The Numbing Of Azhar

These are strong words. Continues another player: 'I don't know why the bcci can't see straight. Here's a captain who talks to no one, whom no player wants to talk to except out of fear that his slot might be meddled with. He can't have a decent conversation with anybody. In the current lot of players only the likes of V.V.S Laxman and Hrishikesh Kanitkar hang around with him, and that's for obvious reasons. His approach is all wrong.' A few former Indian players' reticence about Azhar's captaincy disappeared after the loss to Zimbabwe. Says a former Test player, after rumours flew thick and fast about Azhar's reported resignation on May 20 - the day after the Zimbabwe match, 'Yeah. What took him so long? He's about seven years too late.'

Of course, a whole bunch of wise men crop up after a loss. Some with many amusing theories. So disappointed was espn commentator Harsha Bhogle after the Indian loss that he started bouncing his 'brown-man-cannot-be-a-team-man' theory off anybody caring to lend an ear. Before the start of the match, when news of Sachin Tendulkar's departure for Mumbai to attend his father's funeral dominated the proceedings, some former players had their own insights on the subject. Says Geoffrey Boycott: 'When my father died, I stuck on to score 70-odd at the Oval.' Added Colin Croft, former Windies pacer: 'The dead are dead but the living have to go on.' But, said Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian opening bat: 'A match is just a match, this is a situation where, by not going, Sachin could have been traumatised for the rest of his life. I get tears in my eyes even now when I talk about my father. We are a different culture. He's what he is because of his father.'

Despite the disappointment, there is overwhelming support for Tendulkar's decision to leave for Mumbai. Says a player: 'Look, if he had stayed and then got 5 runs in the match, everybody would have turned around and asked 'why did you play him when you knew that his mind was not on the game'?'

The news from Leicester, of course, would have been disappointing for Sachin. Fifty-one extras, a World Cup record till Scotland gave away 59 extras the next day against Pakistan. The 90 extras that were given away in the India-Zimbabwe encounter prompted Zimbabwean captain Alistair Campbell to comment that the side able to control the extras would be the eventual champion.Adds Sunil Gavaskar: 'They played with this ball in Sharjah. They came 21 days before their first match. And this is how they have acclimatised with the ball and the conditions. In '83, the year we won the Cup, we came 8-9 days before the start. They should have had a 10-day break to make them more hungry to play cricket.' Agrees Houghton, 'I think the ball is creating problems for the Indians. They were trying to compensate for the swing by bowling slightly wide, but it didn't work.'

Others were, however, more scathing in their criticism. Says Boycott, who seems a more vocal Indian supporter than some of the Indians themselves: 'Look at the amount of comfort they get these days. I bought my first car only after I had played for England for two years. And a phone much later. Look at the gizmos now and everything. I think I'll have to invite the Indian team to stay in my home if they don't make it to the Super Six. They are going to be lynched.' Adds a current player: 'With what face are we going to go back if we don't qualify?' Then, in a slightly jocular vein: 'We watched the highlights of the Zimbabwe match hoping we'd somehow see ourselves making the runs. It's inexcusable what happened.'

What's even more ominous is that the team wasn't even given a dressing down in spite of a long meeting in Bristol the day after the loss to Zimbabwe. Coach Anshuman Gaekwad told two journalists visiting him in Bristol, 'No, no. They players have realised their mistake. Once they've done that, what can you say?' The journalists pressed home: 'What about Srinath's bad shot in the second last over? India needed just 9 runs in two overs. Singles could have done it.' Replied Gaekwad: 'Yes, yes. But he's a bowler you see.' The journalists persisted: 'Agarkar gave away 71 runs in 9 overs. Ganguly was less expensive - 22 runs in 5 overs. Why didn't he bowl more? In a column before the World Cup, didn't you write that Ganguly would be your secret weapon.' Gaekwad hummed and hawed, and in a moment of weakness confessed: 'Yes, that's true. I will have to remind Azzu again. Maybe he has forgotten.'

Of course, Gaekwad sometimes mistakes optimism and gut feeling for facts. Commenting to Outlook, he says: 'I don't believe we are out yet. I have a gut feeling we'll do well.' Needless to say, he had the same gut feeling before the series with Pakistan. And somebody should explain to him that even if India wins all its three remaining matches it's not sure of qualifying, and has to depend upon various other permutations. Also, if any of India's remaining matches are washed out due to rain, it would end what little chances India has.

To add to the team's woes, there seem to be some ego problems between Gaekwad and Bobby Simpson, the Australian consultant to the team. Gaekwad was heard complaining to some Calcutta-based journalists: 'Why are you guys writing about Simpson all the time. Have I come here to cut grass?' Some Indian players were, however, less generous with Gaekwad, 'We respect Simpson because he still tells us what he said when we first met. He is consistent in his approach. With Gaekwad it changes every two matches according to the result.'

Interestingly, all the former and current Pakistani players have been following the fortunes of the Indian team closely. Says Mushtaq Mohammed, the Pakistan coach: 'The players were really disappointed with India's performance. Against South Africa you were 190 for 1 and then lost it in the last 10 overs. But even 250-odd was defendable. I think India is missing a penetrative bowler.' Added former Pakistani all-rounder Mudassar Nazar, who's a commentator here: 'In the first match, they showed that they were title contenders even though they lost. But in the second, they were atrocious.'

There's a growing feeling that if Azhar continues as captain after the tournament, it would be a disaster for India. Says a player: 'Look at the small things he misses. Robin Singh has just stopped hitting because of the pressure. It's his strength. The captain should talk to him, try to ease the pressure on him. But for Mongia's 28 in 24 balls in the Zimbabwe match, it wouldn't even have been close.' Adds Sidhu: 'I think they're so down that now even Kenya is a threat. We need some inspired leadership.' But, from a man who's simply run out of ideas, that might be asking for too much.