Nothing like good fielding!

The Indian team miss a run-out opportunity against South Africa in the T20 World Cup. Pic/Getty Images

One of the greatest blessings of being an Indian cricketer is to have the affection of millions of your countrymen who support the player through thick and thin, the good times and the bad times, the ups and downs.

Every player who has played for India for some years will vouch for this. Given human nature, there will also be some who may not be fond of a particular player and may also not want him to do well. That's to be expected too. Then when that player doesn't do well then those who don't like him may well try and make a lot of noise questioning his place in the team.

Outside noise gets louder

After the unexpected loss to England in the semi-finals also of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, a fair few players in the squad are facing this and the noise will get even louder at least till India plays its first match in New Zealand in a few days' time.

This team is bereft of some of the senior players whom the selection committee in its infinite wisdom has decided needed a rest after the stressful World Cup. It's a wonderful opportunity for some of the youngsters in the team to New Zealand to show that they are ready to take over the mantle from the seniors, some of whom will no doubt be considering their future in this format of the game. The thing about this format of the game is that since it's just a 20 overs a side. The physical part of it is a breeze for most of the players but it's the mental side trying to deal with the pressure that is multifold than the other formats that can take its toll. There's also the IPL which is not only great money but also glamour which is a huge attraction and can deter a player from calling it quits in this format from the international game.

Also read: T20 World Cup: Stokes, Curran, Rashid help England win title, become white-ball kings

What the World Cup did show for India is that there is nothing like good fielding to be successful in this format of the game. Yes, of course every team needs top batsmen, explosive finishers and skillful bowlers who can withstand the pressure of a relentless opposition but if the team doesn't have good fielders who will stop the boundaries, take exceptional catches, effect stunning run outs, the team will struggle in crunch games.

Have a look at the teams that won the 1983 and 2011 World Cups and the Champions Trophy in 2013 and the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 and you will find that those teams had to hide maybe the odd fielder while the current team had more than one slow moving fielder and some with dodgy throwing arms too. Unless these players come up with a top performance be it in batting or bowling and make up for their lack of fielding skills the team will invariably start with a minus score. Any future team selection should only consider this aspect before anything else.

Fortunately, the selectors don't need to meet till the end of the year to select a team as the teams for the next two months for the New Zealand and Bangladesh tours have already been selected. It's also important for the BCCI to announce a full five-man selection committee as for the last eight or nine months there have been only four selectors instead of the usual five after Abey Kuruvilla took up the job of being the General Manager for Cricket at the BCCI headquarters. While there may not have been a tie for any players selection in these last months, it's always good to have a full selection committee for a sport that India takes to its heart.

Hopeful of Indian success

It's been a barren nine years at the World events for Indian cricket but as with life, day follows the night's darkness and millions of Indian cricket lovers like me are hopeful that it will be the brightest of days ahead for our beloved team.

Professional Management Group