Opinion – Is The Appointment Of Zaheer Khan And Rahul Dravid A Damage Control Action By The BCCI?

Jul 12, 2017 at 2:50 PM

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Opinion – Is The Appointment Of Zaheer Khan And Rahul Dravid A Damage Control Action By The BCCI?

After weeks of turmoil and power struggle, the balance was finally restored in the BCCI. Ever since that ill-fated evening of the 18th of June, which yielded a humiliating loss to Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, things headed southwards for the Indian cricketing fraternity. Despite rumours of the apparent discomfort and bad air between former head coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli, the Indian team did reasonably well in the tournament.

The episode took an ugly turn post-India’s loss in the final to arch-rivals Pakistan, which ironically turned out to be Kumble’s final date with the Indian team. According to sources close to the team, the resentment within the setup had been present for quite a while and that did adversely impact the team spirit. Things culminated with Kumble’s resignation and the hard-hitting statement where his differences with Kohli’s style came out in public. Heading to the Caribbean without a full termed coach, India did reasonably well.

The fallout between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli led CAC to go for the safe choice by picking Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan in the backroom staff. Image Courtesy: AFP

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) made a fair call by interviewing several applicants for the vacant post of India’s head coach and ultimately awarded the prestigious post to the side’s former Team Director, Ravi Shastri. Now, this is where the entire crux of the plot lies.

It is clearly believed and known that Virat Kohli has been a fond admirer of Ravi Shastri. It was under Shastri’s tenure as the team director, that India rose as a formidable unit and Kohli in particular, blossomed particularly. Not just Kohli, several high profile names within that Indian camp feel at ease with Shastri around, since his lenient and more hands-on approach is more adaptable. The ‘Laissez-Faire’ style adopted by Shastri means that the players enjoy full freedom under the former all-rounder, something that was missed dearly under Kumble’s coaching, according to a few members of the Indian team.

However, Shastri’s appointment hasn’t sent the most positive message emerging out of the BCCI headquarters. With the former team director returning, it has meant that the BCCI has given in to the demands of Virat Kohli and this has given the Indian captain full authority. With the relationship between Kohli and Shastri well known, it is felt that Indian cricket is headed towards a typical organisational structure, with the two bosses right at the top of the hierarchy.

Thereby, in order to ensure that the stakeholders of Indian cricket, that is, the fans, continue having the utmost faith in the team, the CAC played a masterstroke by appointing former pace legend Zaheer Khan as the bowling coach. Not just Zaheer, but the ever-humble and dedicated Rahul Dravid was given a position too, that of the batting consultant of the side for overseas tours.

Looking at the appointments of Zaheer and Dravid, two clear signs can be analysed. Firstly, has the CAC and BCCI appointed them with caution in mind and for damage control regarding the entire coaching fiasco? To a certain extent, DEFINITELY.

With the entire opera surrounding the coaching job being made public, there was an air of resentment among Indian fans. Firstly, it was the bitter defeat to Pakistan, and then Kumble’s statement, which did hurt Indian fans. To a colossal extent, the common Indian cricket fan did feel that there were a power struggle and a form of coup going on in the Indian camp. To make matters worse, a section of the fans did lose hope within the functioning of the Indian cricket team.

Thereby, to ensure that the image of the unit isn’t further blemished, the CAC took a great decision by roping in two absolute servants of Indian cricket in Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid. The two played a key role in India’s rise as a cricketing superpower during the 2000’s and early 2010’s in their respective departments.

Speaking at first about Zaheer, the fact remains that he has been India’s greatest pacer since Kapil Dev. With 311 Test wickets and 282 ODI wickets, Zaheer stands out as a bowling legend for the men in blue. Not to forget, he was the Man of the Series when India defeated England in a Test series for the first time in 21 years in England. To add to his credentials, Zaheer was the leading wicket taker of the 2011 World Cup, possibly the greatest achievement of the side in the 21st century.

Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid played a crucial role in India’s winning campaign against England in 2007 tour. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

More than anything else, India was in desperate need of a bowling coach. A bowling coach, and in particular, some as astute as Zaheer, can surely provide valuable inputs to India’s current pace inventory. The injury management of Mohammad Shami or the consistency of Umesh Yadav can now be well worked upon, with someone as experienced and fresh as Zaheer joining in. Apart from working on the technical aspects, Zaheer will pass on his knowledge of being street smart to the bowlers. Khan can easily teach the tricks of the trade to this talented pace department of the Indian side and having known most of them since his playing days, it will be priceless. Who knows, within a few months, one could well see someone as raw as Jasprit Bumrah being transformed into a wicket taking new ball bowler in Tests? Zaheer is more than capable of doing that.

Discussing Rahul Dravid, words aren’t enough to portray his contribution to the side. More than just the ocean of some mind-boggling numbers, Dravid taught the side the true essence of battling it out in testing circumstances. His discipline, work ethic, will power and commitment is unparalleled and he stands out among the greatest Test batsmen of all time. With over 10,000 runs in both forms of the game, he was the best batting pundit India could have got.

Having worked with this side once in the past, during the first couple of Tests in England in 2014, Dravid knows the strengths and weaknesses of this lineup. During those couple of games, the Indian batsmen bossed the English bowlers, and a clear sense of discipline and patience was evident, something not too easily associated with a current lot of India’s batsmen. It was evident of what Dravid had passed on to the boys in his minute tenure as the batting consultant.

In all, the move to appoint Zaheer and Dravid their respective roles have been an absolute gem of a decision by the CAC. Yes, it stands out as a move for damage control, but nevertheless, it has been taken, considering the best interests of the side, going into the near future.

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