Even in the long, chequered history of Indian cricket, it is difficult to come across a more disastrous tour made by a team from this country than the just completed trip `Down Under'. Losing all three Tests by margins that brook no argument and winning only one of eight one day games in the Cartlon & United Series was the dismal record of the Indian team that simply went from one humiliating failure to another. This may be something new for today's generation of cricket followers, brought up in the Kapil Dev-Sachin Tendulkar era. But then there have been other disastrous sojourns in the past. Losing all five Tests in England in 1959, losing all five Tests in West Indies in 1962, losing all four Tests in Australia in 1967-68, losing all three Tests in England in 1967 and 1974 are some of the other disgraced campaigns in the past. On these tours, made before the era of one day internationals, the teams did not do well even in the first class games and so the picture of devastation was complete.

After such a doleful exercise, it will be easy to find fault with everyone or everything associated with Indian cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India will be blamed for the distasteful Mongia episode. The selectors will be blamed for including (or not including) this player or that. The cricketers will be blamed for their lack of dedication, determination and concentration. The system of playing on batsmen oriented tracks at home as preparation for tours abroad when the wickets are pacier and a lot more bouncier can also be faulted. There are things with Indian cricket that are awry right down the line. And while it will be easy to pinpoint the errors, finding a solution to them may not be that easy considering the fact that the people associated with Indian cricket pull in different directions, governed as they are by selfish objectives, petty mindedness and other extraneous calculations.

A thorough overhaul of the existing system would seem to be the only solution. Drastic steps are needed to combat drastic situations and right down the line, certain radical changes are required. The way things stand, Indian cricket is at the crossroads and a change in the line of thinking, a more positive, selfless approach and a certain commitment are the needs of the hour. The rebuilding process must start in real earnest. But will all this change take place? Your guess is as good as mine.

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