Why Drop Dhawan for Rahul? India Need to Play to Win ‘Now’

The Indian camp needs to respect the game. They should not look beyond what’s in front of them right now.

The Indian camp needs to respect the game. They cannot, and should not, look beyond what is in front of them right now.

(Photo: AP)

One of the fundamental reasons individuals and teams play sport at any representative level is to win. Win today – beat the opponent in front and win the contest they're competing in currently. Alas, the Indian cricket team has overlooked that very basic reason for the existence of representative sport, for they seem to be focussed on preparing for the World Cup, which is a few months away – at the cost of the contest that is in front of them.

When the Indian playing XI for the first T20I against the visiting Australian team was announced, there were are a few surprise inclusions and exclusions. KL Rahul was handed a place as opening batsman at the expense of Shikhar Dhawan, while Mayank Markande was handed his maiden India cap.

Playing for any representative side is a recognition and reward for hours of toil and for consistent performances in the circuit.

Once selected, a player should hold his place in the team unless he fails repeatedly and is woefully out of form, or is injured, or has indulged in misdemeanor warranting punishment.

In the case of Dhawan, who was dropped (read as ignored, overlooked or rested depending on what suits you best) from the playing XI on Sunday, he was neither woefully out of form (in which case he wouldn't have been selected in the squad), wasn't injured and wasn’t involved in any act of indiscipline to warrant getting dropped. Dhawan, the incumbent opener, was dropped to make room in the XI for KL Rahul, who is in the team's plans for the World Cup, not for a first-XI position but for being the reserve opener.

Shikhar Dhawan, the incumbent opener, was dropped to make room in the XI for KL Rahul.

What sense does it make to drop a regular first choice opener to accommodate and give exposure to a reserve opener. For that, there are several competitions one level below the international level; perform there, earn your selection, wait for an opening in the national team, and nail your place when you get an opportunity – that's how the system works.

Why drop one player unnecessarily to make room for another? One ought to remember that for players, playing is a profession, a livelihood. Who is going to use what logic to explain to Dhawan why he was the one identified to be rested, and compensate him the loss of match fees after being dropped for no fault of his.

The Indian camp needs to respect the game. They cannot, and should not, look beyond what is in front of them right now. By not fielding the first-choice players in the Visakhapatnam T20I, the Indian team did not give themselves the best chance to win the match. And Indian cricket fans don't deserve being short-changed; anything less than the team management fielding the best XI and the players giving their absolute best at all times is unacceptable.

By wanting to plan for the rainy day, the Indian team compromised on their chances of winning. That hurt them – they lost the tour opener (which ended their seven-match winning streak at home) and handed the Australians a lead in the two-match series.

Now the best result possible for the Indian team is to draw level and share the trophy. Had the Indian team fielded their best XI, they were giving themselves the best chance to get the better of their opponents, get ahead in the series and give themselves the chance to win the series. That cannot happen now.