IN the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is the king. Well, when I look at the manner in which Ajit Agarkar keeps walking into the side, my belief in this maxim is strengthened. There is no other way to explain the selection of this cricketer who is described by the captain as an all-rounder.
Some guys are lucky and Agarkar has been blessed most by Dame Luck. I can't recall this 'all-rounder' winning matches for India. Playing a winning role in one match out of 50 should not count as an achievement, but it is strange that the National selectors have so much faith in this Mumbaikar, who tends to break down at the slightest pretext.
No other player in the history of Indian cricket has been given as many chances as Agarkar. I don't want to list the names of players who could not make it or were treated shabbily, but Agarkar has got more chances than what he deserves, really.
If a player like Rakesh Patel feels cheated, he is justified. I simply can't comprehend the reasons why the selectors keep going back to players who have been tried and who have failed. The inclusion of Jacob Martin is again out of place for a one-day series.
It was a big joke to ask Agarkar to report for the fitness test. He should have been the last man on the list to be considered, going by his 'brilliant' track record. He does not score runs when the team needs them so badly and yet the captain calls him an all-rounder. Have the selectors given a thought to the fact that he carries injury. And not just Agarkar but quite a few of these Indian cricketers carry injuries, or hide injuries, I must say.
Why do Indian cricketers have this tendency to hide injuries? This is a crime which should not be condoned at all. When you play for the country you should not have any selfish motives and it is for the physio and the selectors to throw out such elements.
I would have pushed for Patel instead of Agarkar. I have nothing against Agarkar and would be happy to be proved wrong. But to do that, he has to perform.
I have never come across a team as fragile as this Indian combination and I will be surprised if they don't end up with many more on the injured list. This team is amazingly unfit with a question mark over almost everyone. I am talking about fitness at the international level and I am sorry to say that the Indians are woefully low down the ladder, probably fitter than just the Bangladeshis.
I want to know from the National selectors what policy they adopt when they sit down to pick a team. Do they go by performances or are they influenced by reputations. They pick a wicket-keeper because Rodney Marsh recommends him and then they are swayed by a doctor's statement when actually the physiotherapist should be the one guiding them in matters of fitness. I am not saying the doctor is not qualified, but what is the role of the physio who is supposed to monitor the fitness programme of the cricketers. The Ashish Nehra case was very poorly handled and it showed the unprofessional attitude of the Board and the people employed by it. I fail to understand what was the need to pick the side so early when the selectors were not sure of the fitness of the players. It was again a joke that the fitness test was held a day before the team was to leave and what a farce it was when five selectors reported to pick one player.
Looking ahead, we all know that South Africa will be a tough tour. Sourav Ganguly need not remind us that it will be hard because it was hard for India in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka too. South Africa will offer different challenges and the biggest for India will be to raise an attack which can bowl the opposition out twice.
Any team would need four quality bowlers, but sadly India is struggling in this department. I am not saying this in hindsight but I had suggested in the past that Zaheer Khan should be used sparingly. What was the need to whip him around in Sri Lanka when there was a doubt regarding his fitness. He would have been an asset in South Africa but look at the situation now.
He will sit at home because he was overbowled by Ganguly in Sri Lanka, just as Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath were overbowled by Sachin Tendulkar on India's last tour of South Africa.
I hope these youngsters realise that to be good fast bowlers they have to be fit. Look at the careers of Ian Bishop and Mohammad Zahid. Both were hailed as terrors because of their pace but then they did not last long, suffering from injuries. In contrast, bowlers like Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee bowled tirelessly because they concentrated on their fitness. Fast bowling is about 80 per cent fitness and 20 per cent abilities. Zaheer and Nehra would do well to remember this.
The Board must crackdown heavily on unfit cricketers, especially those who carry injuries. Can you imagine a situation where one doctor declares Nehra fit and the captain says the opposite. This kind of a situation would be unthinkable in any other country.
To be effective the team needs support and once again we must realise that the Indians are not at their best. Please don't put pressure on Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. I am not expecting much from them because of the pitches they will encounter in South Africa. I know, however, that they will try their best, especially Kumble, who has shown character by making himself available for this tour. He might have as well waited and made his comeback against England at home this winter. But then, Kumble loves a challenge.
I think the Indian attack is back to square one with all depending on how Srinath and Prasad fare. It is like the snake and ladder game - you go up in a jiffy through the ladder but crash when the snake bites.
What looked a class side is suffering because of injuries to key players. And all by their own doing.
My only worry is that the team might end up with more men on the surgery table than on the field of play!
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