The Indian coach John Wright has been under sheltered fire for India's performance in recent times. The team, by notching up its ninth straight loss in a limited-overs tournament final, certainly did not help his cause. A considerable section of the public, however, was willing to condone India's performance in the shorter version of the game. But when India lost the first Test against South Africa at Bloemfontein and went 1-0 down in the three-Test series, Wright's problems really escalated.

Besides, what kind of pitch did Wright expect in South Africa? With a pace battery at their disposal, the Proteas were certainly not going to serve up a slow turner, not against India at any rate. After all, even children on the street in India can tell you how well their team plays fast bowling.

After putting 379 on the board in the first innings, India capitulated in familiar fashion in the second innings to hand South Africa a convincing nine-wicket win on a platter. What has angered Indian fans is the fact that India were, at one point, in a position approaching safety before they threw it all away. Sachin Tendulkar, at his dazzling best, made 155, sharing a 220-run partnership with debutant centurion Virender Sehwag. Despite this, India lost as many as seven wickets for just 52 runs on the morning of the fourth day. Was there not a plan in place?

While the blame certainly cannot be laid solely at the feet of the coach, he has made more than one remark that provides nothing short of cannon fodder. On the morning of the first Test, Wright was predictably asked how he thought the pitch would play. "I don't know for sure. We'll just have to wait and watch," he said. Listening to Wright, Sunil Gavaskar on television commentary could not contain himself. "That's not what the coach should say. If he can't make it out, he should make an effort to try and find out what the pitch would play like," said the former Indian captain. One would be hard-pressed to fault Gavaskar's logic.

Besides, what kind of pitch did Wright expect in South Africa? With a pace battery at their disposal, the Proteas were certainly not going to serve up a slow turner, not against India at any rate. After all, even children on the street in India can tell you how well their team plays fast bowling.

Thus said, there is perhaps room to give Wright the benefit of the doubt and admire him for his candour. So he was not sure how the pitch would play, and he told the media as much, right? Wrong. It is one thing being honest with the boys back in the dressing room and quite another to relinquish the psychological advantage by announcing uncertainty to the world media.

Interestingly, a similar incident happened just days after Wright uttered those words halfway across the world. Having turned down a confident shout for lbw against Justin Langer, when the Australian opener was yet to open his account, umpire Daryl Harper admitted his mistake the next day. "An error that cost 104 runs," he said on national radio. Once again, one can only say the same thing - we admire your honesty, Mr. Harper, but next time, save us the grief.

The Australian Cricket Board is unlikely to appreciate Harper's gesture, and he will probably be careful enough to never repeat his mistake.

Coming back to Wright, either the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has turned a deaf ear to the Indian coach, or he is charting his own path independent of the Board. Just days after his remark about the Bloemfontein pitch, Wright came forward with another pearl that was best left in its oyster. "I admit we made a mistake in team selection. We should have played Ajit Agarkar instead of the two left-arm seamers," confessed Wright. That it was a mistake to play both Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan is amply clear. However, one must stop a moment to look at the reason India went into the first Test with the aforementioned pair.

Harbhajan Singh's sudden affliction (epididimytis) opened up a spot in the bowling line-up; after all, if he was fit, there would never have been the thought of playing three seamers. Given the recent dismal record of Venkatesh Prasad, enter Nehra and Zaheer. By the second day of the Test, however, the ace off-spinner was fit once more and raring to go. With the Sikh fit, the question of playing both the left-armers does not even arise. Where then does Agarkar come into all this?

It's simple. He doesn't. And a quick look at his performance in Tests so far suggests that it is perhaps best for all concerned if the matter rests there.

Let's face it. As much as one wishes it, two wrongs can never make one right. Some may have made out a case that, with both Zaheer and Nehra rusty from recuperation, Agarkar should have replaced Harbhajan. Be that as it may, including Bombay's blue-eyed boy as a sort of compensation for the second Test would only be foolish.

Both Wright and Harper, within the space of a week, have demonstrated amply the importance of measuring one's words before they are uttered; after all, once spoken, they are in the public domain, fair game for misinterpretation. And that is really the last thing that India need right now.

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