Everyone's been talking about the Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell saga and how it's happened during the most unchallenging of tours.
After all, weren't we going all the way to Zimbabwe to comply with a mere ICC stipulation - to tour each of the other Test-playing nations atleast once in four years? Weren't we supposed to seal both Tests with minimum fuss? And if matters reached a pass in what is a routine tour, does it bode well for the tougher terrain that lies ahead?
Several Indian players are part of the historic Super Series against Australia in October. Mighty England comes visiting in March. And the big one - the World Cup's just 18 months away.
Tough times ahead and two of the seniormost members of Team India can't stand each other.
Is Indian cricket's immediate future in jeopardy? Has our World Cup campaign been grounded even before it has begun?
Well, not quite. And here are some reasons why.
It ain't as bad as it seems
Sure, all's not well between coach and captain. But are things as bad as we are made to believe? Quite honestly, we'll never know what really happened on the morning of the Bulawayo Test. But we can try to piece the puzzle together.
For starters, it's not news to anyone that Chappell and Ganguly have shared a mentor-player relationship. Much before Chappell formally came on board as India's coach he guided Ganguly to his epoch-making 144 in Brisbane in 2003-04. Ganguly, on his part, paid back the favour by openly backing Chappell's candidature for the post of Coach, Team India.
We can thus safely assume that before Bulawayo, Chappell and Ganguly shared a friendly, mutually beneficial relationship.
So what went wrong?
a. Chappell, believing that he shared a healthy relationship with Ganguly, called a spade a spade, and put it across that he wasn't happy about Dada's form.
b. What he didn't get right was the timing. Telling a highly insecure Ganguly to make way for young Kaif was no way to 'motivate' Ganguly. And most definitely not on the morning of an international fixture.
c. Ganguly, desperate to prove a point, crawled his way to a century of 253 deliveries.
d. Then used the opportunity to get back at Chappell at the worst possible forum - a press conference with scribes hungry for some off-the-field excitement to write about, in the absence of anything worthwhile on it.
And a molehill, in the age-old tradition of Indian cricket, got transformed into a mountain. A frank exchange between two people, who interact regularly with each other found its way into the papers.
Quite unnecessary.
But also inevitable considering the state of mind that Ganguly was in.
Over a period of time, both Chappell and Ganguly will realize that when you're on weak ground, its best to lie low, work on getting back to good terms with each other, and not hassle the powers that be. And considering the relationship Chappell and Ganguly have shared over the years, it should not be a tough ask.
The BCCI
Yes. You heard that right. The BCCI.
Despite the obvious fondness that the big bosses at BCCI have for unending politics and Sourav Ganguly, there's something that matters more to them - the revenues. And the BCCI will do everything in its might to ensure that Team India is firing on all cylinders on the tours that matter. It's a simple equation -
A winning team = more people hooked on to cricket = higher revenues from telecast rights, team sponsorships, etc.
In such a scenario, if Dalmiya and co. see Ganguly as more the malady than the cure, there's little doubt they will ring in the changes. Even if it is a move as strong as dropping Ganguly from the team altogether. Dalmiya does have a reputation for being ruthless. And Ganguly is showing no signs of getting back to form.
Keep running, or get left behind
What England's dramatic return to form has ensured is that for some time to come, the world's cricket-playing nations will not be able to take their game lightly. Where there was only Australia to really be bothered about till a few months ago, now Vaughan's men threaten to tear down their opponents as mercilessly, if not more.
We know that other almost-there-yet-not-quite nations such as South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan will train harder, try harder and play harder to stay in the hunt for the title of World's No.1 Test team. They've always had the talent. Now they'll need to log in those training hours.
Will India be able to stand up to the challenge? Or will it slip further?
It's anyone's guess, but going by precedent, Team India does have a way of performing just when on the brink of disaster. Well, they still can't seem to win a series final, but small mercies, atleast they get there!
The young 'uns cometh
In the one-day tri-series against New Zealand & Zimbabwe, when wickets were tumbling every over (yes, even against Zimbabwe), one man held fort. And no, it wasn't a seasoned veteran. It was a 24-year old showing maturity way beyond his years-- Mohammed Kaif.
Even on the morning of the first Test at Bulawayo (when he deserved to be in the side on basis of pure form, yet, was dropped), he continued his usual practice regimen.
Irfan Pathan's performance - 21 wickets in two Tests against Zimbabwe - was as symbolic of the poor opposition he got to bowl at as indicative it was of something much more important - that here was a young 20-year old focused solely on doing well for himself and his country, regardless of what was happening around him or back in the dressing room.
These are positive signs.
And fortunately for India, Pathan and Kaif are not the only ones to have shown a tremendous appetite for the big stage. Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, the names have kept adding up. Even Jai Prakash Yadav chipped in with a decent performance.
So Dada or no Dada, Chappell or no Chappell, India has an emerging crop of single-minded individuals itching to take on the mightiest.
And with one Mr. Tendulkar incubating India's most famous elbow for the challenges that lie ahead, not everything is lost.
