Click to play videoThe dismal performance of the Indian team in the World Cup has also raised some crucial questions about the future of cricket in the country.
CNN-IBN and Cricketnext.com polled 60 present and former first class Indian cricketers on the causes behind the poor show by the Men in Blue in the World Cup.
And to discuss the reasons behind the disastrous World Cup campaign, a panel of former Indian cricketers including former India women's cricket team captain Diana Eduljee along with Cricketnext.com's Sanjay Jha came together on CNN-IBN's special show 'The World Cup Verdict' with Rajdeep Sardesai.
The former cricketers included Rohan Gavaskar, who has also represented India in the One-Dayers, former Mumbai skipper and selector Milind Rege and former skipper of Indian cricket team Nari Contractor.
What was the cause of India's defeat in the World Cup?
And the verdict was a fractured one with 41 per cent saying that the Indians were tentative and nervous while 23 per cent said that we were good enough.
While 33 per cent blamed the Indians for being over confident, three per cent said that opposition was better
Rohan Gavaskar: We were nervous against Sri Lanka as the pressure on us was enormous because we knew that it was do-or-die game and if we lost we would be out of the World Cup. Sri Lanka are not a minnow. They have been the world champions and the pressure on the Indian team was enormous.
Milind Rege: We were under tremendous pressure and in the first game against Bangladesh we were overconfident.
Nari Contractor: We were nervous against Sri Lanka. The way we started and got four wickets quickly, we should have overcome the nervousness. I think we lost the match after taking four wickets because we were nervous.
Diana Eduljee: We have been saying that batting is our strength and not bowling. But during the World Cup our bowlers did the job but the batting failed to click.
Rajdeep Sardesai: In an earlier poll which CNN-IBN and Cricketnext.com had conducted before the World Cup nearly 99 per cent of the ex-cricketers had said batting would be our strength but that was proved wrong.
Sanjay Jha: Rahul Dravid had told Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar that they were very tense and wondered what would happen if they lost. The team's captain was tense and the team worried more about losing.
Milind Rege: When we say we were not good enough, we were not good enough to win the World Cup but after one major aberration how can we say we are not good enough?
Rohan Gavaskar: We were good enough to get to the Super 8 stage.
Who is responsible for India's defeat?
While just two per cent blamed the BCCI, eight per cent blamed Rahul Dravid, five per cent Greg Chappell with an overwhelming majority of 85 per cent blaming the entire team for the poor show.
Rohan Gavaskar: It is team sport and the team get all the accolades when they win and if they fail or do badly then they should also be ready to accept all the brickbats.
Nari Contractor: I will blame the entire team. As a captain you have a plan and I know Rahul will deliver but when the team fails what can a captain do.
The audience, too, blamed the batsmen. Some of them said that every body says that we have the best batting lineup but most of them have not been performing consistently. The entire batting lineup must be blamed for the debacle.
Sanjay Jha: The team failed in the match against Bangladesh and when the batsmen were tested against Sri Lanka they failed to deliver. The principal responsibility is the systematic failure. The cricketers have been very kind to BCCI with only two per cent saying they are responsible. But BCCI has become a profit-making organisation and we should ask them are if they really interested in improving Indian cricket.
Milind Rege: I disagree. What has profit making got to do with a poor performance in the game? It has got nothing to do with it.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So it is unfair to attack the cricketers that they do too many commercials?
Milind Rege: See you have 365 days in a year and 100 days of cricket, 50-60 days of camp and practice. So about 200 days are left and if you do advertising for 30 days how can anyone say that they are not concentrating on cricket. I have seen players slogging for five-six hours in the nets and they give their best.
Sanjay Jha: But is the BCCI really unearthing talent? Are you giving the players all the facilities? There has been a talk of having a bowling coach for more than a year but we are still undecided whether there is need for a bowling coach. It is easy to blame the team but that is not the case. The team can have two bad days. Roger Federer lost two matches. So it happens in sports. Blaming the team is not entirely fair. BCCI knew it was the biggest tournament but did they provide the team the necessary impetus?
Rohan Gavaskar: We weren't good enough against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. We can lose to Sri Lanka in any other series and there would be no hue and cry. But we lost against Bangladesh, which can happen once in 10 games, and it happened in the World Cup that led to our exit from the tournament. So we were just not good enough for those two days.
Should Rahul Dravid be replaced as the captain of the Indian team?
And the answer was in the negative with 86 per cent saying he should not be removed with only nine per cent saying that he should be replaced. The rest five per cent did not have any opinion.
Rohan Gavsakar: Rahul Dravid should be retained. We have only two bad days and you can't sack someone for that.
Milind Rege: When the opinion poll says Rahul should stay why is the media saying that he should go. There is no better captain than Dravid. There is no cricketer more sincere and loyal to Indian cricket than Dravid.
Diana Eduljee: Rahul Dravid should be given more chance.
Nari Contractor: You don't change captain with a win or a loss. Nobody bothered about Rahul's captaincy when we won against England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (in the home series before the World Cup). All of a sudden we lose two matches and people want him out. A captain is as good as the team. You can't put all the blame on the captain.
Sanjay Jha: I beg to differ. Rahul must go because he failed to inspire the team. The biggest argument that goes against him is that he has failed on a consistent basis.
India failed to do well in the Champions Trophy. We haven't done well overseas. He is an outstanding cricketer but not the man to lead the team. We need someone who can integrate the team.
Rajdeep Sardesai: How do you decide whether a captain inspires or not. Is it the body language?
Rohan Gavaskar: When you are playing for the country do you really need the inspiration? If someone is representing India in the World Cup wouldn't he be inspired? I will give my arm and leg to represent India in the World Cup. If at all you need to point fingers at Dravid it has got to be for tactics and not for inspiration.
Sanjay Jha: It is a team game and you need to play as a unit. Today the team is fractured and it is the job of the captain is to recognise that and make the team a cohesive one.
If you look at strategy then Dravid's decision to bat after winning the toss against Bangladesh turned out to be disaster.
Rohan Gavaskar: When you have a doubt what is to be done after winning the toss then you have a team decision. You have a think tank where you have the vice-captain, the coach and a couple of senior players where you ask what would be the best option and then you take the decision.
Who should be the captain if Dravid is removed?
The front-runner here was Yuvraj Singh with 38 per cent votes, followed by Sachin Tendulkar who got 25 per cent votes. Sourav Ganguly was backed by 19 per cent with six per cent saying Virender Sehwag should be made the skipper and 12 per cent saying some other player should be given the responsibility.
Rohan Gavaskar:: It would be generational change to make Yuvraj the skipper. He has the credentials to be the skipper. He is a surety in both the Test and the One-Dayers. He is a match winner and has a great future.
Nari Contractor: I won't go for Sachin because I would like to give the new captain more time to develop. Yuvraj is my choice because he has been the captain of India Under-19 and he has got the hang of captaincy.
Diana Eduljee: A captain should be given more time. At this moment continuing with Rahul and giving him a good vice-captain would be the wise thing to do.
Miling Rege: I agree with Diana totally. There is no need for a change now. And I would also have a young vice-captain in Yuvraj Singh. He fits in both the squads.
Should India have an Indian or foreign coach?
This has been a topic, which is being debated hotly across the country and even those polled were divided on what should be done.
While 33 per cent said an Indian should be made the coach, 44 per cent said that a foreigner should be made the coach while 23 per cent said it did not matter.
Milind Rege: I agree with the 23 per cent segment. Whether it is an Indian or foreign coach, he has to be the best man for the job. There has to be a criterion for the job.
Diana Eduljee: It does not make a difference if he is a foreigner or an Indian as long as he can control the team and get them to perform.
Rohan Gavaskar: You need a good man manager. The players are playing for the Indian team and don't need to be coached. You can discuss the tactics but at the end of the day the captain, who is in the field, will decide what needs to be done. You need a good man manager who is also a good tactician.
Rajdeep Sardesai: The point of being man manger is good. Why all former Indian cricketers want an Indian coach is probably because they wanted the job and didn't get it?
Nari Contractor: Probably. I would like to have the best coach irrespective of where he comes from. Some one like Steve Waugh who has led the Australian team in the World Cup and won the trophy. He has the experience.
Sanjay Jha: Ideally it doesn't matter as long as the person is capable of bringing out the best from the team. But I think after the Greg Chappell experience the Indian team need a break and respite and an Indian coach would bring succor and support the players.
Diana Eduljee: Is it because we are scared as we have so many stars and don't want a foreigner to put a bamboo on their head?
Rajdeep Sardesai: You want a foreign coach to give the players the bamboo?
Diana: Yes definitely. That's why they want an Indian coach.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You mean an Indian coach wouldn't focus on diet of the players. Rohan is it true that an Indian coach is not as aggressive in key areas like fitness as a foreign coach would be?
Rohan Gavskar: I am not sure. Now the game has moved so much that every coach knows what needs to be done. We have got Paras Mhambrey as the coach of Bengal and he has turned around the team in the last two years. He lays a lot of emphasis on fitness and tactics.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So you are saying an Indian coach can also do the job?
Rohan Gavaskar: Absolutely. All I can say is that you need a man manager at that level. The good coaches should be with the domestic team coaching the youngsters.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So would Sunil Gavaskar make a better coach than Greg Chappell?
Rohan Gavaskar: He would never coach the Indian team because if you have two bad days everybody starts throwing stones at your house. We have got 30 policemen outside Dilip Vengsarkar's home. That is ridiculous.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So a great cricketers may not be a great coach. There is no connection between the two.
Nari Contractor: Not at all. Do Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly or Sachin Tendulkar need a coach? A coach is there to just give a corrective hints here and there. But basically it is the implementation that matters.
Who will be the right coach for India?
Even after India’s poor show 48 per cent want Greg Chappell to continue with 30 per cent backing Mohinder Amarnath. Sandeep Patil was at the third spot with 10 per cent votes while only two per cent each voted for John Buchanan, Dave Whatmore, Tom Moody, Sunil Gavaskar, Lalchand Rajput and Ravi Shastri.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So the majority want the status quo. Most of the cricketers still want Dravid and Chappell to continue.
Sanjay Jha: Most of the cricketers in India are still overawed by the image of Greg Chappell. One of the fundamental points is that a great player need not be great coach. Chappell had a ‘Vision 2007’ but what he never told us was that India would get knocked out of the World Cup in the first round. The principal issue is that we need a coach who can build a team. What Chappell's experience tells us is that a guy who fractures a team, comments on the greatness of Sachin, has a fight with Sourav and now these SMS leaks, does not fit into the milieu of this country.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So is it time to say goodbye to Chappell?
Diana Eduljee: How much time have you given Greg Chappell? Two years and is it enough to become world champions in two years?
Rajdeep Sardesai: You want a five-year plan?
Diana Eduljee: Definitely. Let him have a free hand.
Nari Contractor: See England lost the Football World Cup and they appointed the manger for the next World Cup immediately. You must give the coach more time.
Milind Rege: The situation that we are facing now calls for Chappell’s ouster.
Should Sachin Tendulkar retire?
Thirty three per cent want Sachin to retire from both Tests and ODIs while 56 per cent want him to retire from the ODIs only. Eleven per cent want him dropped from the team completely.
Rohan Gavaskar: I don't think so. I think Sachin has still got a big role to play in
Indian cricket whereby with his knowledge and experience he develops the youngsters. Who do you replace him with?
Rajdeep Sardesai: Should he retire from One-Day cricket like Brain Lara has and focus more on Test cricket to build the team?
Rohan Gavaskar: For someone like Sachin he should have the prerogative to decide when to quit.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Isn't that different from other countries. Let us look at Australia. Australia decide that Steve Waugh should be out of the One-Day team. Is that the problem that we still stuck with the star system and Greg Chappell was trying to break that?
Rohan Gavaskar: No we are not. Australia had a replacement for Steve Waugh in the One-Dayers. Get me a batsman of Sachin's caliber and I am fine with replacing him.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So Sachin is still the best batsman?
Rohan Gavaskar: Yes.
Sanjay Jha: I think Sachin has achieved incredible success and now he has reached the point of diminishing return in ODIs. In Test cricket he still has a lot to contribute. Today Sachin's fitness has a big question mark. One-Dayers take a huge toll on your body, mind and require lot of concentration. I think Sachin should stop playing in One-Dayers and concentrate on Test cricket. If he doesn't then we will lose him completely in the next year or so.
Milind Rege: It is Sachin's prerogative when he wants to retire. Sanjay says his fitness is in doubt but I have seen Sachin run faster than most of the players, field better than most of them. When he is not fit he doesn't play. He is still one of the top two batsmen.
Rajdeep Sardesai: The question then is don't we need a generational change.? Greg Chappell was hinting at it when he brought players like Suresh Raina. He wanted a generational change. He spoke about the 'Process'. Are we reluctant in this country to change the old guard whether it is a Sourav Ganguly or a Sachin Tendulkar?
Diana Eduljee: I totally agree. We need younger players and give them a long run. If you can give Sehwag such a long run then Raina and Kaif could also have been given a longer run.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But how do you give the younger players a chance if the old guard doesn't leave?
Diana Eduljee: You have to take tough decisions.
Rajdeep Sardesai: What tough decision would you take Diana?
Diana Eduljee: Drop non-performers. I would definitely drop Virender Sehwag.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Why should Sehwag be dropped? He scored a 100 against Bermuda.
The panel and the audience laughed at Rajdeep’s observation.
The audience was of the opinion that there is a need for young blood but senior players who are performing should not be dropped.
Rohan Gavaskar: Is the World Cup be all and end all? When we say we need a team for the next World Cup, we need to groom the youngsters in such a way that when the next World Cup comes they are ready. There is no point in getting youngsters and then losing two years on trot and completely shattering their confidence. It cannot be an overnight change. Winning is habit. You need to pick the 15 best players in the country irrespective of their age.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So you say Ganguly, Dravid and Sachin are part of those 15.
Rohan Gavaskar: I would say so.
Do you still have the faith in the Indian team?
And here 88 per cent said that they still had faith in the Indian team with only seven per cent saying they had no faith and five per cent were undecided.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Does any one supports that cricketers houses should be attacked?
The audience was unanimous in their view that those who indulged in violence after India’s exit from the World Cup were not cricket fans.
“We should love the game for what it is whether you win or lose,” a member of the audience said.
Nari Contractor: Games are about winning and losing. You must learn to lose gracefully.
Rajdeep Sardesai: How do we ensure that we win more and lose less.
Sanjay Jha: The key challenge is that BCCI must become a lot more transparent. A team is as good as the administrators. One reason why Australia perform well consistently is that Cricket Australia is very well organised. They unearth good talents, they have a good system to ensure that good players become better and they make sure that the players give their best.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So you need to improve the structure?
Sanjay Jha: Yes.
Nari Contractor: What is required is the proper implementation of the schemes.
Diana Eduljee: Make it compulsory for the stars to play domestic cricket and make the domestic schedule a little shorter so that everybody can play and have rest. You can' t let the domestic season go on till April.
Milind Rege: Completely overhaul the domestic cricket. It is pathetic, the standards are low and mediocrity should go. We have too much mediocrity in domestic cricket and the cricketers that we get are not fit for the international stage.
Rohan Gavaskar: We have got 500 first class players. Australia have 80 or 90 and that makes it more competitive. You must decide you 10-12 best teams and they should play with each other more.
So the verdict is clear. While a majority doesn’t want a major shakeup of the team, they do want a team to have younger players who are hungry for a win.
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