Then again, as Chappell admits, Sehwag's loss of form and confidence is not the only concern at the moment. If Sehwag was unable to get India off to his trademark blazing starts, Dravid was unable to play 'The Wall' either. Whenever India found the key to winning Test matches overseas, no matter who else did or didn't, Dravid always put his hand up to be counted. Even before he finished the recent series with an average of 20.83, questions were being asked if he had allowed the pressures of captaincy to affect his batsmanship. He had a bit of bad luck in SouthAfrica-- two dubious decisions at critical points-- but Dravid rarely seemed at ease at the crease.
Not surprisingly, national selector Bhupinder Singh said he feared that the captain's mind may not have been on the game during the final Test match in Cape Town. "Maybe the poor form of the top order was affecting his confidence. We all know what he is capable of and the lack of runs from his bat definitely wasn't helping our cause. Dravid is like a bedrock on which our batting revolves. He looked a far cry from the kind of batsman we are used to seeing him as." And Bhupinder Singh was not the only one who thought on those lines.
Sachin Tendulkar: Total score in SA Tests: 199; Average: 33.16
Compared to Sehwag and Dravid, Sachin may have had a better series in terms of runs scored, but by his own lofty standards, he was nowhere the old self. A few times he looked like he had got the touch back, but then he lost his wicket to either poor shot selection or an error injudgement-- both were never associated with his batsmanship in the past. On top of that he got a nasty decision.
Worse, the manner in which he ended theseries-- a miserable 14 off 62 deliveries -- raised an uncomfortable question or two about his fitness. It was his partnership with Dravid in the first innings that actually helped India claw its way back into the game. Was it a hamstring problem that made him decide to accord debutant left arm spinner Paul Harris so much respect in the second innings of the final Test?
Over the next few weeks, diehard devotees of Indian cricket will hope that Dravid rediscovers the ability to separate the responsibilities of captaincy and batsmanship. As the World Cup draws close, they will also pray that Sehwag tightens up his game a bit, and Tendulkar loosen his up.
