First it was Karun Nair. Then Murali Vijay joined in. And just like that, the dysfunctional communication system within the Indian cricket set-up came out in the open.
After middle order batsman Nair was not given a single opportunity during the 4-1 Test series defeat in England, questions were asked as to why he was benched throughout even as late selection Hanuma Vihari ended up playing the fifth and final Test at The Oval.
Nair was dropped from the squad altogether for the two-Test series against the West Indies. And right before getting the axe, Nair revealed in an interview with Cricbuzz that no one from the management in England talked to him about the reasons behind his continued omission from the team.
Right after his revelations, chief selector MSK Prasad said fellow selector Devang Gandhi had spoken to Nair at length about the reason for his exclusion.
Then it was the turn of Vijay to state that none of the selectors spoke to him after he was dropped after the third Test in England.
“Nothing at all. Neither the chief selector nor any other person spoke to me in England after I was dropped from the third Test,” Vijay told Mumbai Mirror. “None of them have spoken to me since. I did have a conversation with the members of the team management in England and that’s it.”
When will Karun Nair get his next Test call-up?
After the Nair controversy, captain Virat Kohli was asked whether he talked to players who were left out. Instead of being sympathetic, Kohli said it was not his job.
“The chief selector has already spoken to the player (Nair) of what I know. I don’t think I need to comment on that. Selection is not my job. As a team we are doing what we are supposed to,” Kohli said on the eve of the first Test against the West Indies in Rajkot.
So the selectors didn’t talk to the players, according to the players, and the captain doesn’t think it is important to guide those out of the team during difficult times.
Any player can be in and out of the team. Form, conditions, team combination all play a role and you can only field 11 at a time. Also sometimes you look at the next option. That’s just how professional sport is.
But for two Test players to reveal how the management has let them down when they needed clear communication and a frank one-on-one shows how unaccommodating the Indian dressing room is.
The picture that Nair and Vijay have painted is that of a dressing room full of impatience where there is no room to either make mistakes or work your way in. You better be exactly what the team bigwigs want at that given point or you are cast aside.
Nair was dropped after he scored a triple century against England in the 2016 Chennai Test. For the last two seasons, Vijay was the one of the few consistent performers at the top of the order in overseas Tests for India.
The Indian team probably wants to move on and try out new names. But leaving the ‘unwanted’ players by the road is cruel. They might end up with a bunch of 11 good players but it will never be a team.
