The Axe-effect works

After the mindless furore and frenzy across the country, thankfully, it''s back to cricket all over again.
The quality of contests between bat and ball in Chennai may not have exhilarated us till now; but the match itself has been gripping, unfolding like a tense murder mystery.
First, India lost the toss and Sourav Ganguly literally winced in pain; he then had to stop himself from pulling out his remaining hair as Hayden and Langer went about building another big partnership.
But by the end of the day, Anil Kumble had weaved another web of deceit and traps around the Aussie batsmen; the next day, Sehwag stepped forward and grinded his way to another century.
After some more turns and twists on Saturday, the second Test is poised on a sharp knife: one quick wicket on Sunday morning and Australia will be hurtling towards a stunning defeat; or, one small mistake and India would have thrown away their last glimmer of hope too.
Whatever the next two days present, the big story still remains the same: is the Indian batting line-up out of doldrums? Do we still give them that 1000-watt jolt? Doesn''t Yuvraj Singh look out of place at the top of the order? Aren''t Laxman and Ganguly failing more often than scoring in the new season?
Cricket logic screams that you don''t drop your best players in the middle of a big Test series. History has shown that quality batsmen invariably start scoring runs again. But the answer is still yes, though for entirely different reasons.
The sputtering stars should be axed for one simple but important thing: for not living up to our expectations. They have broken the trust we reposed in them; they are spoiling out moods every second day and they must pay a price for that.
They must understand that this is not just a game anymore; they must realise that they are not playing for a BCCI XI: they are playing for the country, for our pleasure. And we have a right to demand better performances from them.
No, we don''t expect them to win every match, especially if the opposition happens to be the mighty Aussies; but yes, we want you to put up a fight. No, we don''t want them to spill out their guts on the field; we just want you to show some heart.
Otherwise, please take your hearts and your guts elsewhere.
Meanwhile, of course, there''s the case of batsmen or bowlers not up to the mark, of players making fundamental mistakes. They should be promptly shown the way to the exit. Yes, it''s time to send Parthiv Patel back to the school.
He''s gutsy and solid in front of the stumps, scoring crucial runs against world-class bowlers; but he''s just too noisy and sloppy behind them. He''s dropping far too many catches for India''s good.
So, before it''s too late, and the furore starts all over again, the selectors must act.