Ganguly takes a stand: Why the opposition to Shastri is vital for Indian cricket

In one of his first interviews after being named as India’s coach, Ravi Shastri was asked a simple question on India Today news channel.

“In that meeting with the CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee), what did you say and how did you present as your vision for Indian cricket to them?”

– “I was Ravi Shastri. Period.”

There was a long pause after that. The interviewer waited for a while before asking Shastri if he could elaborate on that but the coach remained adamant.

– “There are certain things that are confidential and they will remain confidential.”

The interview went on.

“So why did the team want you?”

– “Well, I must have done something right there [as team director]. I went out there and did a job. I enjoyed my time there and I enjoyed the trust they had in me and the trust I had in them.”

And even as India makes its way back home after Test series defeats in South Africa (1-2) and England (1-4), the trust that the team has in its head coach remains intact. Yes, India have been competitive but, ultimately, it is the results that matter. That is the yardstick they should be judged by and, for now, history will not judge them very kindly.

Increasing criticism

But while the team’s relationship with Ravi Shastri seems to be great, former cricketers have started calling out the coach. In the recent past, Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly have openly criticised the role that Shastri seems to be playing in the Indian team setup.

Ganguly, one of India’s finest skippers, was also part of the panel that appointed Shastri as head coach last year after Kohli and Anil Kumble had a falling out. And even then it was clear that the left-hander from Bengal was not pleased with the choice.

At that point, Shastri had swatted questions about Ganguly aside.

“Some good questions were asked [by Ganguly] and they were answered. You are talking about two former captains here (Shastri captained India in one match). We will have arguments but you have to look at the big picture. Individuals don’t matter. This is about taking Indian cricket forward.”

And for a while, Ganguly maintained his peace. India’s sterling home record meant that there was little room for criticism but the rumblings could be heard even then. The manner in which the team management seemed to undermine Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane was one of the factors that played a role in their loss of confidence.

And then, of course, India’s away season began. The overseas tours drew our attention to two major points: the bowling is world-class across conditions and the batting has major technical issues against the moving ball.

Bowling coach Bharat Arun should be lauded for the manner in which the bowling has improved but in a similar vein head coach Shastri and assistant coach Sanjay Bangar should be questioned for the failures of the batting line-up. The poor catching in the slips shouldn’t escape notice either. Neither should the scheduling of India’s tours.

Shastri, though, has come on record several times and said that he doesn’t believe in coaching at this level. At least, not coaching in the traditional sense.

“At this level, I don’t believe in coaching. It is like Sir Alex [Ferguson], observing and fine tuning. Noticing little things and passing that onto the player,” Shastri had said in the India Today interview mentioned above.

Need for review

But keep what Shastri feels aside and ask yourself whether there is a need for a review of India’s performance. The Committee of Administrators had said that there might be a review after the England tour but we have heard nothing of that since. So how exactly are we determining whether this team has been good or bad or whether they are headed in the right direction... indeed, how exactly do we know whether the coaching staff is giving them the support they need to succeed?

And this is the area in which Ganguly’s comments become critical. So far, too many of our former cricketers have been wary of being openly critical of Shastri. It may, in part, have to do with the fact that many are employed by the BCCI itself or that they have played/commentated with Shastri. So perhaps it made more sense to have a quiet word with the man himself.

But Ganguly has never been one to hold back. He has always spoken his mind and even though he may have an axe to grind, the only thing that should matter is whether he is being critical about the right things. In essence, Ganguly, Sehwag and others like them might be the opposition to the ruling party (Kohli and Shastri) that India so desperately need.

One cannot even think of replacing the coach at this point with the 2019 World Cup less than a year away but constructive criticism could help India get better. Kohli and Shastri have come and said many times that they do not care about what is written or said by the media. But can they ignore Ganguly in quite the same vein?

Still, it all brings us back to one simple point: who will review the performance of the team and Shastri?

As of now, the Cricket Advisory Committee doesn’t exist. The BCCI is supposed to appoint a new team in case Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman are unable to adhere to the BCCI’s conflict-of-interest rules. That essentially means Ganguly will have to step down as Cricket Association of Bengal president, Laxman will have to leave his mentorship role with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Tendulkar will have to recuse himself till the time his son Arjun is in contention for the India under-19 team.

In the time being, who is supposed bell the cat? Who is supposed to tell Kohli and Shastri that they haven’t been good enough? It can’t and it shouldn’t be the Committee of Administrators.

And for that reason alone, it is important for former cricketers to come out and voice their concerns in a fair and impartial manner because we certainly rely on the rhetoric-heavy Shastri to do that. Ganguly is leading the way in that respect and it is vital that other cricketers of repute do the same too.