Not quite cricket

And once again, our cricket team is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Once again, our traditional Indian attitude rears its ugly head.

Greg Chappell was called in to whip our team into shape (presumably because our own guys here didn't have the guts to call a spade a spade). And now that he's doing it, our spoilt, pampered team is up in arms. And I'm quite sure that certain higher-ups are watching in glee as Chappell does their dirty work. Of course, he's the fall guy at the end. He's expendable. Even our bookies are growing richer at his expense.

This controversy once again demonstrates the one part of Indian attitude that needs to change. Complacency is a way of life. Just look at our government organizations and even some private ones. They reek of poor management and general sloth.

Apparently, several senior Indian cricketers(anonymous of course) told the Times of India that "the way Chappell has gone about seeking to change the order virtually overnight smacks of lack of taste. “This is no way to deal with players who have served the game with distinction,’’ said one of them. “Look at Sourav. He has an enviable record both as captain and batsman. You can’t suddenly turn around and tell him he is physically and mentally unfit. There’s a certain way of going about such things.’’"

These few sentences tell it all. What exactly do you mean by "lack of taste"? And "there's a certain way of going about such things"? Well one thing is for sure, they way we go about them is a joke. Whether it's cricket or the corporate world. Because we never do anything in the first place and just sit and hope it will go away. Because when we decide to do something, we are going about it 'tastefully'. Which means, the people that need to be pulled up never are. And we just sit and grumble at the sad state of affairs.
In my not-so-humble opinion, if you're a consistent non-performer (I agree all should be given a chance to redeem themselves, but there's a limit), you should be told directly, and if you don't improve, you should be sacked. This is where the West scores over us. Accountability and responsibility. We don't have it in us.

Our molly-coddled players also complain that the fitness regime is "too strict". Even the girls team can do better than that. Poor, harrassed Harbhajan Singh is "yet to come out of his mental trauma" and alleges that Chappell is creating fear and insecurity among the players. High time, I say. You should be insecure if you're below par. You can't rest on your laurels for something you did in the past and expect that to carry you through!!!

It will be interesting to see how this develops. My guess would be the BCCI will fire over Chappells shoulder, clean up the cricket team (as best they can without our players sulking like children), and then appease the public and sack Chappell. Even if this happens, I would congratulate Chappell on a job well done.