Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has blamed the icon culture and hero worshipping in the country for the reason behind selectors' dilemma. Manjrekar highlighted that the selectors job is more crucial than that of head coach. He feels that senior players towards the end of their careers tend to drag the team down.
Manjrekar made these comments in the aftermath of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 defeat. Skipper Rohit Sharma scored just 31 runs from five innings before he opted out of the fifth Test at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). On the other hand, Virat Kohli struggled after the century in Perth. He scored 190 runs from nine innings at an average over 23.
"The one foremost reason behind this is the icon culture we have in India and the hero worship of certain players. Be it 2011-12 or now, it’s the same scenario that gets played out -- iconic players featuring prominently doing the opposite of what they did their entire careers, thereby dragging the team down with their diminished performances," Manjrekar wrote in a column for Hindustan Times.
"Thing is, when it comes to the big players, we as a country are just not able to stay rational. Emotions run high and those in positions to take decisions on these players are influenced by this climate. Cricketing logic goes out of the window, and then the selectors hope the player leaves on his own so that they don’t look like the villains who brutally ended the career of a great who millions of fans worship. They just fear the backlash," he added.
Less attention on head coach, all eyes on Agarkar
Manjrekar who has often been critical of head coach Gautam Gambhir. He feels that the media gives too much attention to the head coach. The 59-year-old wants chief selector Ajit Agarkar to be as ruthless as Australia and drop anyone who is a liability to the team.
"By sugarcoating the dropping of a player, the team management squanders the opportunity to make a critical statement---that it’s about the value you add on the field and not your brand value. Actually, we don’t realise how impactful the job of a selector is. He can make a far bigger difference to the fortunes of the India team than any coach can, that is if he does his job right. Our media gives the coach far too much attention and importance," he said.
"But now comes the tough part---can the committee actually take a tough decision in sync with their observations? For Mr Ajit Agarkar to take a pure cricketing decision no matter who the player is, we have to make his job easier. Us as former cricketers, the media, the administrators, and the fans who are the most influential force, must put Indian cricket ahead of an Indian great. Australia does not wait for a player to retire; they drop him before he becomes a huge liability," he further added.
India's next Test series is a five-match series in England in June 2025. It will be interesting to see if the selectors make a few tough calls.