The Australian cricket team defeated Team India comprehensively in the recently concluded (7^th Jun 2023 – 11^th Jun 2023) World Test Championship final – 2021-2023 cycle – to become the World Test Cricket champions, thereby also becoming the first team to win all the ICC trophies.

For India however, the 209-run drubbing at Kennington Oval was always on the cards and not surprising.  There is no solitary reason for the debacle but the reasons are multiple and more structural.  While most analyses tend to point fingers at individual players and the head coach, let us look at three broad reasons other than the usual finger pointing, for Team India’s pathetic display which can broadly be categorised in the following order:

1. Board of Control for Cricket in India – BCCI – unreasonable scheduling priorities
2. Team composition
3. Attitude of the playing XI

The first two go hand in hand as far as Team India is concerned and need to be addressed together by the BCCI.

1. Board of Control for Cricket in India – BCCI – unreasonable scheduling priorities:

Ever since the lucrative and cash-rich T20 Indian Premier League commenced in India in 2008, the main casualty was scheduling Test and One Day International cricket matches.  The IPL schedule stretches for close to two months with at least eight franchisee teams (10 in 2023) and comprises a host of foreign players in each team.  The 2023 edition featured 74 matches in all and each team had at least 8 foreign players (except for Punjab Kings) with a schedule that commenced on 31^st March 2023 and concluded on 29^th May 2023 which is a clear 60 days grueling schedule.  With 60 days of prime cricket scheduling time going away to franchisee T20 league cricket along with the most prominent and priced players, Indian and foreign, test cricket and ODI format suffers - in terms of scheduling matches, player availability and quality of cricket.  Add to this the T20 International schedule and the number of matches getting played are mind-boggling.

From the above table one can see that cricket matches across all international formats - Tests, ODIs and T20Is - that India has played over the years have not reduced considerably (except during 2020 and 2021 due to COVID pandemic).  With the International Cricket Council’s objective to not discard any international format, it becomes too much of a load to manage for any team especially for Team India under BCCI, with IPL matches also to be scheduled.  The international matches to be played may not increase but may not reduce too.

Along with the packed international schedule, the lucrative IPL also has established itself, irrespective of its pitfalls, and cannot be ignored by BCCI for various reasons, commercial being the prime.  The IPL completed 16 editions in 2023 and is going strong with an overall 1032 matches played to date. 

In this context, managing player workloads across all formats is extremely tough, physically and mentally demanding, and sensitive.  Even if players manage to play across all formats including IPL, it will take a huge toll on the players and the team results are not likely to be positive.

This calls for expert players for each format of the game including IPL.  Having expert players for each format eases the burden and workload management and simplifies scheduling.  Formats may also run parallel to each other should that need arise and all formats can survive the test of time.  Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri indirectly hinted at this subsequent to Team India’s debacle when he said “you've got to miss IPL to have 20 days of preparation for WTC final”.

It is a challenge for the BCCI and the IPL team owners to agree to certain players opting out of IPL or mandatorily not allowing certain players to play in franchisee leagues to perform for Team India, especially when commercial considerations are riding high in the IPL and where a team of stars matters most than a star team.

Also, from the table above, it can be seen that from the year 2016 India has been playing more T20Is when compared to Test matches.  Doesn’t this indicate wrong priorities as far as formats are concerned and T20I formats getting more prioritised than the Test format?  Priorities do determine the preparation and the outcome.

2. Team composition:

During the WTC 2023 final, out of the 11 players that Team India fielded, only 3 players – Cheteshwar Pujara, Srikar Bharat and Umesh Yadav – did not play in the IPL 2023 edition.  All the other 8 players played most or all of the matches in the IPL for their respective franchisees.  There was hardly any time for them – 29^th May 2023 to 7^th June 2023 - after playing 60 days of slam-bang league cricket to switch over to Test cricket which demands an altogether different level of skill, application and temperament.

In quite a contrasting reality, Australia, out of the 11 players that they fielded in the WTC 2023 final, only 2 players played in the IPL 2023 edition – David Warner and Cameron Green!

While Team India went in with a jaded bunch of individuals, Australia fielded a more capable team, fresh and eager enough to battle it out in the middle.  This could have been avoided had there been a separate Tests only team or if at least the major players would have been expert Test match players only.

Another interesting statistic shows that Australia played 21 T20Is in 2022 against 40 played by India! In fact, Australia is yet to play a T20I in 2023 while India has already played 6 of them! Australia last played a T20I during Nov 2022.  Further Australia has played 6 Tests and only 3 ODIs during 2023 till the time of penning this article, while India has played 5 Tests and 9 ODIs.  This may also throw some light on our scheduling priorities.

3. Attitude of the Playing XI:

Having dropped Ravichandran Ashwin, the world’s number one ranked bowler, it was always tough on Team India’s bowling unit to take 20 Australian wickets, which obviously meant greater pressure on the batsmen to compensate in the form of runs scored.  Application, temperament to stay at the crease, scoring runs at a steady run rate, and bat session after session on a given day on a given pitch, are the hallmarks of any great test batsman and a formidable batting unit.  The attitude should be to win the test rather than draw the test.  All of these were lacking with the Indian batsmen during the WTC 2023 final.

When it comes to application, temperament at the crease and an attitude to win a test match at any cost, three iconic test matches that India has been a part of, can never be forgotten and can forever be a source of inspiration for the present as well as future Indian teams.  First, India vs Australia tied test in 1986 played at Chennai, second,  India vs Pakistan test match on a minefield of a pitch at Bangalore in 1987 which India lost after a valiant fight and the third was the India vs Australia test at Kolkata in 2001 which India won after being forced to follow-on.

The tied test at Chennai in 1986 is famous for the approach that India took under the legendary captain Kapil Dev in fighting till the last ball on the last day of the test match.  After having conceded a 1^st innings lead of 177 runs, India’s 4^th innings began on the morning of the final day chasing a target of 348 with the Aussies declaring their 2^nd innings with the overnight score at 170/5.  Scoring 348 runs that too on the final day Chennai pitch is something only legends can help a team achieve which was almost accomplished by the Indian team. Though the Indians didn’t win they didn’t lose it either. It was a historic tie, only the second in the history of cricket. An attitude to win was the key.  As Kapil Dev later said, "It is okay to have been part of history, but we would have liked to win the match”.  The test also witnessed a dehydrated Dean Jones scoring a double century and returning to the field after getting treatment at a hospital.  Application and temperament at its best!

The 1987 test against Pakistan was a test of application and temperament on a minefield of a pitch at Bangalore, which allowed even spinners to bowl bouncers!  Though India lost the match by 16 runs after a valiant fight, the hero of the match has to be the cricket maestro himself, the all-time Indian batting legend, Sunil Gavaskar.  His 96 on such a devil of a pitch which was more than equivalent to a century had application and temperament personified all over it.

2001 Kolkata test against Australia witnessed the match of this century so far! Winning a test match after losing the previous test match and that too after being forced to follow on was some sort of a divine experience that unfolded in front of a blessed capacity Eden Gardens crowd.  All thanks to that 281 by VVS Laxman who played with a stiff back and a gritty 180 by Rahul Dravid who had to be administered drips post-match since he too had played with a fever. The duo had batted an entire day during the course of a 376-run partnership which took 104.1 overs!  What a best example for application and temperament at the crease!  This was the mighty Australian team under Steve Waugh which had conquered all frontiers except India, prior to this series. 

It is disheartening that as cricket fans we do not get to see such a gem of a Test match/matches played by present cricketers.  It is sad that present Indian cricketers never get inspired by such matches and the legends who played them.  The end result is a debacle like that of the WTC 2023 final where none of the batsmen showed any will to stay at the crease, getting out cheaply without putting a hefty price on their wicket. The selection of shots was pathetic, to say the least.

Having lost yet another ICC trophy, India will begin their 2023-2025 cycle of test cricket from July 2023.  Hope the cricket administration makes changes keeping the long-term interest of the team, game and the players in mind and the players learn from their mistakes of the past.

 

Sources:

1. http://www.howstat.com
2. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/shastri-you-ve-got-to-miss-ipl-to-have-20-days-of-prep-for-wtc-final-1381199
3. https://www.cricket.com.au/news/vvs-laxman-rahul-dravid-2001-eden-gardens-kolkata-on-this-day-australia-india-test/2021-03-14
4. https://www.cric8fanatic.com/ipl-2023-all-10-teams-complete-list-of-updated-foreign-players/
5. https://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/india-vs-australia-1986-87-the-dramatic-last-day-of-the-tied-test-at-chennai-18153
6. https://www.espncricinfo.com/

 

Image source: Free Press Journal