes a player work harder, train better and refuse complacency, but for some, insecurity creeps in, leading to fear. If a player knows that one poor innings, one bad spell, or one unsuccessful series could result in him being replaced by another talented player, it is likely he plays not to lose his position rather than to win the match.

A batter may not play the shots that can win matches but may play safely to protect his place. Similarly, a bowler may not attack to get wickets but may bowl defensively because an expensive spell could send him back to domestic cricket.

Observing the recent happenings, one gets a feeling that the captain is not the face and voice of the team. The coach seems to have enormous influence over selection and tactics. He does the workload management, decides batting positions, bowling plans and even fielding positions. The captain then becomes more of an executioner than a leader.

Even the selection committee must know when to change and when to resist the temptation to change. India has enough depth to try different combinations. This is a luxury many international teams do not have. The danger comes when experimentation becomes constant. In fact, experimentation has an expiry date.

The New Zealand tour is sure to reveal whether all that has been implemented recently works or not. Tours against formidable sides expose weaknesses. It would reveal whether India's depth is real or merely statistical, whether the team has genuine match-winners or simply a large collection of highly skilled cricketers. The real victory in New Zealand is not about winning every match but returning from it knowing exactly what kind of team India should have for the future. It will not be just another tour; it could be a mirror held up to Indian cricket.