When India wins, it tends to do it with an expensive flair that convinces you of the team’s world-class pedigree. But when they lose, the manner of their defeats often leaves even their most vociferous supporters stumped for answers.
The ‘India’ that Greg Chappell, coach of the Indian team, seeks is one that can win - and handsomely at that. Between October 25, 2005 and May 18, 2006 (Phase 1), he discovered exactly that. Of the 25 matches played during that period, India won 19 for a win percentage of 76.00.
It was perhaps at this point that the Indian team got a little complacent. Former coach John Wright has often mentioned how — after successful tours of Australia and the West Indies — the team started to take things easy. Chappell needed to have taken a hint from Wright’s observation.
After winning 76 per cent of their matches during a seven month period, the Indian team managed to win only one of their last nine matches since then (Phase two). Their win percentage has dropped to just 11.11 per cent.
And surprisingly, it is India’s batting that has let them down while the bowling has continued to improve. During phase one, the Indian batsmen worked up an average of 41.41 per wicket. During the second phase, that average has been just 24.35 — a drop of 17.06 runs per wicket lost.
If batting is indeed Chappell’s forte, then he quickly needs to come up with a solution.
The bowlers are doing just fine - Irfan Pathan’s lack of bowling form notwithstanding. But Ajit Agarkar, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh have actually added some sting to the Indian bowling attack in the shorter version of the game.
In the batting, Rahul Dravid’s loss of form must and should be a source of worry. In his last 9 matches, the skipper has accumulated only 92 runs at a paltry average of 11.50 as against an average of 58.61 in the first phase.
Dravid works as hard as anyone in the nets, he is perhaps the only batsman who bats in the nets as he would in a match. But this is precisely the kind of situation that a coach needs to prove his credentials. His best batsman in failing and that in turn in affecting the match result.
Unless Dravid’s loss of form is reversed, India will be hard pressed to make an impact during the Champions Trophy that starts in India from October 7.
The other obvious target for Chappell’s attentions should be Pathan. His batting and bowling are both suffering. From averaging 32.54 with the bat and 21.33 with the ball in phase one, the Baroda lad’s failures in phase two, where his batting average dropped to 17.40 and bowling average rose to 30.17 respectively, have further added to India’s misery.
Before the Indian team left Malaysia for India, they were handed training schedules with the areas that they need to work on while coach Chappell took leave and headed down to Australia for personal reasons. But isn’t this the hour when the team needs him most?
The ‘India’ that Greg Chappell, coach of the Indian team, seeks is one that can win - and handsomely at that. Between October 25, 2005 and May 18, 2006 (Phase 1), he discovered exactly that. Of the 25 matches played during that period, India won 19 for a win percentage of 76.00.
It was perhaps at this point that the Indian team got a little complacent. Former coach John Wright has often mentioned how — after successful tours of Australia and the West Indies — the team started to take things easy. Chappell needed to have taken a hint from Wright’s observation.
After winning 76 per cent of their matches during a seven month period, the Indian team managed to win only one of their last nine matches since then (Phase two). Their win percentage has dropped to just 11.11 per cent.
And surprisingly, it is India’s batting that has let them down while the bowling has continued to improve. During phase one, the Indian batsmen worked up an average of 41.41 per wicket. During the second phase, that average has been just 24.35 — a drop of 17.06 runs per wicket lost.
If batting is indeed Chappell’s forte, then he quickly needs to come up with a solution.
The bowlers are doing just fine - Irfan Pathan’s lack of bowling form notwithstanding. But Ajit Agarkar, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh have actually added some sting to the Indian bowling attack in the shorter version of the game.
In the batting, Rahul Dravid’s loss of form must and should be a source of worry. In his last 9 matches, the skipper has accumulated only 92 runs at a paltry average of 11.50 as against an average of 58.61 in the first phase.
Dravid works as hard as anyone in the nets, he is perhaps the only batsman who bats in the nets as he would in a match. But this is precisely the kind of situation that a coach needs to prove his credentials. His best batsman in failing and that in turn in affecting the match result.
Unless Dravid’s loss of form is reversed, India will be hard pressed to make an impact during the Champions Trophy that starts in India from October 7.
The other obvious target for Chappell’s attentions should be Pathan. His batting and bowling are both suffering. From averaging 32.54 with the bat and 21.33 with the ball in phase one, the Baroda lad’s failures in phase two, where his batting average dropped to 17.40 and bowling average rose to 30.17 respectively, have further added to India’s misery.
Before the Indian team left Malaysia for India, they were handed training schedules with the areas that they need to work on while coach Chappell took leave and headed down to Australia for personal reasons. But isn’t this the hour when the team needs him most?
