Team India or a Franchise?

It seems Team India is going through a difficult phase right now. Facing defeats in Tests at home and losing T20s everywhere, the overarching question is whether their dominance will continue. The T20 losses against Ireland (an 11th-ranked team) and England have shaken everyone, prompting cricket fans to ask some tough questions. We've heard stories of players dedicating their youth to the Ranji Trophy just to earn the national cap, but today, Indian cricket stands at a crossroads where dignity seems less and arbitrariness seems more.

The disaster against teams like Ireland and England has made it clear that our direction is completely lost. It feels like this is no longer the 'Team India' of 1.4 billion people, but rather a coach's personal IPL franchise, where decisions are based on whims rather than merit. Amidst the uproar, here are five questions every cricket fan is asking:

1. What was achieved by throwing out the World Cup-winning captain and opener? It is rarely seen in Indian cricket history that players who brought home the gleaming World Cup trophy just two months ago are suddenly shown the door. Is match-winning ability being sacrificed to 'give chances to youth'? The result: our T20 team collapsed like a house of cards. Even if Suryakumar Yadav's form was poor, why remove him from the team entirely instead of just the captaincy? We wouldn't have won the World Cup without Sanju Samson, yet he was dismissed after two failed innings, while a player without a contract for two years was made captain directly.

2. Is this 'Team India' or an IPL franchise where only the coach's orders prevail? Coach Gambhir needs to understand the massive difference between international cricket and running an IPL franchise. A 'control freak' attitude cannot work here. When decisions are driven by ego and stubbornness instead of domestic performances, the dressing room shatters. Several players (like Rohit and Kohli) have subtly admitted that the dressing room atmosphere has changed.

3. Why the 'special' favors for Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, and Tilak Varma? What is the rush to make Harshit Rana an all-format player without an extraordinary record? What is the logic behind consistently playing Washington Sundar in T20s when his role is unclear? Furthermore, on what performance basis is Tilak Varma getting so many chances, being played purely in the name of the Asia Cup final, and even being made vice-captain?

4. Will the same rule be imposed on every player? A new shortcut has been adopted—trying to fit everyone everywhere. Players are being pushed into formats without solid planning or vision, creating confusion regarding player roles. Do the coach and selectors not have a clear roadmap for each format?

5. If workload isn't being managed, why not drop a format? Whenever there's a poor performance, 'workload management' is brought up for players. We should also ask if the coach's workload and vision are being managed. Shouldn't the BCCI consider separate coaches for different formats? Perhaps Gautam Gambhir should only coach white-ball or red-ball cricket to avoid cross-format missteps.