Sport - Cricket

Time Laxman is named vice-captain

Venkata Sai Laxman is my nomination as the next Indian captain. Without delay he should be appointed as vice-captain of the team so that he is exposed to the strains and stresses of the position. Captaining a cricket team is not merely a matter of tossing a coin and saying "scatter!" Captaining a national team is an onerous task in which glory and blame are heaped upon the incumbent as if he alone controlled the winds and rains upon whose vicissitudes his reputation partly depends.

Militarists insist that fortune favours the prepared mind. If Laxman is the right man for the job then the sooner he starts thinking about it the better. Parents have nine months to anticipate the arrival of a child and still it comes as a fearful shock. Captaining a team has a similar effect upon a man's life so it is not sensible to promote a fellow at the last minute. India has nothing more to learn about Laxman and it is hard to think of any other candidate waiting in the wings so the time seems right to announce the succession.

No slur is intended towards those occupying the hot seats in naming their successor. Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have given outstanding service and may have years left in them. Dravid was a worthy winner of the Player of the Year award and has matured into a superb batsman.

He has always been a fine team man. But he belongs to the same generation as Ganguly and barring some calamity befalling the Bengali is unlikely to replace him. Moreover Dravid may be one of those happiest in the shadows, advising, assisting, supporting and thinking about his batting. Happily he is not given to jealousy and though he is doubtless honoured to serve as vice-captain, he is not the type to resent a properly explained change.

For his part Ganguly has presided over the most significant and lasting rise in Indian cricket and there is no reason to suppose that his downfall is imminent. Also he inspires loyalty in his men and will not be unseated by internal ructions. He can bat, too, and his hundred in Brisbane not long ago counts as one of the best "captain's innings" the game has known. At Lord's last week he rallied his troops with another rousing effort at the top of the order. Cricket, though, is a notoriously fickle game, a characteristic that must be taken into account when plans are made. Mightier figures than Ganguly have suffered reversals of fortune that have sent them hurrying through the door marked "exit." Accordingly it is wise to prepare for the dawning of that day.

Laxman seems to be the most mature and fearless of the younger players. Not that he is exactly a juvenile but he is fresh and has years left in him. Both as a batsman and as a student of the game he has shown his mettle in convincing style.

No-one present will forget his courageous hooking in Sydney many years ago as India slumped towards another defeat.

Laxman batted with resolve and aggression that ever since have been his hallmark. Of course he has played even more famous innings but this early effort was the mark of the man.

Upon the field, too, the Hyderabadi is constantly involved, always suggesting field changes, none of them defensive. Sometimes Ganguly must feel like sending him to third man, as happens with Tendulkar, the other livewire in the side. But Laxman fields at slip and cannot so easily be banished.

Clearly Laxman's brain is as active as a Monday market. Doubtless some of his ideas are harebrained but trial and error will put that right. A measure of caution comes over a man whose schemes are routinely put into action. Years ago an article of mine suggested that cricketers should wear shorts. Blow me down, but the following summer shorts were worn in the Australian domestic competition. It was not a complete success. Now ideas spend longer in my brain before appearing under my by-line!

Laxman is intelligent and admired both overseas and in every corner of his country. He commands the respect of senior players not without their own ambitions whilst also inspiring the younger fellows. Tendulkar would play under him without feeling insulted, and that is an important consideration. Moreover he has runs on the board and actions always speak louder than words. His weakest point is in one-day cricket in which his fielding, running between wickets and inability to vary the pace and angle of his strokes are a handicap.

Accordingly Laxman can be appointed as vice-captain of the team at the next appropriate moment. If India is serious about maintaining its position in the rankings then it must not wait upon the event.

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