Focus
R. Mohan
Skippers fail more often than they succeed
July 16, 2007
Former captains Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar are in the news as much as they were in their heyday on the field. They were so emblematic of Team India’s aspirations to match the best in the world that their iconic status remains intact even today, although much gloss comes off such an image as barbs are aimed at them.
What is the real story behind their contribution to Indian cricket after retirement? While one of them is now under fire for associating himself with the India Cricket League that is seen by the BCCI as a rebel series, the other has been the butt of some pointed criticism from another former captain, Bishan Singh Bedi.
BCCI insiders acknowledge that while both have tried sincerely to help the cause of Indian cricket, the real worth of their contribution has not been as significant as the former cricketers themselves might believe.
The reason ascribed to this failure of such great men to elevate Indian cricket after hanging up their boots is that both of them would love to enjoy various posts but struggle to concentrate on any one aspect they can truly help in.
Kapil Dev’s current plight is born of a moral dilemma of wishing to belong to the BCCI as director of the cricket academy while at the same time being free to help ICL’s amorphous shape take some concrete form. His ICL tenure is bound to be one of the keys to how well the high priced series, which is said to have roped in the likes of Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, McGrath, Brian Lara and Darren Gough, will fare.
The board was firm in asking Kiran More, a former chairman of selectors who became secretary of the Baroda CA and hence was a member of the BCCI, to choose between the official path and the free market alternative.
Much like Gavaskar, Kapil is more of a free agent and hence cannot be told at virtual gun point to declare his allegiance.
Gavaskar has headed a few crucial committees to deal with the game’s progress. While he has done a fair job of coordinating the various views and suggestions brought in by other thinkers on the game at the ICC level where he heads the Cricket Committee, he has done less at the national-level where he and his fellow committee members have come up well short of ideas.
Apart from suggesting that the toss be done away with, adjusting the points structure here and there in the domestic competitions and playing around with the schedule to move the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy to different slots, there has been precious little by way of reform from thinkers headed by Gavaskar.
This has been a source of great disappointment, according to knowledgeable observes of the national cricket scene.
Stripping Bedi’s invective of its animus, it is possible to see where Gavaskar’s failure has lain. He has the desire to be an extra-constitutional authority without having to be held accountable for his actions. That may be the reason why his stints at coaching have been sporadic and aimed more towards positive media spinoff by way of positive publicity than focused intent.
Also, Gavaskar has never had the courage to take on the team coach‘s job, although he was briefly the national batting coach under John Wright and an emergency cricket manager at times. Bedi, Venkataraghavan and Kapil may have failed at the job.
Importantly, they tried. They also took on the thankless task of being a national selector, Bedi’s tenure being more colorful and successful.
It seemed very curious then that as a member of the committee to pick the coach, Gavaskar should play the devil’s advocate to bring in a second candidate in the form of John Emburey whose credentials were as empty as some of the various suggestions periodically made by committess headed by him to improve Indian cricket.
At their level of attainments, money is no more the prime motivator. All of them have tried their hands at various tasks, with Venkat even going on to become an umpire of international repute and also secretary for a while of TNCA. Of the quartet, Bedi and Kapil have been far more inclined to coach young cricketers and the former has actually spent a fair part of his life at the task.
"It is clear that they fail whenever they try to take on wider functions that have more to do with administration which in our country needs the skills of political manoeuvres. They have been known to succeed when they took on specific jobs. Honestly, former players are better at dealing when they are focused on jobs with narrower functions," says a seasoned former administrator.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
What is the real story behind their contribution to Indian cricket after retirement? While one of them is now under fire for associating himself with the India Cricket League that is seen by the BCCI as a rebel series, the other has been the butt of some pointed criticism from another former captain, Bishan Singh Bedi.
BCCI insiders acknowledge that while both have tried sincerely to help the cause of Indian cricket, the real worth of their contribution has not been as significant as the former cricketers themselves might believe.
The reason ascribed to this failure of such great men to elevate Indian cricket after hanging up their boots is that both of them would love to enjoy various posts but struggle to concentrate on any one aspect they can truly help in.
Kapil Dev’s current plight is born of a moral dilemma of wishing to belong to the BCCI as director of the cricket academy while at the same time being free to help ICL’s amorphous shape take some concrete form. His ICL tenure is bound to be one of the keys to how well the high priced series, which is said to have roped in the likes of Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, McGrath, Brian Lara and Darren Gough, will fare.
The board was firm in asking Kiran More, a former chairman of selectors who became secretary of the Baroda CA and hence was a member of the BCCI, to choose between the official path and the free market alternative.
Much like Gavaskar, Kapil is more of a free agent and hence cannot be told at virtual gun point to declare his allegiance.
Gavaskar has headed a few crucial committees to deal with the game’s progress. While he has done a fair job of coordinating the various views and suggestions brought in by other thinkers on the game at the ICC level where he heads the Cricket Committee, he has done less at the national-level where he and his fellow committee members have come up well short of ideas.
Apart from suggesting that the toss be done away with, adjusting the points structure here and there in the domestic competitions and playing around with the schedule to move the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy to different slots, there has been precious little by way of reform from thinkers headed by Gavaskar.
This has been a source of great disappointment, according to knowledgeable observes of the national cricket scene.
Stripping Bedi’s invective of its animus, it is possible to see where Gavaskar’s failure has lain. He has the desire to be an extra-constitutional authority without having to be held accountable for his actions. That may be the reason why his stints at coaching have been sporadic and aimed more towards positive media spinoff by way of positive publicity than focused intent.
Also, Gavaskar has never had the courage to take on the team coach‘s job, although he was briefly the national batting coach under John Wright and an emergency cricket manager at times. Bedi, Venkataraghavan and Kapil may have failed at the job.
Importantly, they tried. They also took on the thankless task of being a national selector, Bedi’s tenure being more colorful and successful.
It seemed very curious then that as a member of the committee to pick the coach, Gavaskar should play the devil’s advocate to bring in a second candidate in the form of John Emburey whose credentials were as empty as some of the various suggestions periodically made by committess headed by him to improve Indian cricket.
At their level of attainments, money is no more the prime motivator. All of them have tried their hands at various tasks, with Venkat even going on to become an umpire of international repute and also secretary for a while of TNCA. Of the quartet, Bedi and Kapil have been far more inclined to coach young cricketers and the former has actually spent a fair part of his life at the task.
"It is clear that they fail whenever they try to take on wider functions that have more to do with administration which in our country needs the skills of political manoeuvres. They have been known to succeed when they took on specific jobs. Honestly, former players are better at dealing when they are focused on jobs with narrower functions," says a seasoned former administrator.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
