Has the time come for teams to select specific players for specific playing conditions?
In 70s & 80s almost all the players were playing both formats of cricket. The playing XI would be the same in both Tests & ODIs (even the batting order). But over the years they learnt that the batting order has to be shuffled and some players become specific for one format. This happened because people saw outrageously boring cricket being played by people like Sunil Gavaskar in ODIs. On the other hand some guys couldn't withstand the technical demands & patience of Test Cricket. Hence at least 3 to 5 players became specialists for each format in every team. Further this got into T20 Cricket also. Tendulkar stayed away from that format even when he was not yet retired.
But now I think the time has come for choosing players based on "Conditions" as well. Because we are seeing how teams are bullying each other using "home" advantages and also in the era so much LOIs played on flat pitches (in all countries) batsmen have developed a lot of weakness in their batting (in Tests) because they are used to stroke play so much and are pretty weak in technique. Otherwise somebody like Kohli wouldn’t struggle so much when the ball moves! They get away with it when they are playing at home as they are adept to home condition. But they fail miserably when they go outside (Example - Rohit from India, Warner from Australia)
Hence don't you think a case has arrived where teams should select players based on "conditions" and not stick to a common XI? This was already a case with bowlers. In India usually 2 seamers play and 2+ spinners get chance. While outside SC it will be 3+ seamers. The same thing should be applied to batsmen. It looks like a kind of ego on the part of batsman for not getting selected in certain conditions. I think this ego has to be removed and it has to be told to them that they are not just good enough, just like you said to the bowler or even to the players (both batsmen & bowlers) between 2 formats as I said above. Actually this will also help the batsmen to maintain their records better as it won't get depleted due to alien conditions! Also their confidence will not be shattered and they will remain strong in their favorite condition!
Also in this era of too much cricket, it will also help them to get that "much needed rest". Dhawan, Rohit, etc are all prone to injury, so why would you want them to be playing test cricket in South Africa? I am not at all against Rohit Sharma, because I love seeing him hit 200s & daddy 100s in SC, something which guys like Amla or even ABD or even Kohli cannot do (Perhaps even Bradman/Vivian cannot)! But if you make him play like this in a tough South African test match, it will reduce him to big zero and laughing stock in no time! His reputation will be unnecessarily damaged! I am pretty much sure that there are players in Indian bench to do much better in this role (they might have played lot of under-19 & A tour matches).
Only this can give a proper balance and better chance for any team to win outside their home! A player who plays in all formats and all conditions can only be an ATG or a potential at that or heck even half of that! Even such players (say Kohli) will be under immense pressure when there are hacks filled in the team who just cannot handle the situation. Batsmen like Kohli (forget as Captain, just from batsman perspective) should actually be relieved & relaxed with players in his team filled with "specialists" who can handle that specific "format+condition"!
I think the same concept holds good for all the teams out there today though I just concentrated on Indian team. Even South Africa struggled a lot in India and then Turning/Slow pitches get blamed (while a Green track becomes sporting & challenging pitch) But actually certain players like Chanderpaul, Andy Flower, Hayden, etc, have done pretty well in India compared to what they did elsewhere! This is how you should be developing your team. It is something like developing anti-bodies to fight against a virus! If Rahane cannot play well in India/SC, then just don’t select him there and reserve him for overseas (He is actually "gold" because he is a rare bread!) Also you can make some adjustments like asking Rahane to open in India so that he can first face the seamers (which is as good as facing seamers at No.5 outside SC)
In 70s & 80s almost all the players were playing both formats of cricket. The playing XI would be the same in both Tests & ODIs (even the batting order). But over the years they learnt that the batting order has to be shuffled and some players become specific for one format. This happened because people saw outrageously boring cricket being played by people like Sunil Gavaskar in ODIs. On the other hand some guys couldn't withstand the technical demands & patience of Test Cricket. Hence at least 3 to 5 players became specialists for each format in every team. Further this got into T20 Cricket also. Tendulkar stayed away from that format even when he was not yet retired.
But now I think the time has come for choosing players based on "Conditions" as well. Because we are seeing how teams are bullying each other using "home" advantages and also in the era so much LOIs played on flat pitches (in all countries) batsmen have developed a lot of weakness in their batting (in Tests) because they are used to stroke play so much and are pretty weak in technique. Otherwise somebody like Kohli wouldn’t struggle so much when the ball moves! They get away with it when they are playing at home as they are adept to home condition. But they fail miserably when they go outside (Example - Rohit from India, Warner from Australia)
Hence don't you think a case has arrived where teams should select players based on "conditions" and not stick to a common XI? This was already a case with bowlers. In India usually 2 seamers play and 2+ spinners get chance. While outside SC it will be 3+ seamers. The same thing should be applied to batsmen. It looks like a kind of ego on the part of batsman for not getting selected in certain conditions. I think this ego has to be removed and it has to be told to them that they are not just good enough, just like you said to the bowler or even to the players (both batsmen & bowlers) between 2 formats as I said above. Actually this will also help the batsmen to maintain their records better as it won't get depleted due to alien conditions! Also their confidence will not be shattered and they will remain strong in their favorite condition!
Also in this era of too much cricket, it will also help them to get that "much needed rest". Dhawan, Rohit, etc are all prone to injury, so why would you want them to be playing test cricket in South Africa? I am not at all against Rohit Sharma, because I love seeing him hit 200s & daddy 100s in SC, something which guys like Amla or even ABD or even Kohli cannot do (Perhaps even Bradman/Vivian cannot)! But if you make him play like this in a tough South African test match, it will reduce him to big zero and laughing stock in no time! His reputation will be unnecessarily damaged! I am pretty much sure that there are players in Indian bench to do much better in this role (they might have played lot of under-19 & A tour matches).
Only this can give a proper balance and better chance for any team to win outside their home! A player who plays in all formats and all conditions can only be an ATG or a potential at that or heck even half of that! Even such players (say Kohli) will be under immense pressure when there are hacks filled in the team who just cannot handle the situation. Batsmen like Kohli (forget as Captain, just from batsman perspective) should actually be relieved & relaxed with players in his team filled with "specialists" who can handle that specific "format+condition"!
I think the same concept holds good for all the teams out there today though I just concentrated on Indian team. Even South Africa struggled a lot in India and then Turning/Slow pitches get blamed (while a Green track becomes sporting & challenging pitch) But actually certain players like Chanderpaul, Andy Flower, Hayden, etc, have done pretty well in India compared to what they did elsewhere! This is how you should be developing your team. It is something like developing anti-bodies to fight against a virus! If Rahane cannot play well in India/SC, then just don’t select him there and reserve him for overseas (He is actually "gold" because he is a rare bread!) Also you can make some adjustments like asking Rahane to open in India so that he can first face the seamers (which is as good as facing seamers at No.5 outside SC)
