It is quite telling that the best articulated, most careful and caring history of Indian Cricket in this decade is to be found in John Wright’s memoir on his tenure as Indian coach. Written along with Sharada Ugra and Paul Thomas, it is a superbly crafted book, where not a word seems superfluous. Even though it is co-written, the personality of the coach shines through. Furthermore, it conveys a genuine interest in India and her Cricket. Wright had the good fortune of being coach when Indian Crickets greatest generation was in their prime – Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, Kumble. Not since the early to mid 1980’s has India possessed such sustained quality – and even then, Sunil Gavaskar was in decline. Youngster came through – Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Kaif and a team was forged which would for a year and more threaten the best in any conditions. Ultimately, the frailties of the system seemed to come in the way.
Wright’s view of the pet peeves of many of India’s puritanical cricket fans and victory riders – the selection system and the pressures of stardom is far more nuanced and understanding. At no point does he try to create villains or heros – and yet, he does not mince his opinions. Nothing seems to be left unsaid, and nothing is revealed simply to promote a sale. Wright’s thesis – that the cricketers face unreal pressures and lead starry lives, often to the detriment of their existence as normal individuals (and yet seem to be able to retain their equanimity), would seem obvious to anybody who thought things through. His thesis about the the zonal selection system is even more interesting. It was in his book that i first read an account of the selection system which drove home to me a problem with zonal selection. It also brings home to you the wisdom of appointing selectors for two year terms.
These two core problem areas drive home the point that the only way to improve Cricket in India is to reduce the difference between playing First Class Cricket and playing for India. There has to be a strong, popular, well-followed, rigorous First Class tournament in India. A format has to be set which provides the opportunity for plenty of first class cricket and has to be adhered to for a longish period of time so that it can take root. The Indian Cricket Team is a minor problem compared to that of First Class Cricket.
Wright also acknowledges that results dried up in his last season, at the end of which he decided to quit. However, especially in One Day Cricket, one might have argued that the problems began immediatly after the World Cup. It was interesting to note that the next major ODI tournament India played was the VB series – where the record was 4-0 against Zimbabwe and 1-5 against Australia. This was followed by a 3-2 win in Pakistan – which, while it was creditable had one game where India made 350 and won by 5 runs, another game were Pakistan were reduced to 59/4 chasing 250 and still won. It is quite telling that the next Indian visit to Pakistan against an arguably superior Pakistan ODI side (in 2004, the Pakistan side was still reeling from its World Cup exit and a slew of retirements – Anwar, Akram, Waqar), resulted in a 4-1 win, inspite of the fact that two of the batsmen – Sehwag and Kaif were mainly passengers. Wright does make an oblique reference here, when he says that the players, returning from a long break, especially after a successful season/series, tended to be off form and fitness, with the exception of the “real professionals” (such as Dravid and Tendulkar, according to Wright).
All in all, i cannot think of a more sincere view of an Indian Cricket Team ever being written in the form of a book or in the form of newspaper columns. There is a difference between describing a team dynamic without mincing words or facts, and revealing nuggets designed to fulfill voyeuristic desires of cricket fans. Having followed the first draft of the history of Indian Cricket regularly over the past 5-6 years, this superbly crafted account is a godsend…
If i was a book reviewer id give it ***** out of ***** 🙂
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