ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE PART 1

I am still extremely angry at Dhoni and his team for their performances in the World Twenty20 Championship, mainly because they knew what they were going to get... some nice chin music... but they did nothing about it. Those who know Hindi will understand when I say that Team India played with an "आ बैल मुझे मार" attitude.

But what's done is done... there is no 'Undo' button in life. What happens now? The ideal thing to do now is that while the boys go to Zimbabwe for another tour, the main men in Indian cricket - the captain, coach, selectors, senior players and the team management should come together to devise a roadmap for the future.

What are the fixtures scheduled in the near future? After the Zimbabwe tour for ODIs and T20s, there will be the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. There is another Sri Lanka tour for three Tests, some ODIs... and there may be a home Test series against Australia. Then, there will be the big and extremely important tour to South Africa. And after that, the biggest prize of them all - the ODI World Cup 2011 to be played in the sub-continent.

Lets try and build a roadmap for the future on our own. What are the key facts to be kept in mind?

A. The trio of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman cannot play Test Cricket for India forever. The youngsters will need to step up and take their place.

B. Sachin Tendulkar is likely to quit One Day Cricket after World Cup 2011.

C. IPL is likely to continue the way it has been planned (with 10 teams next year), irrespective of any number of controversies and scandals that may arise.

D. It would be foolish to let go of Dhoni as a captain... I think a break now should do him some good.

(contd...)