Can't Flex This

Voices from the within the team preach patience, not wanting anyone to get into the business of judging Chappell because some experiments have failed. For instance, left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh does not agree that experiments with flexibility have been taken too far. "We have been doing this for the last six months and when it was getting us results, nobody questioned it. Now that we have had a few setbacks, people are criticising it," he said. The team has presented a unanimity in the face of criticism and, from the looks of it, Chappell has been able to instil a collective faith among the players—integral to good team performance.

The other area of concern—as seen by cricket pundits—is the feeling of insecurity among the players. Take the case of fast bowler S. Sreesanth. Just as he was developing into a strike force, he finds himself out of the squad. Or, for that matter, fast-medium bowler Irfan Pathan who found himself on the sidelines after some indifferent performances. The think tank's response to all this has a touch of management-style HR approach: "There will be ups and downs in the life of every young cricketer...you have to get yourself into a position where your selection is never in doubt; and, sit back to assess your own ability."

The last time Team India faced such flak was in 2002-03 after a dismal tour of New Zealand. It had staged a smart rally then, getting to the World Cup final and winning a Test series in Pakistan for the first time in 2004. After the highs of 2005-06 when the team played some of its best limited-overs cricket, it's back to brickbats. Being on the receiving end, with the added criticism, can add pressure on the players.

There's no doubt that India's legions of fans, spurred on by former cricketers and to some extent the media, has grown impatient. They'll be expecting Chappell, and for good measure Dravid too, to deliver the goods at the Champions Trophy. For the team too, it's a great opportunity to shut up the critics. They have home advantage, and this could kickstart its ride back to the top half of the ICC rankings table.