Sack Dravid
Friday, May 09, 2008 by Gaurav Varma
About time Rahul Dravid came out and admitted that he got it totally wrong at the IPL auction. I've been a huge fan of Dravid the batsman but I find him totally unimaginative as a captain. His theory that 'the best test players are the best in any form of the game' has been disproved. Actually thats an understatement.
For one it shows absolute disregard for the nuances and specific necessities that are typical of the T20 form of the game (not to mention ODIs) .ie. the need for quick decision making, ability of top order batsmen to clear the field and most critically fitness: presence of fast legs and strong arms in the outfield. Through his decision making he just hasn't showed enough respect (and I can't think of a better word here) for this format of the game.
What grandpa Sunil Joshi's doing out there is hard to comprehend.. He is closing in on his 38th birthday, averages 7 with the bat in T20s and a mediocre 31 with the ball (as on 9/5). Then there is the dedicated Anil Kumble who is 37 (mind you he is no McGrath or Warne with the ball). Add to that Dravid (35), Misbah ul Haq (35), Chanderpaul (34), Kallis (33), Boucher (31), Jaffer (30) as the core of the top order international batsmen. Surely they got to be kidding if they expected this bunch of geriatrics to put in sliding stops and acrobatic saves...sounds more like a neat little pension fund arrangement for the 'due to retire brotherhood.'
Figure this: Chanderpaul (ODI Strike Rate 70.7) cost them $ 200K while all rounder Watson was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for $125,000. Kallis who cost them $900,000 averaged 13 (SR 108) with the bat in 3 T20 games prior to the IPL. He wasn't picked for the SA T20 World Cup side. He has scored 118 at 16.85 (SR 114) thus far in 7 games. With the ball he averages 50.2 at an economy of 9.65! (stats as on 9/5)
Misbah ul Haq and Cameron White are probably the only ones who have substantial T20 experience among this lot. Inexplicably they have just featured in a couple of games each of the 8 games to date. Somebody in their selection team messed up royally. And now they've sacked their CEO, Charu Sharma.
Their coach Venkatesh Prasad who at 38 would have surely fancied himself turning out in red for the Royal Challengers speaks of how the 'hire and fire policy could work in the corporate world probably.' Prasad needs to a get a grip on this: $111 million has been spent. If you sign up to accept the rewards that come with the job then you should be able to handle the downside when the results don't materialize however unjust it may seem. Like in the corporate world the bottomline is everything. It happens all the time in professional sport: Ask Mourinho. Knowing Mallya its likely that they will see a new mix of players for the 2009 season. A new captain would help too.
And thats not a bad thing actually. We'll all know why when their new recruits turn out in April 2009 now that its all but certain that they are out of this one.
For one it shows absolute disregard for the nuances and specific necessities that are typical of the T20 form of the game (not to mention ODIs) .ie. the need for quick decision making, ability of top order batsmen to clear the field and most critically fitness: presence of fast legs and strong arms in the outfield. Through his decision making he just hasn't showed enough respect (and I can't think of a better word here) for this format of the game.
What grandpa Sunil Joshi's doing out there is hard to comprehend.. He is closing in on his 38th birthday, averages 7 with the bat in T20s and a mediocre 31 with the ball (as on 9/5). Then there is the dedicated Anil Kumble who is 37 (mind you he is no McGrath or Warne with the ball). Add to that Dravid (35), Misbah ul Haq (35), Chanderpaul (34), Kallis (33), Boucher (31), Jaffer (30) as the core of the top order international batsmen. Surely they got to be kidding if they expected this bunch of geriatrics to put in sliding stops and acrobatic saves...sounds more like a neat little pension fund arrangement for the 'due to retire brotherhood.'
Figure this: Chanderpaul (ODI Strike Rate 70.7) cost them $ 200K while all rounder Watson was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for $125,000. Kallis who cost them $900,000 averaged 13 (SR 108) with the bat in 3 T20 games prior to the IPL. He wasn't picked for the SA T20 World Cup side. He has scored 118 at 16.85 (SR 114) thus far in 7 games. With the ball he averages 50.2 at an economy of 9.65! (stats as on 9/5)
Misbah ul Haq and Cameron White are probably the only ones who have substantial T20 experience among this lot. Inexplicably they have just featured in a couple of games each of the 8 games to date. Somebody in their selection team messed up royally. And now they've sacked their CEO, Charu Sharma.
Their coach Venkatesh Prasad who at 38 would have surely fancied himself turning out in red for the Royal Challengers speaks of how the 'hire and fire policy could work in the corporate world probably.' Prasad needs to a get a grip on this: $111 million has been spent. If you sign up to accept the rewards that come with the job then you should be able to handle the downside when the results don't materialize however unjust it may seem. Like in the corporate world the bottomline is everything. It happens all the time in professional sport: Ask Mourinho. Knowing Mallya its likely that they will see a new mix of players for the 2009 season. A new captain would help too.
And thats not a bad thing actually. We'll all know why when their new recruits turn out in April 2009 now that its all but certain that they are out of this one.
