Chappati shot

I always thought Andre Agassi was the inveterate Las Vegan gambler and Greg Chappell was his successor! Alas, I was proved wrong on Thursday when stand-in manager (OK, coach) Ravi Shastri promoted MS Dhoni to the No.3 spot in the bating order in Mirpur (Dhaka).

Had Guru Greg done anything like that, I bet it would have amounted to blasphemy, promoting a hard-hitting middle order bat to the top. He had got the same flak when he pushed Irfan Pathan to that spot not long back. And if memory serves me right, it was not in an ODI but a proper Test match against a strong team.

I am not trying to make any comparison between Guru Greg and Shastri, simply because the Aussie is a professional coach and the Mumbaikar is just doing a stand-in job. But would anyone have pulled up Shastri if Dhoni had failed on Thursday against Bangladesh and India were doomed.

No.

I have this nagging suspicion that Shastri has already become the hero when he first put up his hand and “wanted to be counted” when Team India were looking for Guru Greg’s replacement. My point is, when you know your term as manager lasts just one series, you can go and take any chance. And even turn the batting order upside down without having to worry about what the BCCI bosses or the media will say.

If I am already sounding like a Shastri-baiter, please bear me out. All that I am reiterating is the way India huffed and puffed for a win against inspired Bangladesh, I am sure Shastri would have been wondering how thankless this manager’s coach job can be.

After the World Cup fiasco, Indian cricket would not have got a new coach in a week’s time. But now that names like Dav Whatmore and more are doing the rounds, I would be happy if the BCCI actually sits down and pours over the various CVs which are going to land on Sharad Pawar and Ratnakar Shetty’s tables.

If first impressions are the best impressions, Shastri’s readiness to experiment is something which might bring a wry smile on Greg’s face Down Under. So, would it be in the fitness of things to settle for Shastri as manger-coach for some time ? I know, Shastri makes a lot of money doing TV commentary.

But if the cash-rich BCCI can actually protect Shastri’s projected earnings/income from TV for the next few years, would they be bold enough to appoint him for a longer duration?

OK, is someone already cursing me? I don’t care.

If experimentation has to continue, why not begin with an Indian coach. By the 2011 World Cup, nothing can get worse than what happened in the West Indies.

A first round exit.