Home > Cricket > Indian cricket needs revamping - so Sachin, Sehwag and Sourav must go

Indian cricket needs revamping - so Sachin, Sehwag and Sourav must go

The selectors must bring in young players now if the 2007 World Cup humiliation is not to be repeated in four years.

by Siddharth Viswanathan on 29 March 2007

Email this Article (13) Comments

50%

Sachin Tendulkar: He has to go (Gettyimages.com)

Related Bet:

Free £25 bet when you register at

A billion hopes rested on their shoulders. This team was expected to win the World Cup after 24 years. But, in the end, India's dreams turned into nightmares as they crashed out in the first round.

With this, Indian cricket faces an uncertain and hostile period. Heads will be expected to roll, players will be sacked, the country's cricket board might perhaps be revamped, and the infrastructure might be upgraded. But one thing is for sure, Indian cricket needs to improve, and fast.

For far too long, the star system has dominated the policies in the team. With several stories surfacing in the media about star players wielding their clout, it has become more apparent that this system is flawed. The basis of performance has been sidetracked by both the board and the senior players, and the result has been the catastrophe of World Cup 2007.

'For far too long, Indian cricket has been sitting on a platform of lofty stardom, and it is about time that it was brought down to earth'

Let's outline the factors that will determine the right course of action for Indian cricket's revival. The most important and the cornerstone of this revival is that selection should be performance-based. Players should be picked on current form, not on past achievements. For that to happen, there has to be a revamp of the domestic cricket infrastructure.

The pitches in India also have to be prepared fast, bouncy and in some cases with a bit of grass. It is time Indian wickets were raised to international standards, and the emphasis not put so much on spin. If the domestic circuit is enhanced, then the international team will gradually improve.

But first, some current players will have to face the axe. For far too long, Indian cricket has been sitting on a platform of lofty stardom, and it is about time that it was brought down to earth. From now until the 2011 World Cup, we should groom young players and ensure that their abilities are given full backing. Make the pitches such that the youngsters' all-round ability can be utilised and developed. The senior players will have to make way in the near future. Unfortunately the likes of Verinder Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and possibly Rahul Dravid will have to go. The youth need to be encouraged now so that they will have relative experience come 2011.

Comments (13)

by ruby on March 29, 2007

SACHIN,SEWAG,GANGULY,SHOLD BE REMOVED AND DRAVID SHOULD OPEN THE INNINGS WITH ANY OTHER YOUNGER PLAYER.

by Samuel Vaseekaran on March 29, 2007

Indian Cricket is slowly turning into English Football. Yes i am talking about the blame game, the English blamed their loss on then captain Beckham, and now the Indians blame it on star batsman Tendulkar. Why?? cause this players have set high expectations during the peak of their career, what people forget is you cannot compare a player to his peak, but compare him to other players when you do that you will realize why both this players are important in their respective sport. Look at what happened when England sacked Becks, they lost their winning combination

by Samuel Vaseekaran on March 29, 2007

hmm Dravid as a opener, he is called the wall for a reason. he is a player that can stabilize a inning if we loose early wickets, he is not the person for opening, openers have to be players who take advantage of the first power play

by Guest on March 30, 2007

They have won matches for india are going thru a patch. All these authors they will write exact opposite when this very same team wins a match. This is such a pathetic article - if it was an everyday fan writing or talking like this, it is understandable. But this ...

by Guest 1 on March 30, 2007

Yes. Players like them won matches for India. But, at what cost do we have to retain them? Guys, still how many years you talk about these oldies. Do people still miss Michael Bevan and others? Then why should we hang around these guys...! Shame on us..! You don't realize that they are many Tendulkars out there. Cmon guys.. Grow up!

by Bijit on March 30, 2007

Dravid must be kicked out of the team first, Sachin & Saurav still performing better than Dravid. Still top scorer of India team in WC 2007 is Saurav Ganguly. We need experience alongwith young blood.

by abhinav on March 31, 2007

hope for the best next series is against bangladesh if u will start praying and hoping fromm now on that india will win then atleast it cud win a match if not the series start praying india needs it especially sachin

by quest on March 31, 2007

yes they have won match so u insist that they will play till the age of 50. For the las 1.1/2 years how may have we lost and won. Dravid shld be kicked out for persisting with sehwag and driving out ganguly. Young guys have to be tried your comments are like our politicians.

by k.praveen chandra on March 31, 2007

There is no dedication in the Indian Team.All that they are interested is to make money on behalf of the country.The dedication,love,integrity..etc that they talk of in TV channels is smoke screen behind which breathe the schemey minds WITH THE IDEA OF MAKING MONEY WHILE THE GOING IS GOOD. iF THEY HAD THE WILL TO PLAY THEN WHY DIDN'T THEY DO IT WHEN IT MATTERS MOST. Experience, if thats what we backed on LET US DOWN BADLY just b'coz experience wanted to rake the MOOLAH at INDIA''S cost. If the team was'A DEDICATED TEAM' as in the case of AUSSIES they could have reached the semis EASILY. THE TEAM LACKS'FIGHTING SPIRIT''KILLING INSTINCT''DESIRE TO WIN' To add feul to the fire(team) our HALOED management selected a coach whose sole aim was to DESTROY the team prior to the world cup which he did with utmost precision ,firstly-GANGULY episode,secondly-PATHANS confidence,he ensured that PATHAN is reduced to non entity-neither a BOWLER NOR A BATSMAN, PITY HE NEVER PLAYED IN THE CUP,thirdly-

by sandesh on March 31, 2007

your comments on senior players are absurd and exposes your absolute disconnection to ground realities.I believe at all times the best eleven should be picked irespective of age. you talk of grooming youngsters but it cannot be at the expense of the international team and they need not be mutually exclusive. we can get rid of sehwag,tendulkar and dravid but where are the replacements? You talk as if we have a terrfic youthful bunch of talented youngsters waiting in the wings to take over but given the state of their abilities indian cricket will be pushed further to an abyss of darkness. We still to put up the best eleven and in the meantime we need to develop not just the domestic sructure in terms of not only first class cricket but more importantly school level cricket and district cricket . BCCi needs to plan country schol level college level and district level competition. Potenmtial talents need to identified at an age as early as 14. the refining pyramid need to be bulid on from tht premise.

by Akash on April 01, 2007

I don't know how you felt by writting all this but Just cause of sachin we have won too many matches in past so, sehwag can leave and so does ganguly but sachin must stay! even dravid can leave too he is just too slow for one day cricket!

by Ravula Vasudeva Reddy on April 02, 2007

Our senior cricketers are trying to live and survive on the past glory and the juniors are trying to ape the seniors. Jaisurya of srilanka must be taken as an example because at this age also he cvontributes to the teams fortunes whenever it is required and they get less money by sponsorships and promotion of merchandise. Our pewople are playing for themselves and paid lavishly and adored by 100 crores of people but thewy never live up to their expectations. therefore, they must apply their mind and think about the fortunes of the team than the prosperity they get by playing brilliantly ontwo opccasions out of ten. they must practicce improve fitness and try to use mind and body at the same time to conteribute to the fortunes of the team rather than aenriching themselves.

by Siddharth Viswanathan on April 02, 2007

I have always been critical about what state Indian Cricket is. Star Players wield their clout, and politicians control the board. The Problem of the people in India is that They will always tink from their Heart and not from their Minds. We have to think from our heads, and not from our hearts.