Azhar surprised as Tiger calls it a step backward

Meanwhile, former Test cricketers by and large did not like the idea of the National selection committee bringing about a change.

Excerpts:

Polly Umrigar: If Tendulkar hasn’t said that he would like to step down then I think he should have been retained till the end of the season. I don’t think it was wise to remove him. The half-way chipping and chopping is not good for Indian cricket.

Dilip Vengsarkar: Instead of dwelling on the merits and demerits of the change, I would rather see the positive side of the change. I think the change may well see the revival of the world class batsman in Tendulkar which should help India in winning more matches. There is no doubt in my mind that minus the pressures of the captaincy, one would see the real class of Tendulkar. And talking of change, I think it’s time the players start building the team for the World Cup by playing men like Vinod Kambli and Ajit Agarkar.

Kiran More: If they are looking at building a team for the next World Cup, I think they should have gone for continuity and kept faith with Tendulkar. But frankly, a change in captaincy is not going to make any difference. The team is not balanced. It does not have an all-rounder like Kapil, Prabhakar or Shastri nor does it have match-winning bowlers.

Balwinder Sandhu: I just want to ask two questions. Firstly, where do we go from here if Azhar fails to deliver the goods? Secondly, if Tendulkar, without the pressures of captaincy, sustains the batting form he is showing at the moment, then what do we blame? I think what we need is proper planning — both, short-term and long-term.

Sudhir Naik: They need not have gone in for a change, but having taken that decision, they need not have gone back to Azhar. It’s a wrong choice. I think they should have elevated Ajay Jadeja as captain for the one-dayers and Rahul Dravid for the Tests. Dravid looks very shrewd and intelligent.

Madhav Mantri: I didn’t like the idea of removing Tendulkar at all. In the first place, Azharuddin shouldn’t have been replaced. He was still good enough and he should have been retained irrespective of the age factor. And when the decision was taken to hand Tendulkar the captaincy, he (Tendulkar) should have been given another chance. The switching of captains is not good. If we are thinking in terms of the 1999 World Cup Sachin should be leading in more matches. For, the more matches you play the more you learn and Tendulkar is the learning type. I don’t find any logic in the decision at all.

Madan Lal: I don’t know what Sachin had told the selectors. But under the circumstances Azhar is the right choice as he is the seniormost member of the squad. Sachin must have learnt a lot about captaincy during the last one year. It will be to his advantage in future. He was under pressure from some quarters in recent months, not because of captaincy. I am sure that the burden has been taken off his shoulders, he will do much better in batting.

Tiger Pataudi: It’s one step backward to go forward. It looks like a temporary arrangement as such time as Tendulkar becomes a bit more mature in his attitude. I think they had no choice.

Kirti Azad: It is ridiculous. It only shows the inconsistency and inexperience of the national selectors. They should have let Sachin continue for a few more series. He is still young and learning. If they (selectors) think the change in captain can bring change in performance from the players, good luck to them. They should remember that only last year they relieved Azhar because the team fared poorly. Now, within a year they expect miracles.

Maninder Singh: The day Sachin was made the captain, I had said to myself, `I hope we don’t lose a good player.’ I think he was feeling the pressure of captaincy. It was telling on his batting. It is a good change because Azhar is the most experienced player and nobody else is certain of his place in the present team. I hope we will see Sachin’s natural batting once again.

Brijesh Patel: The selectors are a confused lot. They first stripped Azhar of captaincy, then dropped him from the team, brought him back and now have made him skipper. After stripping Sachin of captaincy they now talk of making him skipper again for the World Cup! Sachin did not do all that badly considering that the selectors often gave him lousy teams. They axed his crucial bowlers; destroyed the balance of the team; did not give him a free hand; fixed his batting order and after all these manipulations, finally, did not stand by him.

— With reactions from Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad also.