Will Sanjay Bangar be made scapegoat for India's WC loss?
A story was even planted quoting unnamed Board sources that it was Bangar, who had undermined the authority of skipper Virat Kohli[2] and head coach Ravi Shastri[3] and held former skipper and the team's most experienced member, MS Dhoni back till No. 7, when he could have easily absorbed the pressure at 5 for 3 in the semifinal. Really? Does Bangar enjoy so much authority? Does he have so much clout? He was nicknamed The Buddha in the Indian team for his ability to always stay silent or speak very little during his playing days. Expecting him to overrule assertive figures like Shastri and Kohli is a bit too much to believe.
A source in the Board also stated that it is because of Bangar that the team could not groom a proper middle order batsman at the contentious No. 4 slot and players like Ajinkya Rahane or Shreyas Iyer and Ambati Rayudu had to miss out.
"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma[7] have been performing much before Bangar came into the fray. He has no role in their success. However, his job was to create a few solid options in the middle order and we have seen in the World Cup that he has failed miserably in that," a Board official had said.
The fact is that Rahane was the player of the series in the five-match series against West Indies in West Indies immediately after the Champions Trophy scoring over 330 runs. He was also successful in the home series against Australia in 2017 where he opened and he played well in South Africa, too. Rayudu too batted well in the opportunities that he got barring the home series vs Australia just before the IPL.
"So if they are not picked despite these performances, is Bangar responsible?" a member of the team management told TOI.
The former India all-rounder who has been with the team since September 2014 has done splendid work with the top batsmen in the side and a look at the averages of the players who constitute the engine room of a batting unit, would give a fair idea that the performances have only been incremental. Be it home or away, India's batsmen have generally prospered, especially in the white-ball format. In net sessions, it is generally Bangar who is in the batsman's ears all the time discussing technique and other finer points of batting.
Skipper Kohli has been effusive in his praise of the former Railways player, highlighting his contributions after every batting success. After clinching the ODI and Test series against Australia, he posted a picture on social media with wife Anushka Sharma and Bangar saying, "With some people, you don't need to make an effort to connect."
Bangar himself has praised Kohli for his drive and said, "His quest for excellence is what sets him apart."
Bangar's knowledge of the game is deep and cannot be contested. Having been a player with limited talent and someone who made the team purely on hard work, he knows how to work with those not blessed with huge amounts of talent and identifies with their fears and insecurities. Perhaps, it's time to end the whispers. It's okay to let coaches go if you think they have outlasted their utility. It is a professional world after all. But to resort to slander is not correct. Maybe it's time for The Buddha to shed that image and speak up once and for all.
[1][4][5][6][8]
References
- ^ Sanjay Bangar (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Virat Kohli (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Ravi Shastri (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Ajinkya Rahane (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Shreyas Iyer (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Ambati Rayudu (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Rohit Sharma (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Anushka Sharma (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
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