Indian skipper MS Dhoni would be well advised to listen to Sunil Gavaskar to stop the Test rot. Gavaskar has nailed India’s problem – the team isn’t dedicated enough.
The former captain and champion opening batsman, the first to crack the Test 10,000-run barrier in 1987, was one of the most dedicated batsmen of his era.
“The current team is taking too many days off sight-seeing when they should be at the nets, ironing out their deficiencies”.
It was Gavaskar who also criticised India’s lack of preparation for the England tour last year that resulted in a 4-0 flogging.
It wasn’t long ago India was the world’s number one ranked Test side. They are now number two, and tumbling towards four in a hurry with South Africa and Australia poised to leap-frog them.
The scoreboard tells the story. In India’s last 12 Test innings away from home, they have only managed one innings of 400, a 300, and the rest not reaching 300. They’ve accordingly been flogged in all six Tests.
* First Test against England at Lords, beaten by 196 runs – totals 286 and 261.
* Second Test at Trent Bridge, thumped by 319 – with 288 and 158.
* Third Test at Edgbaston, wiped out by an innings and 242 – with 224 and 244.
* Fourth Test at The Oval, lost by an innings and 8 – with 300 and 283.
* First Test against Australia at the MCG, lost by 122 – with 282 and 169.
* And second Test at the SCG, lost by an innings and 68 – with 191 and 400.
That’s unfathomable with a superb batting lineup of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Dhoni. Between the big six they have accumulated 140 Test tons.
But in the those last six successive Test losses overseas, Dravid’s 103* at Lords, and 117 at Edgbaston, are the only centuries in 120 dismissals. There’s a message right there.
The carnage is likely to continue on the lively bouncier WACA wicket starting Friday, unless India gets its act together.
And they won’t achieve that by sight-seeing. Good old fashioned hard toil is the only answer.
Dhoni disagrees. “The only way to clear the head is get away from cricket altogether, and regroup”.
The third Test will prove if Sunil Gavaskar, or MS Dhoni, are on the right track.
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