Why Sanga is Ruining the Team by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam


 Why Sanga is ruining the team?

by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam

(Sunday Island, 20th December 2010)

 

Many records were broken in the recent run feast in India. One record went unnoticed. Sri Lanka became the first Test squad to contain as many as 4 wicketkeepers - Prasanna Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, TM Dilshan and Kaushal Silva. Actually, there was a 5th wicketkeeper. At 47, the manager Brendon Kuruppu is still trim.  As the oldest member of the army of wicketkeepers, Kuruppu must have been disappointed that he was not called up.

 

Ironically, the first choice Prasanna Jayawardene kept poorly. He either dropped catches or obstructed the slips. Virender Sehwag, who is second only to Viv Richards as a merciless hitter, made merry. In Kanpur and Mumbai, maiden overs were rare. Even dot balls were hard to come by. 

 

In the ODIs, Sangakkara has been even worse than Jayawardene. On Friday, two easy chances were put down off the rampant Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the same over. Luckily, Dilshan's assault and Matthews calmness took Sri Lanka across the line.

 

Sanga has often relied on his exceptional batting and speaking to cover up his faults on the field. He will be remembered as the finest speaker among the world's top batsmen.  The media has been carried away by his well-spoken manner. Cricketers should be judged on their performance on the pitch not on the mike.

 

Sanga cannot combine the responsibility of captaincy, wicketkeeper and the leading batsmen in any form of the game. One of the three must be discarded. He has lost the first virtue of any gloveman. He does not watch the ball on to his gloves. Instead, he grabs it.

 

Dhoni’s fortune as a captain and keeper cannot be the benchmark for Sangakkara. Dhoni does not bat in the top order.  The Indian captain is not the sword of his team’s batting. He is just a bit player in a batting powerhouse. Instead of Sanga, Dilshan or Prasanna should be made the wicketkeeper in the shorter version. Dilshan’s agility and Prasanna's disciplined batting must not be ignored. 

 

Sanga's errors behind the stumps have worsened his performance as a captain.  As a spectator during Sehwag's Test onslaught, Sanga was clueless. At times, he could not even contain the scoring rate to less than 6 an over.  Even the tactic of placing every fielder on the boundary to stem the relentless flow of runs was forgotten.  Sehwag would be bitter that he did not cross 400. He would be hard pressed to find a more unimaginative opposing captain.

 

Sangakkara also has a vicious streak that belies his smile. On the 2006 tour to Australia, Vaas was the vice-captain to Atapattu. When Atapattu's got injured, Vaas acted in his place at a vital match in Perth.  This irritated Mahela Jayawardene, who was eyeing the post. Mahela and Sanga are brothers in every way, except blood. They took it upon themselves to openly undermine Vaas and set the field. Just like Sanga gropes for the ball behind the stumps, Mahela and him grabbed the captaincy.

 

Though he has been billed as the crown prince ever since his debut in 2000, Sanga has actually had a very limited leadership record. Unlike Mahela, who was already vice-captain at 21, Sanga was first picked at the advanced age of 22.  At NCC, he hardly led the team, because of his national commitments.  When he did lead, his record suffers in comparison to his rivals.  Vaas led Colts CC to be domestic champions.

  

Despite his errors, Sanga has a few attributes. He commands respect The boys are behind him. The team is in transition with Sanga's deputy Muralitharan and the Jayasuriya approaching their end. Sanga should remain as captain due to the TINA (There is No Alternative) factor. 

 

Today, Sri Lanka will fly to Cuttack in the Eastern India state of Orissa for the third ODI. The injury-hit squad should be wary after squaring the series. If the selectors had their way, Sanga may even be asked to fly the plane!

 

Sanga has had a bountiful 2009 with the bat. Also, he has earned riches beyond his wildest dreams at the IPL. He has just been given the Kings XI Punjab captaincy. He will better serve the team and himself if he gives up the gloves.

 


 

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