An uphill task for KL Rahul with so much to prove

In this year's IPL fans have an eye on KL approach more than his performance (Picture from Google)

In match 2 of IPl 2021 when Delhi Capitals openers are going on rampage mode against CSK bowling attack one question is going through many Indian cricket fans that how KL going to approach this season. With teams pushing harder and probably 180 becoming new 160 kind of safe total on slow pitches as well there were questions over his method of making runs. This year might be same if he went with this approach again.

In IPL 2020 he was the orange cap winner but criticized a lot for his way of playing. No player in history of IPL has been criticised like Rahul criticised last year. KL approach of taking time, settling in & then going hard in end backfire a lot & in hindsight cost his team couple of matches. The other thing which went against him how Myank Aggarwal (his opening partner) went at rapid pace from ball 1 & it was visible in there strike rate as well. KL was striking around 122 in Powerplay whereas Myank going at 135 & it raised more question over his approach that if Myank can go hard why can't he. Although of all Indian batsman who purely played as batsman with him in Indian team ( till IPL 2020) he has second highest strike rate after Shikhar Dhawan but he was criticised more than anyone else and he added fuel in this conversation by saying strike rate is over rated thing.

Things start going bad for him after he was dropped from T20 side against England. From being India's first choice opener to be sideline, life has completed a circle for him. With Virat saying he might open (although what he said mostly used to differently) and there is rise of Surya Kumar, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and they were praised a lot for there"high risk,high reward" method & Shikhar improve his game to a greater extent & probably this season looks like to be the season of redemption of Shaw things only going to be difficult for him and this might need KL to introspect his approach.

Wasim Jaffer who is batting coach of Punjab team in IPL has said that this year KL going to play with more intent. To not only captain a side who is still waiting for a title but also need to outperform many of his counterparts this season probably going to be his most challenging season in IPL. How he is going to deal with this only time will tell but today we might get a sight of his game plan in Punjab's first game in IPL against Rajasthan.

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After all hiatus the mighty Aussies conquer their final frontier

The year 2001 was the time when Australia came to India to conquer there final frontier as they have momentum of winning 16 test matches at home and were undefeated for nearly 2 years(It all started with there historic win at Hobart against Pakistan in 1999) but they lost or unable to take that trophy in pocket despite having one hand at the cup thanks to some unbelievable efforts from some Indian players. What happened in that series is beyond any logic or explanation for any cricket pandit. It was those things that make sports a profession of uncertainty and glory where one just enjoys the moment or a dream of there life and other just have agony, hands on his head or thinking about what if kinds of things in mind.

A point to prove for two leaders and teams to start fresh

When KL drafted to LSG & appointed as captain the big question among people is whether he will able to lead this side as good as there management expecting them or it is another story of mistakes & tacticals blunders as well as his approach going forward while batting. In his first game as captain he somehow not able to do what his fans expect from him when his tactics of not bowling Chameera full overs cost a winning game to his side on the other hand Dhoni sudden shocking announcement of giving up captaincy & decision to play as player hand over captaincy to Jadeja unexpectedly. Unlike KL who has to create a legacy for a new team Jadeja has to fill in shoes of MS who has created CSK a big force and probabaly most successfull(not in terms of title) in league. With both losing there first game both wants to start afresh when they going to horn against each other together.

A cross over that shouldn't happen: Part II

Well the story reached to a point where we talk about how Chapell left and many ex cricketers in interview and biography wrote about his ill management & creating chaos all over. Now talking about today's situation that how things went downhill and quite similar like past we have to go back a little in past around 2016 year. India in 2016 has to select there head coach once again & Ravi Shastri looks to be the front runner for that post but than Saurav ask Kumble to apply for the post and Anil Kumble who never had any experience of coaching got that job. Ravi Shastri who wasn't happy how things fold and feel little downgrade fire a shot at Saurav that he didn't want him at first place and thus lose in race. Saurav didn't hold back and told that if he very serious about job he should gave interview in front of commitee rather than sitting somewhere else and enjoying his holidays. The bitterness started from there among them and one year later Shastri got his job back and more importantly this time he applied when he was given full assurity by board members that he will get job irrespective who apply. It was quite a hit back to Saurav at that time. Shastri tenure got over in 2019 till WC. India during his stint in that period achieved a lot but somehow some big things didn't come home especially big ICC trophy drought. After India lost yet again in SF against NZ in WC and then India went for search of new coach but this time neither Saurav not any previous member of committee was present to take interviews. There were conflict of interest the reason given for there absence but deep down everyone know why they don't want to be part of it. Saurav at that time took a jibe at Shastri by giving an interview to "The Print" and saying that it is a big concern how India isn't winning any big tournament in last 6 years and some changes need to be done. Shastri as expected become coach which not like by many & it looks like Virat isn't going to be challenged by anyone across BCCI but than things change suddenly in two months,from no where Saurav Ganguly become BCCI president which no one expected. The hope by everyone at that time is BCCI will become more transparent some tough questions will be ask and more importantly women cricket will get more attention and they also took care. Two and half year later everything looks more bleak and chaos has been all around over men team as well now. It all started in last one and half year and with each passing moment the saga of Chapell & Saurav got reminded by many. The leaks which frequently happening by journalists is the biggest talking point. How they able to access so much information is one of the question that everyone keep asking. Saurav closeness with media houses is well known. Infact in his playing days he used to share & talk with many journalists who are first time on tour or quite young. When ask he generally said they all are his friends. This bonding helps him a lot during Chapell Saga and now many people believe that he is returning them favour by giving such information. The other issue is miss communication from BCCI end to cricket fans. A player get injured or replaced but this news came from media houses or from some journalist. The other issue is handling of FC cricket in last two years. BCCI due to pandemic didn't organise Ranji last year. This year they decide to organise it but in one part which generally not used to happen. Many gave reason that BCCI wants to prioritise white ball first so that IPL teams get idea about players and thus deliberately delaying Ranji season and when ask they just say that it was done seeing Corona situation but as soon as third wave hit country they immediately postpone Ranji & news start coming out that this time as well Ranji will not organise but seeing backlash among fans and question put out by some ex cricketers they somehow decide to organise it although with lesser matches. The women's cricket is being neglected to more greater extent. The players not play a single game for one year after T20 WC & BCCI keep saying that it is due to pandemic but on other teams were playing constantly. There is no clarity about why women IPL hasn't started yet and they keep saying that there isn't much talent or we will start next year.

A cross-over that shouldn't happen:Part 1

Well we always believes history repeat itself but whenever it repeat it either makes another chapter to be read in history or something nasty which no one wants to remember. The case of Virat, Dravid & BCCI saga is just another case wher people start remembering events happen 15 years back in Indian cricket. Many will question how things happening right now have something to do with what happen at that time. Well there are many things quite similar to what is happening right now or so. Let's rewind back to 2005 period time when Saurav was a powerful captain who have full support of BCCI regime at that time. As captain he took out team from fixing scandal,won a test match in England,first time in 15 years or so and most importantly under his leadership India reached final of 2003 WC final when nobody gave them chance of reaching even Semifinal. He groom in stature following that WC when India beat Australia at Adelaide in a test match, first time in 21 years or so an Indian team defeat Australia in Australia in a test match,well quite a big achievement for any captain at that time to do so against Australia & than a series win in Pakistan in OdI's alongwith test series stamp his authority as one of the greatest captain from India but after that team downfall started alongside his own poor return with bat which just hit rock bottom. India lose out to England not able to qualify in Semifinals for Champions Trophy & more importantly lose a test series against Australia at home. In third test at Nagpur of that series accusations were made against him that he make excuse of injury to not play just because he wasn't happy with the pitch. The team is losing series after series and then lose an OdI series against Pakistan 4-2 where they won first two game. Saurav own return with bat is very poor & than probably first time question over his form starts from a section of media and ex cricketers still no one looks like to challenge him but things going to change in next six months which no one predicated or expected. John Wright the head coach vacate his position and new applicants who were front runner are Greg Chapell & Tom Moddy. Moddy is preferred choice by selection committee consisting of Sunil Gavaskar & Kapil Dev alongside Anil Kumble & Rahul Dravid but Saurav used his veto and ask for Chapell(Chapell help him when India tour Australia and Saurav was quite impressed with his methods). Well what Saurav did wasn't wrong at all because after all it is captain who is responsible for teams performance and all blame puts on him if team falls so asking for a coach with whom he feels more comfortable isn't wrong in any way and so Greg Chapell became India's head coach. Chapell first assignment with India happen in Sri Lanka where they have to play a tri angular series with West Indies as third team. Unfortunately Saurav was banned by ICC for slow over rates for six matches and he wasn't selected in team for that and Dravid was hand over captaincy for that tour but later on Saurav's ban reduced to four matches and he later join team but Dravid remain captain of team. That was first time he has to play under someone else captaincy in 5 years and reports of him not happy with this emerges but that was just here and there and no one believes on that. Saurav with bat has very poor tournament he got just one fifty and as usual India lost to SL in final which is happening with team frequently and than came tour of Zimbabwe where things just fall apart and every rumours which came during tour of SL get stamped among cricket fans. It started with tri series where India yet again lost to NZ in final and Saurav personal form with bat just getting poorer and poorer. During test match against Zimbabwe Chapell in team meeting clearly mentioned to Saurav that he should leave captaincy and focus on his batting because he isn't in right space of mind. Saurav refused to do so and they both have nasty fight about that. Later they both verbally spat whom should play in playing eleven and who shouldn't. Later in that test match(Bulawayo) Saurav got a hundred and he came out in press conference where he told reporters that he was asked to be dropped from team by coach. It created a big news in media and team broking out starts coming out with each day. Than Chapell and Saurav both try to calm things down and even Chapell in press conference said that he just wants to guide Saurav and he miss understood these things and than both said that every thing is fine and under control. For 2-3 days everything looks normal but than BCCI president (Ranbir Singh) in an informal PC told to media persons that Chapell has E- mail him that how Saurav wants to dominate each and everything. That E-mail fall down like a bomb for cricket fans. Chapell mentioned in that E-mail that how Saurav struggling against quality fast bowlers and he is falling below standards in fitness and training standards that has been set by him to achieve better goals for team.He also wrote that Saurav wants to be treated with more favouratism. He even accuse that Saurav wants to create rift between him and players by citing example how falsely he told Laxman that Chapell wants him to drop from team which he didn't say or wants. That E-mail make one thing sure that only one of them going to remain in team after Zimbabwe tour and since Saurav is close to BCCI regime chance of Greg going back looks very high but than something unexpected happen in BCCI. Jagmohan Dalmiya's right hand Ranbir Singh lost election to Sharad Pawar and thus the era of Dalmiya in BCCI got over after a long time which eventually ends Saurav veto and more importantly he can't do much now. Sharad Pawar leaves the matter in hand of selectors and they agreed that Chapell should continue and unfortunately Saurav got elbow injury which ruled him out for ODI series at home against SL. Rahul Dravid appoint as captain of team and team defeated SL convincingly 6-1 at home. Saurav ultimately got dropped not only from ODI but from test side as well. He feel betrayed after getting dropped and his fans also not happy with this decision. The Indian team also not sprayed from this and they get one glimpse when India played at Eden Garden against SA where even Greame Smith fired shots by saying that his team feels like they are playing at home because of the response they are getting from crowd. Greg derogatory finger response towards crowds also added fuel in fire.Even pitch for that game had lot of grass which is quite unusual for Indian pitches. The players got lot of taunts and slogans were raised by crowd against them and when Dravid got bowled the whole stadium erupt in joy like Durga Pooja celebration has came up in stadium. Some media reports keep coming during that period where here and there team not happy with Chapell and how Saurav due to his equation with Chapell was kept out from team emerges. Than finally he got selected for Pakistan tour in test side and at that time Chapell also understood how media perception set narrative among persons. Ganguly played test series but not selected in OdI series which created lot of chaos among his fans but Chapell at that time was eager to change some perception and for this he approached a writer from ESPN. Pradeep Magazine in his books "Not just Cricket" mentioned about how Chapell told to write ESPN writer an article that players like Laxman,Sachin isn't fit for modern day cricket. When Pradeep talk to Dravid about this incidents he just said that he will think about it later but when series got over and India comprehensively defeat Pakistan 4-1 he just told Pradeep that if Kumble can be dropped from team than why someone else be given more leverage. Basically he was heavily influenced by Chapell's idea and probably got belief that to move in right direction some tough decision needs to be made. Later Saurav after six months made his comeback in test side and played some exceptional knocks in the series against SA. After that he return to ODI series against WI and team looks really good for WC in West Indies but in WC lightning strike hard to Indian cricket team as well as Indian fans. They lost to Bangladesh and knocked out from WC from group stage. Chapell has to resign and after that many news how poorly he handle players and create rifts among players start coming out through interviews as well as from auto biography written by players later.A section of Indian players(especially who came in team post 2003 WC) remain silent on this who might be impressed by his methods. These players include Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Irfan Pathan and even Yuvraj Singh who despite consider very close to Saurav didn't speaking any ill will against Chapell. The one who is in center of all this is Rahul Dravid but he just remain silent over all these issues but those articles and auto biography written by players later made one thing sure that Chapell will remember as villain who harm and did damage to Indian cricket but things in last one and half year has change a bit regarding that especially after Saurav took over as BCCI president post. Well what unfold in last two and half years will be talked later.

An uphill task for KL Rahul with so much to prove

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