Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Hunt for a nanny for men in blue

This debate is raging for a long time now. Who should take over as the coach of Indian Cricket team? Should rein be given to kangaroos (Greg or Tom) or we should repose faith in home grown dronacharyas (Jimmy). By now even street urchins are well versed in credentials of these honorable people. Manmohan Singh or L.K. Advani may never be such a hot topic for debate. Was Singh ever in LSE? Who knows but you ask of Moody, and a young boy clad in shorts would reel off facts and figures how Tom Moody has helped in reinventing Worcestershire cricket etiquettes. So the hunt for the man (whose popularity is always ephemeral) continues. The post has few bouquets and more brickbats. Want a right opinion of the same, ask Wright. The Kent coach was lured to India and did a painstaking effort in streamlining the different aspects of Indian cricketers. Won accolades for bringing out good performances on a regularly basis from temperamental Indians. But he got many brickbats as well. His last outing with Indians ended in fiasco with a tumultuous Delhi crowd throwing courtesy to winds and ensuring India lost match as well as grace (whatever they had). Wright took over when Indian cricket was in doldrums. Allegation and counter allegations over match fixing looming large over popularity of cricket as a gentlemen’s game. Wright had a good bunch of players and he earnestly tried to mould them into world beaters. Alas that didn’t happen, but then aussies were too hot to handle. Did I digress from the main topic. Chalta hai,even happens with the Indian team . Sooner than later cricket coaches will be as powerful as soccer coaches. La Ferguson a coach will be dictating terms in the middle.
Pretty alarming scene for a cricket aficionado like me. Cricket has this as beauty, skipper
Should marshal his resources well and plot opposition’s downfall. With a cricket coach donning the mantle of a soccer coach, cricket will never be the same. Jardines,Bradmans,Armstrongs and Brearlies would not have appreciated that.
But then everything is transitory, raise a toast to ever growing breed of coaches

No comments: