Premature Obituary?

I am not as much a cricket lover as I am a football lover. But then considering the present state of things, especially the baying for Dada's blood from my Bangla bandhus, I want to comment my 2 bits to the defence of Dada, like my pal Sabnis has.

First, the Indian cricket team has been treated rather too well in recent years by the cricket loving public. They didn’t perform consistently until Dada was made captain. Even Sachin (whom I consider as one of God’s manifestations and thereby usually switch the TV off after he gets out, regardless of the result) couldn’t lead the Indian team to considerable performance. Dada knit the Indian team together and led by example, on and off the field. How can one forget his topless performance at Lords?! People underestimate the value of such outbursts. Dada was only playing jazz (remember Jim Carey in Bruce Almighty) to the British and in their own gallery! And see how Dada reacts when his bowlers perform. He is a captain and he has the leadership instincts. Its an altogether different thing to be batting well. That is a run of form. All of our batsmen have been thru bad patches – Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag even!

What is important in life is how the team feels when they are losing? Would they be rather led by someone who can’t communicate? India doesn’t have the luxury of the Australian team where they pick 11 top cricketers and then the best one amongst them as captain. Although my personal beliefs are in favour of function over form and hence performance over flamboyance, I would still, rather be a talented cricketer than a boring one! So if I ever had to pick a team, I would pick the ten most consistent cricketers and then one talented maverick !

Dada should be kept in purely as captain, but some counseling is in order to restore his batting form, perhaps from Sachin, who undoubtedly has the best cricketing brain in the country. And he knows what it is, to go up and down. We must keep in mind that Sachin has now played nearly 16 continuous years of cricket!

I have a sinister feeling about the match suspension thing. It may be conveniently timed to give Dada a much-needed break. Unless India comes up with someone who can lead the country for two seasons on the trot to win in Australia, Pakistan and West Indies to test series wins, none has a bloody right to challenge Dada. Not that Dada has managed that. But we haven’t exactly buried our heads in sand in the last couple of years. And we were in bad shape before he assumed reins. So lets give him - say, a 10-match streak and see what happens. He has done his bit to the country’s morale. So we must stand up for him and not be like the cricket board of our cousins across the border, where anyone can be captain!