NEW DELHI, FEB 20: In the labyrinth called Indian cricket, a revolving-door drama was enacted in Mumbai today leaving a few more scars on the badly battered body of the national team. That Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev were against Mohammad Azharuddin's recall was a known fact and once his return became a fait accompli, Tendulkar's decision to quit must have been made.Even if the Board had made up its mind to get back the former Indian captain (the selectors were under too much pressure to include him after the Australian mauling) they could have handled the situation more tactfully. They should not have allowed it to reach a stage where the Indian captain announces to the Board just before the team for the first Test was to be picked, that he is quitting.They could have also avoided the embarrassment of having to tell the world that they ``don't know why coach Kapil Dev did not turn up for the meeting.'' Mercifully for them, Kapil is holding back and said today his ``first priority is to win the Testseries against South Africa.''After retaliating to the humiliation of being first told he can't attend the selection committee meeting by choosing not to go to Mumbai (subsequently he was sent another letter in which he was asked to attend the meeting), Kapil's statement could mean that he is still keeping his options open. Or he is operating in tandem with Tendulkar and would also quit after the Test series. What those options are will be hard to guess, though Kapil can now use this situation to his advantage and `bargain' for more powers for himself.Nobody is going to believe that Tendulkar has quit owning `moral responsibility' for the Australian debacle. Had that been true, he would have done this far earlier and not stun the Board just a couple of days before the series against South Africa is to begin. It is believed that Tendulkar had a long chat with chairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde and secretary Jaywant Lele before the meeting was to begin. Despite much persuasion he did notagree to change his mind and only relented to lead the side for the Test series.One could still see a silver lining in this sea of uncertainty and that is Tendulkar would now be free of the burdens of captaincy and can concentrate on his batting.He is too focussed a player to let the past bother him and no matter who the captain, he is going to do what he knows best: Mix responsibility with freedom while batting.As far as Azharuddin goes, his faith in God has once again been vindicated. He has got another chance to prove wrong all those who thought his days are over and can now chose the moment and quit the centrestage gracefully.But just imagine the scene in Mumbai where the captain says he is quitting and the coach is `missing' and you have a complete picture of despair and helplessness afflicting Indian cricket. As one selector put it: ``We don't know what we are doing and what we are supposed to do.'' Need one say more!
