The strength of a country's cricket team lies in its coaches and the process followed by the apex body in selecting in-form cricketers and giving a fighting team for the nation - a team that wont retreat or rest on past laurels. Cricket-lovers will always remember how clinical and ruthless Cricket Australia functions. They eased out Shane Warne at the cusp of another 300 wickets, and didn't spare ...Andrew Symonds for a few faux pas, waited for Steve Waugh, Glen Mcgirth, Dean Jones, Allan Border, Michael Bemen, David Boon, and several other cricketers I fail to recollect. And now, Ricky Ponting - the only cricketer who can beat the combined trio of Sachin, Laxman and Dravid in batting records. And look ma! he has been shown the door in ODIs. Thats class act of Cricket Australia.
Contrast with BCCI - reeking in corruption, under-invested in harvesting new talent, or training our cricketers to face bouncy pitches or fast bowlers. We don't even know how to sustain interest in fast-bowling as a career option, we make pitches that suit more batting records to get piled up. And look at our cavalier attitude towards non-performing assets - We are all the time waiting for some people who for some reason, we feel are above law, like Sachin to announce retirement. Gavaskar was right in saying, the best time to retire is when people say,"Why?" rather than "why not?". I have been saying consistently that Sachin's best days are behind and he doesn't deserve Bharat Ratna - thats a totally different topic (which I will address with proper arguments constructed layer by layer). And now, we are afraid to drop the demigod of cricket for whatever reasons. The point, however, is not that. The point is why BCCI doesn't have exacting performance standards for seniors who are not consistent like Cricket Australia or even neighbouring Pakistan Cricket Body which was notorious for sacking indisciplined players. Trouble is, BCCI has spread itself too thin on past laurels - and the country is going berserk on watching more and more of 14-reel cricket - Celebrity cricket league, IPL-Summer and IPL-October and the long dry-and-deadpan-pitch winter cricket season which end in draws or batsmen hauling up triple ton records.
Cricket nations across the world are waking up to the fact that too much money has crept into the cricketing lives - and cricket in India is becoming as gawdy as the big fat Indian wedding. If performance is not coming sooner or in consistent bouts, the euphoria or fixation over our national sportsgame will become anathema. Cricket lovers in India know that cricket blues happen also more often here than anywhere else. We just need an independent decision-making team that can look the other way when advertisers, business groups and cricket superstars are pouring in money. Money talks, in cricket also but not for too long - especially when performance goes missing.
Contrast with BCCI - reeking in corruption, under-invested in harvesting new talent, or training our cricketers to face bouncy pitches or fast bowlers. We don't even know how to sustain interest in fast-bowling as a career option, we make pitches that suit more batting records to get piled up. And look at our cavalier attitude towards non-performing assets - We are all the time waiting for some people who for some reason, we feel are above law, like Sachin to announce retirement. Gavaskar was right in saying, the best time to retire is when people say,"Why?" rather than "why not?". I have been saying consistently that Sachin's best days are behind and he doesn't deserve Bharat Ratna - thats a totally different topic (which I will address with proper arguments constructed layer by layer). And now, we are afraid to drop the demigod of cricket for whatever reasons. The point, however, is not that. The point is why BCCI doesn't have exacting performance standards for seniors who are not consistent like Cricket Australia or even neighbouring Pakistan Cricket Body which was notorious for sacking indisciplined players. Trouble is, BCCI has spread itself too thin on past laurels - and the country is going berserk on watching more and more of 14-reel cricket - Celebrity cricket league, IPL-Summer and IPL-October and the long dry-and-deadpan-pitch winter cricket season which end in draws or batsmen hauling up triple ton records.
Cricket nations across the world are waking up to the fact that too much money has crept into the cricketing lives - and cricket in India is becoming as gawdy as the big fat Indian wedding. If performance is not coming sooner or in consistent bouts, the euphoria or fixation over our national sportsgame will become anathema. Cricket lovers in India know that cricket blues happen also more often here than anywhere else. We just need an independent decision-making team that can look the other way when advertisers, business groups and cricket superstars are pouring in money. Money talks, in cricket also but not for too long - especially when performance goes missing.
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