Our cricketing honeymoon
Our early world cup exit can yet turn out to be a blessing. The board has got an unique opportunity to put the Indian cricket in order. This disaster has given the board the mandate to do anything they want to do. They can sack the coach, they can sack the captain, they can sack the selectors. They can even do the unthinkable - sack Tendulkar.
However, all of this will be the doing of someone without any vision. None of the guys above are responsible for India's loss. It is the system which let mediocrity and past performance be enough to play for India.
The board has to take some tough decisions. And none of it has to be about sacking and dropping players. It is is about fostering excellence in domestic cricket.
There are two problems in domestic cricket:
1. It is bloated. More than 25 teams play domestic cricket.
2. Top players hardly ever play domestic cricket.
A lot of teams mean players get into a team easily. If it is easy, the motivation to do hard work is not there. Only when you know your career is on line, when not being in team means you will go hungry, will the hunger for cricket, for hard work come.
We all learn by imitation. We achieve by believing we can do it. When the top players play alongside us, we copy them. We see the hard work they put in the gym, we see how engrossed they are in their cricket, we see the sacrifices they make. If I am a budding cricketer, and I see Tendulkar working on his cricket 18 hours a day, you can bet I will put at least as much effort.
Finally, playing with top players builds confidence. If I am a bowler and I bowl out Tendulkar (OK, that is easy these days, but you know where I am going), it tells me I can really do it. It tells me he is really just another guy. We need these kind of cricketers - the tough, cocky ones.
Right now the Indian board can do nothing wrong. I just hope they do something right.
However, all of this will be the doing of someone without any vision. None of the guys above are responsible for India's loss. It is the system which let mediocrity and past performance be enough to play for India.
The board has to take some tough decisions. And none of it has to be about sacking and dropping players. It is is about fostering excellence in domestic cricket.
There are two problems in domestic cricket:
1. It is bloated. More than 25 teams play domestic cricket.
2. Top players hardly ever play domestic cricket.
A lot of teams mean players get into a team easily. If it is easy, the motivation to do hard work is not there. Only when you know your career is on line, when not being in team means you will go hungry, will the hunger for cricket, for hard work come.
We all learn by imitation. We achieve by believing we can do it. When the top players play alongside us, we copy them. We see the hard work they put in the gym, we see how engrossed they are in their cricket, we see the sacrifices they make. If I am a budding cricketer, and I see Tendulkar working on his cricket 18 hours a day, you can bet I will put at least as much effort.
Finally, playing with top players builds confidence. If I am a bowler and I bowl out Tendulkar (OK, that is easy these days, but you know where I am going), it tells me I can really do it. It tells me he is really just another guy. We need these kind of cricketers - the tough, cocky ones.
Right now the Indian board can do nothing wrong. I just hope they do something right.
posted by asterix at 7:31 AM
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