ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Battle of the benches!

636 runs, 17 wickets, a maiden ODI hundred and a diamond duck – The Champions Trophy kicked off with a bang with an eventful encounter between India and South Africa. Though South Africa went in the game as favourites, the current number one ODI side nudged passed the Proteas with a superior display of all-round cricket.

Even though South Africa put on a brave chase on the field, yet some unnerving questions would create a few furrows on the foreheads of both coaches. The teams wielded their willow power and displayed their batting depth but their bowling units certainly unearthed a few skeletons buried in the closet. If Rory Klienveldt and Lonwabo Tsotsobe went for plenty during the Indian innings, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma had their share of suffering after the interval. Although an Indian bowling attack being carted for runs isn’t breaking news, but when a side that is known for their wicket-taking ability is taken to the cleaners, a few eyebrows are bound to rise. The Indian seamers looked ordinary but the South African pacers were, at best, pedestrian. Agreed, the absence of Dale Steyn and the injury to Morne Morkel stung them badly, but shouldn’t a side like South Africa be better equipped to deal with a situation like that?

The last time the Champions Trophy was played, in 2009, the teams looked different. Even in the last ICC tournament, the World Cup 2011, India had Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh guarding their ranks while Australia boasted of Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and a fit Michael Clarke. South Africa had Graeme Smith at the helm with Jacques Kallis as the back bone whereas Pakistan’s artillery comprised of Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi.

Now, in 2013, the Old Guards have been replaced by the New Order. A few retired while the rest were shown the door. These names mostly feature in the “We miss you” updates on Facebook pages and this Champions Trophy has become a fight between the bench strength of each side.

Bench strength signifies the depth of talent in a team. The best teams in the world not only have incredible talent, but also the depth to readily adapt to unforeseen circumstances. The teams with the deepest bench often win championships because they can overcome injury, fatigue and various unknowns. Every team in this world, irrespective of the sport, needs to develop the next generation of players if they want to survive; let alone thrive. Managing the gulf between the first team and the reserves is the key to ensuring consistency which in turn translates into success.

Unfortunately, not many teams can master the art of succession management and keep the talent aquifer deep enough to maintain a steady flow of performers. Now Australia and India are faced with the herculean task of filling in the gigantic gaps left behind by their previous generation of superstars. If it’s tough enough to find replacements for Saurav Ganguly, Mike Hussey, Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh, then Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne are simply irreplaceable.

However, the reality is that sometimes it’s not possible to nurture talent. Every team goes through a phase where the talent pool is not the most enriched one and the ones marked as the “future” don’t live up to their billing. The current Australian side is the prime example of that. With Clarke out due to injury, this Australian side under George Bailey doesn’t inspire much confidence. While Warner and Maxwell are still ‘work in progress’, the middle order looks weak, the bowling lacks steam and the entire team is too dependent on Shane Watson.

Same is the case with South Africa and Sri Lanka. The Proteas’ batting is heavily reliant on AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla and the Sri Lankans still look up to the duo of Sangakkara and Jayawardene for the big ones. Without Dale Steyn, South Africa lacks penetration while the Islanders have struggled to churn out a match winning bowler since the exit of Muralitharan.

That’s where teams like India, England, Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand have done well. After struggling for a decade, West Indies has finally found a group of match winners. If Gayle, Pollard, Bravo and Narine have stamped their authority on world cricket, youngsters like Johnson Charles and Darren Bravo have contributed handsomely.

While England and New Zealand have persisted with the Bells and the Guptils over a period of time, India and Pakistan have blooded in a bunch of youngsters. Though forcing youngsters into the deep end to see if they sink or swim can be often damaging, it has been a traditional approach for these two sub-continent sides. Certain players are identified, handed the national colours and marked as the next big thing. Most of them fade away but a few stick it out to make it count.

Though exposing the youngsters too early may lead to burn outs, the opportunity can help a player grow and provides the team with a unique combination of someone who has both age and experience on his side. But the biggest step for building a solid bench strength is that after the players are inducted, it is important to empower them to take risks and fail, because you learn more on the job than in a classroom. The players are tested to their limits and the ones who quickly turn their mistakes into learning go on to become the next generation greats.

Losing a few games might dampen the spirits of the fans but by encouraging risk taking and freedom to make mistakes and learn from them, the team becomes nimble, ready for change and dynamic enough to embrace an opportunity to succeed. That’s where this Champions Trophy will be interesting. None of the teams look incredibly talented, but collectively have the power to overpower the opposition. The cricket world is used to the Tendulkars and Pontings creating history over the years, but this last edition of this ICC tournament will see the emergence of a galaxy of new stars and it will be the bench strength that will set the bench mark for the sides for the time to come.