COLOMBO, July 30: The manager of the Indian team, Prof Ratnakar Shetty, ticked off the team coach Madan Lal, for a newspaper interview in which he (Madan Lal) has made some damning remarks about his players.The pathetic performance of the Indian team has made the coach gasp in waves of frustration, leaving him vulnerable in his emotional and professional crisis. It is in this state of mind that Madan Lal gave an honest opinion of his players. However, his assessment, though honest, suffered on the counts of tact and timing to heighten his woes.The Indian team confidence is at a very low ebb and the coach's opinion left several of the players battered and bruised.Prof Shetty when contacted by this writer, said that Madan Lal regretted for his comments which he said he had given in an emotional state of mind. The manager, added that Madan said that it was not his intention to hurt the players. ``The matter has been discussed and closed,'' Prof Shetty said, refusing to go into specifics.But reliable sources close to the team told The Indian Express that the matter may come up before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) acting secretary Jayant Lele, when he arrives here before the first Test.It is also learnt, that Madan Lal's comments on the players have left the BCCI president, Raj Singh Dungarpur, very angry.The sources revealed that several players approached the manager and expressed their displeasure about the interview. The manager has been a great believer in the freedom of expression and has told the players to come out with their opinion and grievances on or against anyone during team meetings.The players' contention to the manager was that if the coach had anything to say about them the proper platform would have been the team meeting and not the media.That Madan is under tremendous stress can be borne out by the helplessness of his statement in the interview. ``Something has to be done. I know we are not winning. But tell me what can I do alone. I and the captain should be given a free hand in selection matters,'' he is quoted as saying.Madan Lal's indiscreet honesty is apparent from his opinions. He says Sidhu has, at the most, two more years and a replacement will have to be found for him; Jadeja has to make up his mind whether he is playing as a batsman or bowler; Saba Karim is an average wicket-keeper. On David, he says, ``I'm sorry.''Madan Lal is a simple man and he probably did not realise when making the statements that the performance of the players is a direct reflection on his abilities as a coach.Unless, India are able to bring about a complete turnaround in their fortunes in the ensuing Test and one-day series, it looks curtains for Madan Lal as coach.
