Indian cricket once boasted of star players like Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath.
These were players who were regularly seen in every match and kept on performing for the team whether it was one-days or the test matches. However, with time they have all retired except for Bhajji who has been dropped and selected as part of the team quite frequently.
Now if you talk of today’s team, except for M.S.Dhoni or Virat Kohli, no player is a regular feature in any of the matches. New players or even a bit experienced ones keep walking in and out of the team as if they are visiting a railway station waiting room without any purpose! Whether it is Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane or even Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma!
All of them are not new to the Indian cricket team, but none of them have given such stupendous performances on a regular basis that they can be considered permanent position holders in the team. Each one of them performs in few matches and then loses their form faster than we can change our clothes! Or worst, they get injured and are forced out of the team!
What is the reason for this?
Does it have to do anything with talent?
Or is it excessive playing that is taking its toll on them?
As far as talent I concerned, all these players are world class and have proven their mettle from time to time in the international arena. Some of them have shown what kind of potential they have to be world class players who can keep on playing for years to come. However, the pressure of playing in three different formats, which is the one-day cricket, test matches and T20, is proving to be too huge for them. May be the youngsters are not getting the right coaching and right direction about how to manage their body, mind and attitude to adjust to frequently changing conditions of world sports.
It is important for players to understand that it is not going to be easy to perform consistently if they don’t give rest to their body. Most of the players, if not playing for the country, are busy playing in the IPL or busy with their endorsements or partying and enjoying their life. If one can maintain the balance between all three, the way a Sachin Tendulkar did or Virat Kohli and Dhoni does, then go ahead and make the most of your life.
But not everyone is gifted or possesses such fine-balancing qualities.
For such players, it is important to keep country’s interests first so that they can have a long innings as a player in the Indian cricket team. Or else, there are enough players to replace them!
It is high time we see some regular players playing for the country as it gives confidence to the team itself while bringing stability in the dressing team. A strongly knit consistent team has more chances of winning matches instead of different men joining hands in different matches without having a strong bond!
