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When two heads are not better than one

Where do we go from here? That's the question on every Indian cricket lovers' mind. (Besides the usual questions like "Who the f*** should be held responsible for India's debacle Down Under? And why the sh** isn't anyone being held accountable for it?") In my view, we've got to get right to the top of the problem. We've got to get the think-tank right. For which, we've got to get the captaincy right.

So, should India follow the Australian example and appoint separate captains for one-dayers and Tests? Should Tendulkar be relieved of the job? Should Ganguly be appointed as captain for Tests and Jadeja for the one-dayers? Will Tendulkar give up the job? How do we find a way out of the rut that Indian cricket seems to have got itself into? What ails Indian cricket? Nobody knows anything for sure. Or agrees on anything. Except...

That Tendulkar should be left to do what he's best at. (Bat like only Tendulkar can and Indian needs.) That he should be relieved of the burden of captaining a side that is clearly not responding to him. And (as Azhar is reported to have said) it does seem like chotte ke naseeb mein nahin hain. So kisske naseeb mein hain?

Most people also believe Jaddu aur Dada ke naseeb mein hain. (Some say, the 'unlucky' ones next in line for the job.) Fortunately for India, we have in Jadeja and Ganguly two men most suited for the job. Unfortunately for India, both seem most suited for the job. And, of course, no one seems to be able to make up their mind on which of them to back.

Quite of a few of these 'armchairexperts' are strongly advocating we follow the Aussie example and appoint Jadeja as captain for one-dayers, a la Steve Waugh, and Ganguly as captain for Tests, a la Mark Taylor. It is an argument that has a lot of merit.

Jadeja is a natural. He has shown us he enjoys the job. That he possesses a sharp cricketing brain. And can motivate the side to perform beyond its capabilities. Captaincy would rest easy on his shoulders. In fact, he might well be one of the two players in this side who'll perform better due to the additional pressure. And you can be sure he'll handle it with a smile. Yes, Jadeja will, in all probability, make a good captain in both forms of the game. But it is also true that Jadeja hasn't done enough to convince us about his abilities as a top-notch Test player. Which, perhaps, is what prompts people to push him as the man for the one-dayers. And Saurav for Tests.

Speaking of Saurav, like Jadeja, he loves the job. Revels under pressure. Has seen some very, very hard times. Has tasted success and failure as a player. Is a mentally strong cricketer. Is self-motivated and is a good motivator. He shares a good rapport with Tendulkar. He seems perfect for the job. In fact, the additional responsibility of being captain might well make him even more responsible. And he might work that much harder to weed out the careless streak that shows up once in a while in his game. Yes, Ganguly too will make a good captain. In both forms of the game.

But who will make a better captain? Or more appropriately, what will be better for Indian cricket?

Should we divide the pressures of captaincy and give them both the job? It might not be a bad idea. The pressures of rebuilding this Indian side are immense. (Come to think of it, is anyone good enough for the job?) Is it fair or realistic to expect one man do the job? Is it time we tried something different? Why do the old-fashioned thing and give it to a man good enough to hold his place in the side in both forms of the game? Because, the previous line makes complete sense. I mean, what makes more sense than...giving it to a man good enough to hold his place in the side in both forms of the game and equally capable of captaining the side? A lot of people say the Australian example does.

Does it? Are Jadeja and Ganguly to India what Steve and Mark were to Australia? No.

Taylor wasn't good enough to hold his place in the one-day side. And thus could not be made captain of the side. Makes perfect sense. If you cannot hold your place in the side as player, you have no business captaining it. Therefore, Jadeja cannot be made captain of the Test side. Round one to Ganguly. Jadeja needs to first deal with the challenge of cementing his place as a regular player in the Test side. You can't have a captain who's also fighting for his place in the side. Taylor couldn't hold his place in the one-day side. So he wasn't made captain of the one-day side. And the same goes for Jadeja. Ganguly, on the other hand, is one of the top three batsmen in world cricket. (All forms.) A utility bowler. (All forms.) An inspirational player. (All forms.) Just like Jadeja. And most unlike Mark Taylor.

Both Jadeja and Ganguly are top-class one-day cricketers. Not so in the case of Mark Taylor. Which is why Steve was given the job of captaining the one-day side. (Besides the fact that he was also being groomed to take over from Mark Taylor as the Test captain.) His being made captain of the one-day side was, in many ways, step one of two. In anticipation of Taylor's imminent retirement. Fortunately, Ganguly is going nowhere. (Actually, he looks destined to go places.) He is the future of Indian cricket. He, along with Sachin, Dravid and Jadeja will take Indian cricket forward. Ganguly and Jadeja are going to have to work together. And for quite a while. Unlike in the case of Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor. Therefore, for once, following the Australian example may not be such a good idea.

Instead, I propose we make Ganguly captain in both forms of the game. Make Jadeja vice-captain in both forms of the game. Make a new, improved, burden-free Tendulkar their bazooka with which to blast the opposition, Dravid the anchor around which to build their batting. The vice-captaincy and a permanent place in the middle order to motivate and give Jadeja the time to work on his technique. A disciplined and spoken to Srinath and Kumble around which to build a bowling attack. Youngsters like Kaif, Sodhi and Bhandari to bring in some much needed enthusiasm and aggression. And all-rounders like Robin Singh, Nikhil Chopra and Ajit Agarkar (after having worked severely hard on his batting and fitness) for variety. Which, all put together, makes for a very good team.

The new team, more or less for both one-dayers and Tests, could read something like this: Saurav, Jadeja, Sachin, Rahul, Ramesh and Laxman (after being given lessons in discipline, mental toughness, aggression, passion and patriotism), Kaif, Sodhi, a good wicket-keeper batsman (I have no clue who), Robin Singh, Nikhil Chopra, Srinath, Kumble, Bhandari and perhaps, Agarkar and Kumaran.

What, no Azhar? Yes, no Azhar. It's time we looked ahead. We've got to find a middle order player who can give us five or more years of top class batsmanship. Admit it, Azhar doesn't have more than a year or two in world cricket. Plus, team spirit has never been one of his stronger points. The negatives of picking an Azhar far outweigh the joy he may still be capable of bringing to his fans in world cricket. And now is the time to be ruthless. The time to say goodbye to Azhar. And thank him for the wonderful years he's given to Indian cricket. So say it with me, Thank you, Azhar. Welcome Kaif. Welcome Laxman. Welcome Sodhi. Welcome to the future.

A future where you'll have a man at the top who visibly loves the job. A vice-captain who loves the fact that he now has a permanent place in the Test side. Whose confidence is boosted by the fact that he's finally got an extended run in the Test side. And who isn't saddled with the captaincy and the burden of convincing all and sundry he's good enough to be in the team. (Something he'll have less trouble and more success doing as vice-captain and middle order batsman.) India needs Jadeja in the Test team. Jadeja needs Jadeja in the Test team. A cricketer with so much right about him has no business not finding a regular place in the Test side. The vice-captaincy will give him the extended run he needs to correct this anomaly in his career. It will give him the time to find his comfort levels vis-a-vis the unique challenges of being a middle-order Test batsman. And give him the mandate to inculcate into the rest of the team, including his captain, good qualities like running between the wickets, fielding with passion and enjoying the game that only a Jadeja can bring to the table. The Indian team needs his attitude in both forms of the game.

And with Ganguly and Jadeja enjoying and revelling in their newly defined roles, it'll leave Sachin unchained. And rejuvenated. And raring to go. And performing with authority. Thus taking the pressure off the rest of the batsman. Especially Dravid. Who can chill out a bit in the knowledge that there's Sachin (minus the captaincy) firing on all cylinders. And a team that is more likely to do better. (Because Sachin is doing better.) And thanks to a lot more positive energy coming through from all quarters, Dravid is sure to find the space he needs to free his arms and find the form that made him the most solid and dependable batsman in the Indian side. Because Dravid's problem is not technique. It's not skill. It's his tendency to put too much pressure on himself. And in letting the pressure of a situation get to him.

Dravid has shown time and again that he's a much better player when he relaxes a bit. And he needs a captain who can teach him to do that. But for that he needs a captain who's not constantly stressed. To whom he can look to for tips on how to enjoy the game a little more. Unfortunately, the situation today is such that both Tendulkar and Dravid need lessons on how to enjoy the game. Lessons Tendulkar never needed when he wasn't captain. Lessons Dravid constantly needs to remind himself and be reminded of. And lessons that can be learnt from both Ganguly and Jadeja.

We've got to fight the temptation to pick Jadeja as captain of the one-day side because he's a better one-day cricketer than Ganguly or vice versa. Never are two captains better than one. Maybe two teams. But never two captains. All two captains leads to is more pressure at the top. And for no good reason whatsoever. Especially, when the benefits of having one man for both the jobs are so obvious. Why split the job when we can form a potent combination by giving them both equally important, but different, jobs? Better to give them a chance to put their heads together in clearly defined roles that they can get used to playing in both forms of the game. And most importantly, it avoids the inevitable politics that comes with the creation of two power centres.

The Test and one-day team needs Jadeja. But we don't need him as captain of both the sides. Jadeja doesn't need it. We need Ganguly as captain. Ganguly needs Ganguly as captain - to become more disciplined. Sachin needs Ganguly as captain - so Sachin can let himself perform. Dravid needs Ganguly as captain - so Sachin can perform and take some of the pressure of him so he can relax and perform. Jadeja needs Ganguly as captain - so that Jadeja gets a fair shot at maturing into the very good test and one-dayer player he can most certainly be. Something India needs. Something captaining just the one-day side will never give him an opportunity to be. And something captaining both forms of the game will be too much for him to handle as a relatively inexperienced Test player.

Sometimes, two heads are not better than one. I rest my case.

Armchair Expert