Too many cooks spoil the broth?

While no praise is enough for Indiarsquos sprightly bunch of GenNext stars for having undermined the newlycrowned world champions Australia on home turf the selection headache for the management in the buildup to next yearrsquos T20 World Cup is likely to kick in sooner than laterWhether it is good to have choices rather than being run out of options opens room for discussion especially when it comes to selecting a playing XI for a tournament as vital as the World Cup Selectors are a bit like wicketkeepers because they come to notice only when they commit unforgivable errors Often so distant from the fray they do not usually receive plaudits only brickbats The longrange impacts of their decisions are not often considered in totality but the concept of the selector as a hate figure has existed since foreverSelection isnt about ego or arranging farewells for great players It is only about picking the best XI to win a match Players being rotated chopped and churned is the new normal And it is for the greater goodldquoGone are the days when a player would comfortably play till his 40s These days the competition is so intense that each time there is a selection fans just find reasons to be unhappy My heart goes out to those sitting at the top The trick is to utilise this talent in the best possible manner and in order for that to happen we must be willing to give enough chances Sachin Tendulkar also started from scratch once we all have been there Good things take time Who knew Hardik Pandyarsquos injury would make way for Mohammed Shami and that he would be brilliant this World Cup Now we canrsquot be looking beyond this chap if we are to get wickets notice the changerdquo a former BCCI official told MidDay on conditions of anonymityAlso Read This too shall passBut too many experiments can lead selectors to run into pitfalls they might find hard to recover from he insists ldquoThey must follow a rotation policy Rest should not be seen as an option but mandatory If so many players in your second string team are performing well on a consistent level you must also take your chances perhaps one at a time This way they will learn to cope with pressure Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are fixed at the top of our order but those two are not here forever KL KL Rahul is available to play at all positions Surya Suryakumar Yadav has been exceptional in the middle We have a new finisher in Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma I guess all that Irsquom trying to say is if you donrsquot trust the youngsters with bat and ball chances are you may end up losing the raw talent they possessrdquoThat Team India boast of an enviable problem namely the lsquoproblem of plentyrsquo is secret to none Having too many players at onersquos disposal makes it easier to play around with options Yet at times though rare the conundrum of having to choose between the abounding alternatives throw even the best of machinery into complete disorder There is a reason to believe that lsquotoo many cooks spoil the brothrsquoIPL reigns supremeThe cashrich Indian Premier League meanwhile has only added to the woes If not anything the inclusion of Rinku Jitesh Suryakumar Ishan Kishan Mukesh Bishnoi in the India squad has accentuated the significance of faring well in the IPLldquoI blame the IPL to an extent Domestic matches have lost their vigour these days People say players are into money so they are more keen on performing in the IPL than a Ranji or Vijay Hazare Trophy Series But the truth is we all are slowly resigning ourselves to only 20 overs it takes only a single over to become a cricket sensation and players know IPL can give them that It is easy for selectors to spot you but so much harder for selectors to select yourdquoBoon or baneIndiarsquos lsquoproblem of plentyrsquo brings back bitter memories from the South African dugout in the 2015 World Cup The side possessed enough talent to finally do away with their lsquochokerrsquo tag as the semifinal stage dawned upon them but it was a familiar sight of them coming unstuck While the Proteas ticked off all the boxes in the league phase one wrong selection owing to the predicament of having an option of too many cost them dearly Kyle Abbott despite his wickettaking abilities was replaced by Vernon Philander who failed to live up to his billing when it mattered the mostIndia have only six T20Is and an IPL between now and the next World Cup to be played in the West Indies and the USA in June With next yearrsquos cricket extravaganza drawing nearer fortunately for India the selectors have not erred so far World Cup or not the Blue Brigade look on course to bend the problem of plenty to their advantage Too many cooks do spoil the broth yet sometimes they make the delicacy delectable