Wow! Can it get any hotter than that? Its been quite a while since cricket has been hogging top headlines. But yesterday was the motherlode. Two huge developments - one quite promising, the other somewhat disturbing - hit Indian cricket yesterday. And these were not the run of the mill media shockers that sizzle, fizzle and die ten deaths in the matter of a few hours on Indian TV. These were developments that will have a long term effect on Indian cricket, and I sincerely hope, it'll be a good one. My take on both the happenings...
Let's bring on the good news first. Zee's Subhash Chandra, in a Packeresque move, announced the ICL (Indian Cricket League) amongst heavy fanfare. Starting with 6 teams sometime later this year and targetting another 10 in the next three years, ICL will be played in two formats (One dayers and 20-20). Chandra announced that the contracted players will be getting a monthly remuneration as well as performance based incentives. The teams would comprise of 2 India internationals, 4 overseas players & 8 juniors. The league would be aimed at building a competitive spirit and killer instinct among Indian cricketers. The league is to be governed by some well respected names in international cricket, a move that'll definitely add credibility to the final product. Going by the success of PHL on ESPN-Star, it can be safely assumed that ICL will push Zee Sports into the turf of major sports channels on Indian TV. So far so good. But two questions loom large in my mind.
First is the BCCI. How would they react to this? So far, there's been no comment, official or otherwise, from them except that they've recieved a communication from Chandra regarding the issue and they'll respond to it. I wonder whether they'll try throwing some spanner in Chandra's works by not releasing their contracted players for the league even when not on national team duty. This could take the initial sheen out of the product and could kill the marketing momentum. This is not a vague and random thought. Usually the official line in such development would always be guarded - the sit back...watch the waters kind. In Packer's case, Cricket Australia went to the extent of a confrontation with WSC, though I expect the BCCI to be wiser. Second is the composition of the teams. With the kind of money Chandra is throwing up, I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be able to get some top grade overseas talent. The India players issue would be in BCCI's hands and if they decide not to relent, ICL would have to settle for some also-ran ex-India players - neither a very healthy sign in terms of the quality of the product nor in terms of viewership. The 8 junior players would be the most crucial, as this is going to form the bulwark of the league and grooming them into international grade cricketers is one of the league's visions. We still don't have any clarity as to the selection criterea for this pool. Answers to these questions would make the future direction of ICL much clearer.
Now comes the tough part. The bad news. Senior players from the side are up in arms against coach Greg Chappell. Sachin Tendulkar, probably the most graceful and humble of the current lot came out in the open with a scathing statement on the the coach's tactics. Along with him, other senior players too, have openly criticised the coach for being a divisive force within the team. Good that the players have come out openly against the coach in full defiance of the BCCI gag. Now we have both sides of the story. Its now upto the fans to choose who they want to believe - the players who till not very recently were being looked up as heroes for having achieved things not many had done in the past or a coach whose reputation as a tenacious terrier with no aversion to hitting below the belt to gain an upper hand goes hand in hand with his much tomtommed reputation of a batting great. Those who feel Team India bashing to be the in-thing will accuse me of a bias here. Maybe many ex-aussie cricketers including Steve Waugh were biased when they warned Ganguly not to support Greg's candidature for coach. Maybe australian cricket in general was biased too not to have given Greg a decent coaching run in their own country. I'd always been against appointing him as the coach and still hold strong on the same view.
However, every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining. Some heads are bound to roll in the aftermath of the WC debacle. This could be a good chance for Zee to rope in some really nice talent who can be the torchbearers for the ICL atleast for the first 2-3 years. Talking of heads rolling, the BCCI is all set to appoint a committee of ex-players to look into the current and the future of Indian cricket. Something they should keep in mind, but I know they won't, is to avoid any cricketer with any kind of media involvement in the recent past. This might bring in vested interests of the individual or the organisation he represents. Well...they say that I keep dreaming. Why not? As an eternal optimist, don't I have the right to?
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
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3 comments:
It will not be easy for Chandra to make his ICL work. At the risk talking too early, I wld say that just having a few international players and creating 6 teams to play against each other will not ensure that crowds will throng the stadiums. Sport all about rivalary, this is what was in favour of Kerry PAcker - he had international teams playing against each other.
As for the Chappell fiasco, there has to be some truth is what he is saying. Even the team manager, Jagdale's report has similar things to say about the seniors.
I see the success of ICL vis-a-vis the success of PHL. With cricket being much bigger as compared to hockey in India, half the work is done. The rest depends on how well Zee is able to execute their plan.
The foreign players are enough IMO if they can pick up some known talent. Recent discards from top teams like Australia, SA etc. will do the trick. And I'm sure they've budgeted their kitty well enough for that.
Though the rivalry factor is missing out, Zee has a strong initial momentum going for them as he's launched this at the right time. He's presented himself as a saviour of Indian cricket in the face of BCCI's abject failure. And this will bring in the initial crowds...maybe even just to see how it shapes up.
Will write more about Chappell but need to gather some facts and thoughts for it.
Well...I'm not denying the fact that the WC team lacked cohesion. But its the responsibility for the lack of cohesion that I'm debating here.
Coach and manager simply get away by blaming the seniors...and that's not right. The coach was not there to teach them how to hold a bat and a ball. When you coach a national team, your coaching responsibility goes much beyond mere technique. The mental aspects of the game are also part of the job. This is where Chappell failed. He tried to implement a new philosophy in a confrontationist manner. This is where his lack of prior coaching experience comes to the fore.
The manager? First of all, what's a manager's locus standi in Indian cricket today? After the SA tour, the manager Chetan Desai gave out a report citing acts of indiscipline by Sehwag. He was pooh-poohed by the Indian cricketing establishment. He was snubbed by the BCCI. Dravid went to the extent of saying "Who is Chetan Desai?". So where is Jagdale coming from now? Moreover, Jagdale is also a member of the selection committee and has been one of the most vocal proponents of youth in the team. Isn't there a possibility of his report being influenced by his stand on the selection committee?
Now to the specifics. These very seniors have served Indian cricket for a long time under different coaches. And as Sachin put it, till date, no one has questioned his commitment to the game. There was definitely a fault with the application of the players. Something that the management needed to work on, but never did. But how wise is it that you portray a lack of application as a lack of commitment? And do the reports by Chappell and Jagdale talk about their own failures too? I'm sure not.
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