The Offside

If there is no quality in domestic cricket, it is unfair to expect the system to churn out players who can perform at the highest level. Year after year, the Indian domestic system sees numerous batsmen score piles of runs, collaring the weaker bowling attacks on dead pitches, only to be found severely wanting at the highest level. Remember Sujith Somasunder or, more recently, Sridharan Sriram? After making a mockery of the bowling in the domestic circuit, batsmen of this kind failed miserably at the international level.

The only way to improve the situation is to make India's leading cricketers play more domestic cricket. The Challenger Trophy comes up in January, during a break between the Tests and one-dayers against England. This is an ideal opportunity to pit India's upcoming talent against the brightest and the best.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said earlier this year that it would take all necessary steps to ensure that this happened. Come the Challenger series, however, and, one after another, players have been excused from doing duty. First, Sachin Tendulkar said that he needed to rest, and the Board gladly agreed to let him go. Soon after, paceman Javagal Srinath joined the list. Just as the last Test against England was under way, Rahul Dravid, who struggled to score fluently in the series, asked to be left out on account of a sore shoulder. Initially selected as captain of India 'A,' Dravid's absence will now leave a gaping hole. There is also talk that the skipper of the India seniors side, Sourav Ganguly, has asked to be left out.

If the whole lot decides to sit out, who will set the standards? The top Indian cricketers must be forced to play more domestic cricket.

The Onside

Whether somebody is playing cricket for India or working at any other profession, it is only fair to say that it is impossible to go on, week in and week out, for a year without a break. Playing sport at the highest level is a grueling experience, both mentally and physically. This is especially so in the case of the best players in a team, who are under constantly higher pressure.

Let us take a look at the schedule that the Indian team has to follow in the next year or so. England come back to India to play limited-overs matches in January. They are immediately followed by Zimbabwe, who play both Tests and one-dayers. Fast on the heels of Zimbabwe's departure, India travel to West Indies. All this after gruelling back-to-back series against South Africa and England.

Let's face it. Every player is human and needs a break from time to time. If we do not learn from recent history, the long-term losses are alarming. Midway through the series against India, Graham Thorpe pulled out, flying home urgently. The reason? A marriage that was on the rocks, with two children, aged four and two, caught in the crossfire. Thorpe was clear that the demands of touring lay at the root of his problems.

When players do duty for the nation on a non-stop basis, they must be repaid with more than this. An understanding of the players' problems is necessary; just paying out mega-bucks will not solve things. While the BCCI must attempt to get players to take part in domestic cricket, they must take into account special cases and not force players into participating in inconsequential tournaments.

[ Archive ]