Injuries, niggles, non-availabilities - what's up with the Indian cricket team?

Over the past year, the Indian cricket team has scaled unparalleled heights on the field. They’ve defeated Australia Down Under in the longest format, walloped England at home, gotten themselves on the cusp of a remarkable Test series triumph in the United Kingdom and firmly established themselves as strong contenders for the ICC World Test Championship.

If these performances are used as the sole barometer, everything has gone right for the Indian cricket team since the turn of the year. While there has been the odd humiliation, namely the World Test Championship final and the T20 World Cup, it has largely been a year they wouldn’t be too displeased with.

Off the field, though, things have turned severely pear-shaped. Not just because there have been unnecessary leaks from within the Indian cricket team dressing room, but also because of the way some of these issues have been handled.

Just a few days ago, the BCCI, in a rather curt statement, quipped that Rohit Sharma would be leading the ODI and T20I sides moving forward. Before this decision, Virat Kohli had neither relinquished the ODI captaincy nor had he indicated that he didn’t want to lead India in the fifty-over format.

When he hung up his T20I captaincy boots, he explicitly expressed his desire to be at the helm in ODIs.

So, it is fair to say that this course of action took Kohli and the vast majority of the Indian cricket community by surprise. It might still remain the best move, considering Rohit can catapult the Indian cricket team to ICC event glory. But the manner of this baton-passing certainly left a lot to be desired.

As soon as Kohli was relieved of his duties as skipper, “reports” began circulating that the Royal Challengers Bangalore batter was contemplating making himself unavailable for the ODI series. Those reports have also suggested that Kohli wants to be home for his daughter’s first birthday – something that is completely acceptable.

However, the Test series, which should ideally culminate on 15th January, coincides with his daughter’s birthday (11th January). Thus, there could be more to it than what is meeting the eye. Only the Indian cricket team and Kohli will know what is transpiring. Either way, though, it isn’t a great look for the Indian cricket team.

Rohit will miss the Indian cricket team's Test series in South Africa

Further complications have since arisen because Rohit has also been mysteriously ruled out of the Test series against South Africa – a rubber where he was appointed full-time vice-captain for the first time. But also, a series where Kohli will be firmly in-charge.

At first, there were reports that Rohit had injured his hand while batting in the nets. A couple of hours later, the BCCI clarified that a long-standing hamstring injury had resurfaced, meaning that the Indian cricket team would be without their leading run-scorer in Test cricket (in 2021) when they tour the rainbow nation.

Prima facie, it might seem that things are being blown out of proportion. To be fair, that is exactly what has happened ever since this Kohli-Rohit captaincy saga began to materialize. Yet, considering the sheer frequency of such incidents, it becomes important that a keener eye is lent to proceedings.

In the recent past, the Indian cricket team has developed a habit of not communicating properly. Not just with those on the outside, but also with the players supposed to represent the Indian cricket team.

A perfect example is the way Kohli was stripped of ODI captaincy and the contrasting reports suggesting that he stepped down in the shortest format despite Sourav Ganguly asking him to not do so. That claim, by the way, has been refuted by Kohli’s childhood coach, meaning that this story might not have attained closure yet.

Before the tour Down Under in 2020-21, Rohit was participating in the IPL. He was nursing a hamstring injury but was deemed fit enough to feature in all of the Mumbai Indians’ important clashes. And, he didn’t look as hamstrung (pun, totally intended) as he was made out to be. He returned for the 3rd and 4th Tests. Kohli, though, had already handed over the reins to Ajinkya Rahane by then.

Hardik Pandya barely bowled for the Indian cricket team at the T20 World Cup

During the T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya’s role in the Indian cricket team came under a massive scanner. When the team was selected, Hardik was earmarked as an all-round option alongside Ravindra Jadeja.

However, he didn’t bowl a ball in anger in the UAE leg of the IPL and only did so against New Zealand in the Indian cricket team’s second Super 12 encounter. In the meantime, Kohli tried deputizing as an extra bowling alternative (in the warm-up games), hinting that the Indian cricket team clearly didn’t know when Hardik would be fit enough to bowl.

The last red-ball assignment the Indian cricket team participated in, was the Test series against New Zealand. Rahane, who hasn’t been able to buy a run, skippered the Indian cricket team at Kanpur.

In the 2nd Test, though, he was sidelined owing to a “niggle” – a niggle that didn’t deter him from running the drinks. Had Rahane been fit, would’ve been dropped in all likelihood. Now, there is even more uncertainty on how (or if) he will fit into the scheme of things come Boxing Day because he wasn’t technically excluded on form.

There has also been a lack of clarity around the players who have been selected for particular competitions. Ravi Shastri, post his departure as head coach, opened up on how he didn’t understand the decision to have three wicket-keepers at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. While there might be some truth to it, it is very hard to believe that the coach wasn’t consulted beforehand.

Most worryingly, though, there have been countless leaks lately – something that has undermined the authority of those holding positions of power in the Indian cricket team.

Almost every decision (whether right or wrong) has been thrown out to the public jury for debate and almost every call has been second-guessed. For a major chunk of the 2010s, it seemed that the Indian cricket team had distanced itself from this vice.

Now, it is looking very likely that the Indian cricket team has reverted to its noughties-roots, where such dissemination of information from within the dressing room was quite commonplace. It isn’t a huge surprise that that too coincided with a massive power struggle, with Rahul Dravid (the current coach) and the Indian cricket team getting burnt in the crossfire.

At the moment, there are too many freak injuries, too many unwarranted “niggles” and too many cases of non-availabilities. So much so that you being to wonder what’s up with the Indian cricket team.

On the field, everything has been as smooth as it has ever been. Off the field, there are problems aplenty – problems that threaten to undermine whatever good they accomplish when donning the Indian cricket team jersey.

Having said that, there could still be a plausible explanation the Indian cricket team is hiding from the population. They could still account for every little “injury” that has occurred and how it was practically untenable to not give in to those.

Till then, though, the timing of Kohli wanting to opt out of the series – just days after Rohit was appointed as ODI captain, and Rohit getting injured a couple of moons before the Indian cricket team tours South Africa, will leave a bit of a sour taste.

It shouldn’t have come to this. Everything could’ve been handled better. Or rather, should’ve been handled better. But this is the predicament the Indian cricket team finds itself in.

Perception in sport is just as fickle as sport itself. On one occasion, it can garland sportspeople and outfits such as the Indian cricket team. On another instance, it can brutally expose what is bubbling beneath the surface and make people question if they were being misled all along.

The Indian cricket team hasn’t reached that stage yet. But if it continues, it won’t be long before everyone will start demanding answers, where reasons such as the ones going around right now, won’t be sufficient.