When the Indian cricket team loses a match, it is nothing short of a catastrophe for the country. Dhoni and his men came under attack after the Mumbai Test defeat. The captain was severely criticised, the batsmen were lambasted and the spinnerswere thrashed for failing to cause much damage to the English batting line-up on a tailor-made pitch.

With two more Test matches, at Kolkata and Nagpur, to be played before the series is decided, two major controversies rocked the establishment — thus putting Indian cricket under severe strain .

The first was knowledgeable people questioning the presence of Sachin Tendulkar in the batting line-up and the second the Eden Garden’s curator Prabir Mukherjee coming in the an eye of the storm.

Solidity to line-up

It is indeed unfortunate that people are questioning Tendulkar’s credentials as a middle-order certainty. The Mumbaikar, who served the Indian cricket with great commitment over the years, seemed to have felt that the national selection committee should decide his future.

The suggestion of the Little Master itself was welcome. The selectors can judge his performance on merit and decide whether he should continue or not.

The retirement of Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman in quick succession and the Indian team’s inability to find a proper replacement for Sourav Ganguly will occupy the minds of the selectors more than replacing Tendulkar. Yuvraj Singh has matured and is looking to cement his place. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara are being allowed to settle down in the middle-order with the latter enjoying a purple patch in the ongoing series.

Tendulkar’s very presence gives the Indian batting the solidity and a psychological advantage. The master can run into form any day. Tendulkar is irreplaceable, at least this season with Australia’s India tour coming up in March-April.

National selectors will need a lot of time to find a replacement for Tendulkar .

Honest worker

When most of the 83-year-olds prefer relaxing at home watching television and playing with their grandchildren, Prabir Mukherjee stands tall in the middle of the historical Eden Gardens. His involvement with the game and the Cricket Association of Bengal is deep and he knows his worth.

CAB veterans recall Mukherjee as an independent-minded person who never shied away from speaking what he felt was right. He belongs to the school that believes in minding their own business without interfering in others. His tirade against India captain was uncalled for.

Mukherjee’s outburst to the national media not only put the CAB in a bad light but showed him in poor light as well. He is an honest worker and knows his job as a curator. His only concern was a Test match should last all five days. He being an old timer, spectators’ interest is paramount to him.

Someone should have made him understand that India’s pace attack is in tatters and the only way to win a Test match is through its spinners. Whatever be the line of thinking regarding the pitch preparation, the request could have gone to him through the head of the CAB.

Yet, Mukherjee needs all the sympathy and respect for his contribution to the game as a cricketer, an administrator and finally as the curator.

> sabanayakan.s@thehindu.co.in

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