Monday, March 11, 2002 You see him sitting there every match, laptop on the table, watching every ball. His face doesn't betray much, but sometimes his eyes give it away. They are passionate and intense, and if you watch closely, you see them narrow and flash sometimes. Watching John Wright watching Indian cricket isn't a happy sight nowadays. He looks a lonely man. And you feel for him, because he feels for Indian cricket.

But he is all right, he tells you. He has his own ways of dealing with frustration. Every time the Indian team contrives to squander a winning position, Wright waits for the formalities like the press conference to finish, and then goes for a lonely run. Sometimes in the stadium itself, other times he waits to reach the hotel.

"I am not afraid of losing," he says, "but I hate losing when we should have won. I hate it when we repeat the same mistakes." But it's negative to keep feeling frustrated, he rationalises. "So I go for a jog and get it out of my system." He must have very tired legs by now.

You admire his honesty and sincerity. He is India's first professional coach, and he takes pride in his job. But you can't help feeling sorry for him. He has been given a run until the World Cup next year. Nothing less than a spot in the final would be acceptable to those who occupy high offices in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), even though we all know that India will have to play really well even to qualify for the second round. Accountability in Indian cricket stops at the most easily dispensable. Wright is a foreigner. He is paid for his job. And he has no vote. He is the perfect scapegoat.

Wright has a lot to say ... but he can't say it. He talks about job constraints and uncontrollables, but he can hardly talk about selectorial misdeeds and administrative chicanery. He talks about self-discipline and work ethics, but stops short of accusing Sourav Ganguly of being the biggest offender. It is obvious that despite Ganguly's open support for him when Wright's job hung in the balance, the two don't see eye to eye on many issues affecting Indian cricket.

A couple of days before the series against Zimbabwe began, newspapers quoted Andrew Leipus, the Indian team physio, as describing Ganguly as a shirker in his report to the BCCI. Leipus promptly denied it, but nobody would have been surprised if he had actually used the word. Ganguly's laziness is legendary. In fact, he refused point-blank to undergo a fitness test during the Challenger Trophy in January. Wright never fails to stress the need for the seniors to accept more responsibility and lead by example. But when the captain, who is backed by the cricket establishment, is a negative influence, the coach has a problem.

"I want to make a difference," Wright says, "I really do." He repeats the words to underline his earnestness. "The love Indians have for cricket is something extraordinary, something very special. When I cease being the Indian coach, I want people to remember me as someone who made an honest attempt."

Correction, it's not John Wright who has a problem. It's Indian cricket that has the problem.

Sambit Bal is editor of Wisden.com India and Wisden Asia Cricket. For details of the new issue click here.

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