Cricket--Obituary to Rebirth
Death is hereditary.
This is synonymous to Indian cricket from time immemorial.On paper we have the best team,"the biggest names" and hordes of fans but we haven't been world beaters.We have won one world cup so far and the recent 20-20.
The problem with Indian cricket is that it is badly managed.It is well marketed but its management remains pathetic.People like Jagmohan Dalmiya,Lalit Modi are the best marketeers you will get any where in the world.They could sell ice to Eskimos.The very fact that cricketers are revered in this country is proof of the fact that these guys have put Indian cricket on a pedestal.
However if a product is not well managed even the best marketing in the world cannot assure you success.
Lets analyze this in detail.
Take the case of the recent 20-20 tournament.Our team was flooded with youngsters.Young legs,fresh and enthusiastic.The best thing about them was most of them came without a reputation.They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
All this looks rosy when the going is good.However the main question is,can these youngsters handle failure?.Remember in success we do not need to change anything,in case of a failure you need to change in order to be successful again.
If you recollect, a few years back we had youngsters filling up the team.People like Irfan Pathan,Yuvraj Singh,Harbhajan Singh,Virender Sehwag were seen as the next gen of Indian cricket.The story didn't exactly go by the script.After the initial success Irfan Pathan hit a purple patch and he was dropped from the team.Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh followed suit.Yuvraj was also dumped from the team sometime back.It took nearly two years for these people to get back into the team as part of the 20-20 team.What is similar between all these players?.The BCCI's short sightedness!!!!!
None of these players were taught how to handle failure.In India we have a fetish for prodigies.
A half baked meal might taste good,but your sure to have an upset stomach.
lets take the case of Australia.Michael Clarke was a prodigy at 16 years.They could have rushed him into the team like we do.The did not.Instead they sent him to England to play county cricket.They also sent him on various tours world over.Today he is a permanent fixture in the team.This is not to say that he would not hit a purple path or be unsuccessful.Surely with the experience he has gained his recovery will be much faster.Similarly take the case of Piyush Chawla.He was rushed into the team because he did well at the junior level.He has smashed to all parts of the park and its taken him about a year to get back into the team.
Take for instance Bangladesh,till last year they were considered green horns.Suddenly they have surprised everybody.They give you the feeling that on their day,they could beat any team in the world.How come this sudden change?.What have they incorporated back home to effect these changes and that too in quick time?.
They have appointed Australians at their 6-7 centers where youngsters are picked up and trained.They realized that if they wanted to improved they would have to manage better and who better than the Australians to show you that.When a politically unstable country like Bangladesh can do that,surely India can do better.
Sharad Pawar is one of the powerful ministers in the current government.With his influence he could effect sweeping changes in the way cricket is managed in our country.He also has people like Arun Jaitley who is the president of the DDCA.What are the talent scouts doing in our country?.its not enough if we divide our country into zones and appoint a head for each zone.we must make sure we build a talent pool and refine it.We keep lamenting that after Kapil Dev we have not had a quality all rounder.Makes it sound like our mother's haven't given birth to anybody after Kapil Dev.Aren't the talent scouts to blame for this?.Mr Pawar must remember "if a patient is sick he needs to go the doc,the doctor would never come to the patient".
Finally Mr Pawar with all you experience and influence i think a lot can be done for Indian cricket.There is a lot of talent out there.it needs to be spotted and polished.Keep the worries aside.remember "worry is like a rocking chair,it can keep you busy but it will take you nowhere".
This is synonymous to Indian cricket from time immemorial.On paper we have the best team,"the biggest names" and hordes of fans but we haven't been world beaters.We have won one world cup so far and the recent 20-20.
The problem with Indian cricket is that it is badly managed.It is well marketed but its management remains pathetic.People like Jagmohan Dalmiya,Lalit Modi are the best marketeers you will get any where in the world.They could sell ice to Eskimos.The very fact that cricketers are revered in this country is proof of the fact that these guys have put Indian cricket on a pedestal.
However if a product is not well managed even the best marketing in the world cannot assure you success.
Lets analyze this in detail.
Take the case of the recent 20-20 tournament.Our team was flooded with youngsters.Young legs,fresh and enthusiastic.The best thing about them was most of them came without a reputation.They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
All this looks rosy when the going is good.However the main question is,can these youngsters handle failure?.Remember in success we do not need to change anything,in case of a failure you need to change in order to be successful again.
If you recollect, a few years back we had youngsters filling up the team.People like Irfan Pathan,Yuvraj Singh,Harbhajan Singh,Virender Sehwag were seen as the next gen of Indian cricket.The story didn't exactly go by the script.After the initial success Irfan Pathan hit a purple patch and he was dropped from the team.Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh followed suit.Yuvraj was also dumped from the team sometime back.It took nearly two years for these people to get back into the team as part of the 20-20 team.What is similar between all these players?.The BCCI's short sightedness!!!!!
None of these players were taught how to handle failure.In India we have a fetish for prodigies.
A half baked meal might taste good,but your sure to have an upset stomach.
lets take the case of Australia.Michael Clarke was a prodigy at 16 years.They could have rushed him into the team like we do.The did not.Instead they sent him to England to play county cricket.They also sent him on various tours world over.Today he is a permanent fixture in the team.This is not to say that he would not hit a purple path or be unsuccessful.Surely with the experience he has gained his recovery will be much faster.Similarly take the case of Piyush Chawla.He was rushed into the team because he did well at the junior level.He has smashed to all parts of the park and its taken him about a year to get back into the team.
Take for instance Bangladesh,till last year they were considered green horns.Suddenly they have surprised everybody.They give you the feeling that on their day,they could beat any team in the world.How come this sudden change?.What have they incorporated back home to effect these changes and that too in quick time?.
They have appointed Australians at their 6-7 centers where youngsters are picked up and trained.They realized that if they wanted to improved they would have to manage better and who better than the Australians to show you that.When a politically unstable country like Bangladesh can do that,surely India can do better.
Sharad Pawar is one of the powerful ministers in the current government.With his influence he could effect sweeping changes in the way cricket is managed in our country.He also has people like Arun Jaitley who is the president of the DDCA.What are the talent scouts doing in our country?.its not enough if we divide our country into zones and appoint a head for each zone.we must make sure we build a talent pool and refine it.We keep lamenting that after Kapil Dev we have not had a quality all rounder.Makes it sound like our mother's haven't given birth to anybody after Kapil Dev.Aren't the talent scouts to blame for this?.Mr Pawar must remember "if a patient is sick he needs to go the doc,the doctor would never come to the patient".
Finally Mr Pawar with all you experience and influence i think a lot can be done for Indian cricket.There is a lot of talent out there.it needs to be spotted and polished.Keep the worries aside.remember "worry is like a rocking chair,it can keep you busy but it will take you nowhere".
posted by Realpolitik at 9:46 AM
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