Where have the all-rounders gone?

By Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI, OCT. 30. Cricket is a team game, fine, but there is always the scope for an individual to turn the match on its head with his exploits. Not those mediocre, bits and pieces cricketers, but quality ones described as all-rounders.

Where have the all-rounders disappeared? Men who would inflict damage at crucial stages with their incisive bowling or smash the ball with their punishing willows to give a new twist to the batting approach.

``It's sad that we're struggling to get all- rounders,'' says Mohinder Amarnath, a big-match player who swung many contests India's way. ``It's not that you can suddenly transform the player into an all-rounder but then I don't see coaches making an effort in this direction.''

A brilliant student of the game, Amarnath was appalled at the Indian debacle at Durban in the final of the tri-series. ``Making basic mistakes,'' he pointed out. ``Sometimes, the player has to play according to the conditions. The pitch and the attack have to be studied carefully before launching your plans.''

Employed with the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series as a cricket coach-cum-consultant and working on a project in Morocco, the soft-spoken Amarnath also pointed out flaws in a batsman wanting to hit everything.

``You can get away with this tactic once in a while but not always. I've always believed that the psyche of a cricketer is the most important aspect of your game in international cricket today. You've to plan your innings and read the bowlers closely. Because the bowlers too would've studied the batsmen and planned their tactics accordingly. I think this planning is missing,'' said Amarnath. Emphasising the need to be more professional when dealing with tough opponents, Amarnath agreed the team often came a cropper when under pressure. ``That's because some of the Indian players still get overawed by the big names in the rival camp and begin to feel the pressure much before the match. They've to learn to relax because you can give your best only when the mind is calm and composed. I never allowed the situation to dictate my game because I kept a cool mind. You may not always succeed but then your failures would be far less if you approach the challenge with a balanced frame of mind.''

Hurtful disinterest

Roger Binny, a quality all-rounder and an established coach now, agreed with most of the observations made by Amarnath. ``We just don't seem to be making any effort to groom all-rounders. If you ask me, absence of a good all-rounder is the main drawback in this Indian side and what hurts is that no one seems interested in trying to develop youngsters on these lines.''

Having won many matches with his crucial strikes with the ball, Binny advocated a bowling all-rounder to strengthen the side. ``It's rare for a batsman to win matches singlehanded. It's difficult at the highest level. I must say that bowlers are known to turn the course of a match by taking crucial wickets. If they can contribute with the bat too, the team stands to gain.'' Pointing out a specific instance, Binny recalled a one-day match at Bangalore against Australia. ``I remember Anil (Kumble) and (Javagal) Srinath winning the match with their batting. They had the potential to bat but have never lived up to that potential. It's this aspect which we need to develop.''

The former Indian star blamed the domestic cricket structure for not producing quality cricketers. ``What's the point of having batsmen scoring double centuries galore in the domestic circuit but failing miserably when appearing in international matches. The gap is so vast. I think the answer lies in having constructive pitches which will lead to constructive cricket,'' said Binny, who is busy coaching in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand as a development officer of the International Cricket Council - a job which keeps him busy with youngsters keen to learn the game. It is an assignment which should be much better than waiting for the `A' and junior tours to happen at home.

The policy of planning and grooming has remained only on paper and the selectors have to take the blame for this drawback. The selectors have failed miserably to identify and groom quality players. The exercise has mainly been directed towards promoting players from their own state, and at times at the cost of the team.

Take the case of Saba Karim. He was thrust upon the side, even though he had not recovered from an eye injury, in the Test against Bangladesh at Dhaka. He was said to be the captain's choice. From the same State came Deep Dasgupta, who stood exposed, leaving the selectors red-faced. No wonder Amarnath had referred to a different set of selectors as a ``bunch of jokers.''

Need for innovation

The focus, Amarnath stressed, has to be on winning and winning at all cost.

Talking of innovations, there is a move gathering momentum to look afresh at the batting order where Sachin Tendulkar will have to be pushed down the order. If Rahul Dravid could be compelled to open the innings in Tests, Tendulkar could well be asked to vacate the position for Dravid in one-dayers as well.

The argument put forward in favour of having Tendulkar in the middle-order is that the master would be the best equipped batsman in the side to finish the game when chasing or guide the lower half when setting a target. The move would also allow Dravid to be more positive and aggressive during the first 15 overs when the field restrictions apply.

``What counts more? A century for Tendulkar or a win for India?'' asked one former cricketer. The team obviously would prefer a matchwinning fifty from Tendulkar who has the capacity to defy the field restrictions at any point of the match. But the same can not be said of Dravid. ``It would be a worth a try,'' argued the former player.

The team management may not find immediate solutions to the problems concerning all-rounders but in the run up to the 2003 World Cup, the need to innovate and improve is the most important area that demands attention of the seniors in the side and, of course, the selectors, who have to rise above petty favouritism and serve the interest of Indian cricket in a fair manner.

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