Sachin Tendulkar's back injury, sustained during his epic innings in the Chennai Test against Pakistan, will keep him out of the triangular one-day series. With the World Cup round the corner, Indian cricket lovers are naturally worried about the back of the backbone of Indian cricket. Sachin is reported to have gone to England for an examination of the back and treatment by a specialist and the Cricket Control Board has picked up the tab for it. This is right, for if the Board is not going to look after its cricketers, then who will?
Having said that, the Board being a public body which gets revenue from the public is duty bound to inform the people at large as to exactly what is wrong with Sachin's back and why he is not playing in the triangular contest. The Board must also let the public know that if the injury was sustained in the Chennai Test, then why was Tendulkar allowed to play in the remaining matches? Who declared him fit for those, and did not those who declared him fit realise the long term implications of making him play just a couple of days after he injured his back? Even in the timing of his visit to the specialist in London why was there more than a week after the Colombo Test before the little champion flew to the UK?
Obviously it meant that whatever the verdict of the UK doctor, he was not going to play in the final of the Asian Test Championship if India were to qualify. Ideally, he should have gone to the UK on the 1st or 2nd of March even before the Pakistan-Sri Lanka game began in Lahore so that if declared fit he could have returned in time for the final of the event in Dhaka. Sending him on the 8th or 9th of March meant there was no way he could have got to Dhaka for the final on the 12th. We are not being told the whole truth and considering that the little champion is a national treasure it is only fair that the public is told the whole story.
That Tendulkar scored a century on the last day of the
Colombo Test match and that too in intense heat does indicate
that the damage is not as bad as some of the speculation is. But
his trip to the UK and return has allowed hitherto unknown people
to publicise themselves and their profession in a media which is
only too happy to oblige them. While they have had their say, the
two who really should be telling what exactly is wrong with
Tendulkar's back are silent.
Dr. Ravinder Chaddha and Andrew Kokinos are the physician and physical trainer of the Indian cricket team respectively and have been so for almost a year now. By all accounts they have done a very good job for the team, giving the players a diet regimen, drawing up training methods and also setting targets to get them physically fitter. Under their guidance the Indian team has coped remarkably well in spite of the demanding schedule that they have had to face. I have known Dr. Chaddha since 1969 when we played against each other in the Vizzy Trophy final and he gave me a bruised thumb with a short pitched delivery. He went on to play with distinction for Haryana and even captained it for a number of years. In fact, he was the leading allrounder of the Haryana team before a certain Kapil Dev emerged. All through the years 'Doc' has remained a perfect gentleman and a delightful person to know. He has served Indian cricket in various capacities, as liaison officer for visiting teams, as doctor and as a national selector and his dedication and love for the game cannot be doubted. He will only add to his credibility by telling the public exactly what is wrong with Tendulkar's back, how he injured it, the treatment that was prescribed and whether it was followed and what the long term effects of the injury are going to be, if at all there will be any residual damage.
He and Andrew Kokinos will have a tougher job ahead as the Indian team leaves for the World Cup. In the damp, cold weather of England, especially in May, there is bound to be the odd muscle pull or stretch and they have to ensure that this is taken care of immediately, for the World Cup rules are pretty strict about substitutions from the already announced squad of 15. They will have to keep the team in peak physical condition and they may also have to play the part of motivators which the much maligned Dr. Ali Irani used do so well. Dr. Irani was like the mother hen of the Indian team and in his enthusiasm to protect the players he made some enemies, some of them really powerful ones. Dr. Chaddha may not have the same relationship with the team for the players know that he has played first class cricket and so do not act as familiar with him as they did with Dr. Irani. But it is his experience as player and captain as well as his professional capabilities as a doctor that he should be using to assist the team in its bid for the World Cup.
Kokinos' disadvantage, if one may call it that, is his age. He is younger than most of the players in the team and so cannot even thrust the age factor to get them to do his bidding. As a physical trainer he can at best give the players their exercises according to their individual physical strengths and weaknesses. He can also give them specific exercises to tone up the muscles they are most likely to use, for example giving a wicket-keeper a set of exercises that will help him to be agile throughout; for a fast bowler, exercises to sustain the strength and energy to bowl long spells; and for the batsmen, exercises to see that they play long innings without tiring. The problem is he cannot force them to do these exercises because he is dealing with superstars and the Board has given him no authority to pull up the players who are lethargic and not keen to go through the fitness regimen. True, every player's body is different and each will have differing thresholds for stamina and pain. Of course, by now Kokinos will have known who are the hard workers, who have to be goaded and who are the shirkers in spite of the goading. Maybe he has reported it to the Board, which does not want to follow it up. Maybe, maybe not.
The two of them have become a part of the team and can be seen going way beyond their duties by assisting coach Aunshuman Gaekwad in fielding practice drills. This shows their commitment to the team.
The World Cup is the biggest cricketing event in the game and with TV exposure the interest in the game has increased manifold. The Indian team's fortunes will be followed with keen interest, but don't blame these gentlemen if the team fails to do well.