With the gruelling Australian tour now completed, and the Indian cricket team having no engagements in its immediate future, the think-tank, which should have the Director Ravi Shastri and skipper M.S. Dhoni, must meet the BCCI office-bearers along with the Director of the NCA, Brijesh Patel, and present a blue print for the next two years. Planning and implementation are the most crucial parts in achieving the desired goals.
India may have lost the series in Australia and the World Cup, but this team has the ammunition to fire, provided its workload is monitored. For too long now, we have been concentrating on quantity rather than quality of cricket. Playing 791 matches; counting both junior and senior categories, in six months, isn’t going to produce quality players.
Dhoni made a pertinent point when he said that our international fast bowlers are forced to play for their State sides. English and Australian international fast bowlers play as per the plan that is decided by their respective State and National boards’ decision-makers.
State associations in their desire to win BCCI championships inflict a heavy workload on the players. Old timers say that fast bowlers of their era engaged in many matches but the calendar itself was not as busy, with modern players playing professionally in three formats for about 80 per cent of the year.
In order to allow quality fast bowlers to blossom, the NCA should monitor the workload. In fact, both Shastri and Brijesh Patel may create a system which will have all the heads of the senior State teams as part of that system, and conduct zonal meetings to monitor progress. Similarly, trainers and physios of the National team, should interact with their peers in the various States.
Emphasis on pacemenAn analysis of international cricket clearly indicates that fast bowlers have been responsible for the wins for their respective teams. It’s not that we don’t have fast bowlers who clock at over 140kmph but there is no process to unearth them like the TRDO system did a decade ago, through former first-class players.
Mumbai cricket is an ideal case study. Over 80 tournaments are played on 80 grounds and there are not even half a dozen genuine quick bowlers. In fact, there are no quality first-class cricketers. It’s because of a lack of system in the administration. Abey Kuruvilla was the last genuine quick bowler to play for Mumbai.
At the National level, we need to cut down on tournaments. While Duleep Trophy may hold sentimental value, playing the tournament is meaningless when the Ranji Trophy isn’t played on a zonal basis. When the number of tournaments are reduced, international players will get time to play in the Ranji Trophy matches. Young players blossom only when they get to play along with seniors.
Till such time seniors don’t get to play local and domestic cricket, Indian cricket will always be stagnant. There will be one group who will be playing international cricket andý another lot playing domestic cricket. How will this help Indian cricket grow?
While the workload of fast bowlers needs to be balanced, international players must find the schedule conducive to play domestic cricket. This requires meticulous planning and execution. It is for this reason that the think-tank of the BCCI must meet now, even though a long tour has just concluded.
