SPORTS

Speaking Out
‘Poor planning, team management to blame’
G.S. Paul
Tribune News Service

Nagesh Gupta        Arun Tuli        Gunjit        Ashish Sharma

Sanjay Sardana  I.D. Kamboj  Sanjeev Chadha

Chandigarh, January 9
Cricket is treated as religion in India but Team India has failed to live up to the expectations of fans.

In the wake of team’s debacle in the South Africa tour, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is under pressure to act tough and some bigwigs are expected to be dropped by its Selection Committee.

Greg Chappel and captain Rahul Dravid have invited the ire of cricket lovers. But some of the batsmen are likely to come under the scanner.

The time is crucial, as India is to play four ODIs against the West Indies later this month and four against Sri Lanka in February, before leaving for the World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.

This series has raised many a question. Local cricket lovers blame it on the poor team management and planning.

Nagesh Gupta, coach, St John’s Cricket Academy-26: India’s disaster both in the ODIs as well as Test matches is due to poor planning by the team management, which includes the coach and captain.

First, Sehwag, who should have been shown the door, was made to play despite his poor form. Second, Harbhajan was not played on a turning track in the final Test. Third, the Irfan Pathan was sent home even though he had been promising with the bat.

The tour once again showed batsmen’s limitations against quality bowling on fast and bouncy tracks. Looking ahead to the World Cup, the management should limit its experiments to the four matches against the West Indies. The squad selected for matches against Sri Lanka should be the final one. Sourav Ganguly could be the key.

Arun Tuli, former Punjab Ranji player: All teams enjoy home advantage. But the conditions in South Africa weren’t totally against India. Even then, the team faired badly. The results could have been different had they played with Harbhajan instead of injured Munaf in the last Test match.

In comparison to previous performances on the South African soil, this one was much better. Individual performances of some were disappointing. Selectors should make hard decisions, just like they did in case of Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan, who later bounced back well.

If captain and coach get accolades for good results, they should also be ready to face criticism for bad performances.

Now is not the time to make changes. The team should go to the World Cup with same members.

Gunjit, under-15 cricket player at MCM DAV-36 Academy: The team’s performance was really dismal but some players did well. The coach should not be blamed solely for the fiasco because it is the players who have to ultimately perform on the field.

Had Harbhajan played in place of Munaf in the last Test match, the result could have been different. There was no justification for playing Munaf when he was not fit. All players go through a lean patch. But the team should not be changed at this juncture. Those struggling with form should be made to play in the domestic circuit, be it Sehwag or Dravid.

Ashish Sharma, under-15 state level cricketer: Dravid’s captaincy lacked aggression, which plays a very vital role in achieving targets. The captain-coach strategy also did not work. The team also struggled with the opening slot. They were not sure about whom to send till the last moment. Since Sehwag was out of form, he should have been sent at fourth or fifth place. Big players struggling with form should be made to play in the domestic circuit. For the World Cup, the choice among Sourav, Irfan and Yuvraj can work wonders.

Sanjay Sardana, Principal, Manav Mangal School-21: With India losing yet another series, everything seems to have been lost. Considering the performance as of now, there seems to be no hope for the team in the World Cup. Complacency shown by players after winning the first Test did the team in.

The coach’s experimentation and fiddling with the strategy has confused one and all, including Dravid. How can one justify Munaf Patel’s inclusion at the cost of Harbhajan Singh? It seems that the only place they are doing well is in advertisements. They need to realise that India’s hope rest on them and they need to remain focussed.

I.D. Kamboj, sponsor for Twenty20 cricket: The shameful defeat of Indian team cannot be attributed to any other reason but the lack of insight among the selectors.

The lack of wisdom shown by the team management is shocking. On one side, three star performers of Australia have ceremoniously retired, while on the other there are players in the Indian team who want to be around for as long as possible in spite of poor form.

The format of Indian team in the third Test has forced a reasonable person to think if there is any logic behind selecting 16 players when selectors have their “chosen 11” irrespective of their performance.

Taking along tourists like Gautam Gambhir on tours makes no sense. Until the selectors stop evaluating players on the basis of single performance, India has no chance of winning the World Cup.

Sanjeev Chadha, MD, Mody ICL Certifications Ltd and local sponsor: Losing two consecutive Test matches after winning the first is really disheartening. Bad team combination is one of the factors responsible for the dismal outcome in the South Africa tour. Instead of injured Munaf, Harbhajan should have been given the chance in the last Test.

Though Sehwag is passing through a lean patch, he is still regarded as a threat by rivals. Sehwag will be a vital cog in India’s World Cup campaign wheel. He should play in domestic circuit to gain his form.

The defeats have exposed the negative mindset of the team. Instead of taking on the challenge in the second Test at Durban with a killer instinct, the attitude of the players reflected as if they had no faith in themselves and were playing just for a draw.

ADMINISTRATION

667 UT Admn employees shifted to MC
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 9
On the directive of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), the Chandigarh Administration today transferred 667 employees of the Engineering Department of the administration to the Engineering Department of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh.

The notification was issued by Finance-cum-Engineering Secretary S.K. Sandhu as per the orders of CAT issued on February 24, 2006.

After the Municipal Corporation came into existence on May 24, 1994, the UT Administrator ordered the transfer of some functions from the Chandigarh Administration to the civic body in 1995 and 1996.

However, two notifications issued by the administration were challenged by employees in CAT and the actual transfer of employees to the MC could not be implemented on this account.

While deciding the applications filed by employees in CAT on February 2, the tribunal passed orders for implementing the transfer of employees to the MC by inviting fresh options from the employees working with the Chandigarh Administration as on May 23, 1996.

To implement these orders, fresh options were invited and in response, 158 employees exercised their option for transfer to the MC in the first phase, while 737 employees showed their willingness in the second phase.

The transferred employees have been directed to submit their joining report to the Commissioner, MC.

However, the transferred employees have demanded that the CAT order against issuance of notification, declaring employees in the clerical cadre in the Engineering Department as surplus till February 5, 2007, should also be implemented in their case.