Navjot Singh Sidhu

Madan Lal

NEW DELHI, May 2: Nothing is going right for Sachin Tendulkar. And one is not just talking about his on-field woes. Reports originating from the Caribbean Islands say that the Indian skipper had to intervene between coach Madan Lal and the team's seniormost player Navjot Sidhu following heated exchanges between the two men.

This ugly scene in the Indian dressing room took place after Sidhu pulled out at the eleventh hour -- for the umpteenth time in his career -- just before the start of the crucial third one-dayer at St Vincent. Only this time the injury was serious -- a torn muscle in the right knee while practising on the morning of the match.

The injury-prone Sidhu's late withdrawal meant that India had to play Rahul Dravid. The star Karnataka batsman was not in the original squad as he was rested following the injury he had sustained while fielding close-in in the second one-dayer.

Tendulkar refused to comment on the incident. However, he was emphatic and unambiguous in his condemnation of the team, which lost the last eight wickets for 46 runs when 65 runs were needed at 185-two.

``I was hurt by the display of some of the players...Where was the need to play those shots in the air when I had sent instructions repeatedly,'' the crestfallen skipper said.

Tendulkar may not just be worried about the present when he said: ``I am not seeing any improvement. Our cricket has become stagnant. It's clear from this defeat.''

Tendulkar pointed out that there was no cricketing sense in what the batsmen attempted at a stage when the West Indies had almost given up hope. ``It was lack of common sense, I thought. I just cant understand why we keep repeating the mistakes match after match.''

It may be recalled that in the third Test at Barbados, chasing a modest victory target of 121, slumped to 81 all out in 35.5 overs - a nightmare which Tendulkar deemed as the saddest days in his life. The Barbados shock and Wednesday's disaster in the third One-Day International at St Vincent invites the question: Are some of the the players showing the requisite commitment expected of some performing national duty?

It's clear not every member of the squad is pulling his weight and as former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi said recently said only Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid are playing for the team.

Millions of television viewers saw a nauseating smile on the face of Nayan Mongia in India's hour of shame at St Vincent. Mongia, the first choice wicket-keeper had missed out the second and third two one-dayers because of a thumb injury. His replacement Saba Karim did a wonderful job in the second match at Port of Spain although he didn't do as well at St Vincent. After the Port of Spain match, Sunil Gavaskar had written in his newspaper column that Karim had brilliantly grabbed catches ``and, with it, the opportunity to displace Mongia.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.