Does the board that owns the most lucrative cricket league in the world possess the will and the means to fight the slump in team india's fortunes?
Team India gets roasted 0-4 in the English summer. The top brass of BCCI shouts in unison – it’s a one-off. The stark reality is the exact opposite. The fact that a series was to decide India’s dominance in world cricket seemed lost upon the administrators. Instead of making sure a fighting fit unit embarked on the tour, the entire pool of players were sent on the IPL trip, six days after an emotionally and physically draining World Cup win.
India receives a 0-4 drubbing Down Under. Leave alone the acceptance of the rot and the need for remedial measures, the biggest name in the Indian cricket establishment delivers a tell-all statement. BCCI president N Srinivasan said: “Next New Zealand is coming to India and it will be followed by England and Australia. We will beat these three teams on our own soil. They cannot beat us here and we will feel very happy."
Kolkata in March 2001 gave Indian cricket its self belief. The belief that battles could be won, even against the best, despite being pushed against the wall. Kolkata in December 2012 not only snatched that self belief but also the reputation of being a formidable force at home.
Victory and defeat follow teams from womb to tomb, but at Eden Gardens, England defeated India in batting, spin bowling and reverse swing in our own backyard. Kolkata to Kolkata, in 11 years, Indian cricket completed a full circle. The richest cricket board in the world is yet to acknowledge this and come out with a gameplan.
Times are changing fast. And so is the sport. As former Pakistan cricketer and coach Waqar Younis said, "Battles in cricket are still won on the 22-yard cricket pitch. But now, lot of macro and micro level planning, integration between the supply and demand line, use of experts for different conditions and situations, scientific scheduling and itinerary are required. This is not possible without a holistic approach to the game."
Having played and coached Pakistan, Waqar now lives in Australia and is keenly involved in understanding the system in that country. One thing that he would have learnt is that in these changing times, one can plan and fail, but simply cannot afford failing to plan.
Geniuses come despite the system and Indian cricket was blessed to have quite a few of them at the same time. The exit of Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble followed by Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and the near-exit of Sachin Tendlkar has created a deep void and would have tested the best system. West Indies, Australia and England went into a slide for similar reasons. England and Australia managed to come out of it, as they had a proactive system to fight back. West Indies, on the other hand, struggled because of lack of this.
As cricketer and author Akash Chopra says “The faultlines in our system were there, but we were able to paper over the cracks because we had batting geniuses in our dressing room. Unless we devise a robust system, our present illness will become terminal and we will be permanently relegated to the middle, if not the bottom, of the cricket table." If we compare the way we are approaching the transition phase with that of England and Australia, the signs are ominous.
Team India gets roasted 0-4 in the English summer. The top brass of BCCI shouts in unison – it’s a one-off. The stark reality is the exact opposite. The fact that a series was to decide India’s dominance in world cricket seemed lost upon the administrators. Instead of making sure a fighting fit unit embarked on the tour, the entire pool of players were sent on the IPL trip, six days after an emotionally and physically draining World Cup win.
India receives a 0-4 drubbing Down Under. Leave alone the acceptance of the rot and the need for remedial measures, the biggest name in the Indian cricket establishment delivers a tell-all statement. BCCI president N Srinivasan said: “Next New Zealand is coming to India and it will be followed by England and Australia. We will beat these three teams on our own soil. They cannot beat us here and we will feel very happy."
Kolkata in March 2001 gave Indian cricket its self belief. The belief that battles could be won, even against the best, despite being pushed against the wall. Kolkata in December 2012 not only snatched that self belief but also the reputation of being a formidable force at home.
Victory and defeat follow teams from womb to tomb, but at Eden Gardens, England defeated India in batting, spin bowling and reverse swing in our own backyard. Kolkata to Kolkata, in 11 years, Indian cricket completed a full circle. The richest cricket board in the world is yet to acknowledge this and come out with a gameplan.
Times are changing fast. And so is the sport. As former Pakistan cricketer and coach Waqar Younis said, "Battles in cricket are still won on the 22-yard cricket pitch. But now, lot of macro and micro level planning, integration between the supply and demand line, use of experts for different conditions and situations, scientific scheduling and itinerary are required. This is not possible without a holistic approach to the game."
Having played and coached Pakistan, Waqar now lives in Australia and is keenly involved in understanding the system in that country. One thing that he would have learnt is that in these changing times, one can plan and fail, but simply cannot afford failing to plan.
Geniuses come despite the system and Indian cricket was blessed to have quite a few of them at the same time. The exit of Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble followed by Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and the near-exit of Sachin Tendlkar has created a deep void and would have tested the best system. West Indies, Australia and England went into a slide for similar reasons. England and Australia managed to come out of it, as they had a proactive system to fight back. West Indies, on the other hand, struggled because of lack of this.
As cricketer and author Akash Chopra says “The faultlines in our system were there, but we were able to paper over the cracks because we had batting geniuses in our dressing room. Unless we devise a robust system, our present illness will become terminal and we will be permanently relegated to the middle, if not the bottom, of the cricket table." If we compare the way we are approaching the transition phase with that of England and Australia, the signs are ominous.
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