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Blame game continues...
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The domestic cricket scene in the country is encountering an all-time low with the three national tournaments being treated with scant respect, writes V V SUBRAHMANYAM
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BY ALL means, it is being reduced to a farce. To state that the old charm and glory of the once-prestigious Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup cricket tournament were lost long back will be an understatement. In fact, the entire event is now more of a mere annual ritual. A formality which the hosts, Hyderabad Cricket Association, have been completing, it seems, more by obligation than by any profound interest.
Definitely, there is no point in slipping into the pages of history to come with some interesting anecdotes of the event which was once the curtain-raiser for the domestic season. A tournament which, not long ago, most of the big names took seriously to either re-assert their form or stake claims for slots in the national team.
Now, look at the grim reality. The latest edition and that too, ironically, in the 75th year of the inception of the Moin-ud-Dowla Trophy, throws another pointer at the scant respect with which it is being treated. For, the best players from both the finalists — Chemplast (Hemang Badani and L. Balaji) and Cricket Association of Bengal (Rohan Gavaskar and Deep Das Gupta) — had reasons to give a miss to the final and prefer to join the third phase of the preparatory camp in Bangalore for the 30-odd probables. All in the name of `national interest'.
In the first instance, what are the selectors trying to convey to the contenders on home stretch by naming these probables even before the domestic season began? Do they intend to say that the three events — the K.S.C.A. tournament, the Buchi Babu and the Moin-ud-Dowla have no relevance at all when the five wise men sit together to come up with what they proudly proclaim to be a winning combination?
And, the helpless gestures of Bengal coach and former India star, Karsan Ghavri, say it all. "What can I do? There is no way I could have stopped my players for they were told that some very important and interesting lectures will be delivered by Indian coach John Wright in the company of other qualified trainers," he explained to The Hindu. Well, if only these preparatory camps mean everything, then where is the need for a domestic structure itself. To be more precise, the ridiculous manner in which the country's premier limited-overs cricket championship, Deodhar Trophy, was conducted after the Indian team was announced for the 2003 World Cup stands out as a perfect example of the so-called foresight of the powers-that-be. For whose benefit are these tournaments, gentlemen?
Imagine what difference it would have made if only players like V.V.S. Laxman played for his Indian Airlines struggling in the Moin-ud-Dowla or even the most exciting prospect, Ambati Tirupati Rayudu, representing Hyderabad and not an inconsequential eleven in the Film Stars v/s Indian Cricketers XI match in Visakhapatnam. This is a disturbing trend. If a serious contender for a slot in the national team can be made to play in such `exhibition' matches and skip the more serious competition, it can well reflect the poor planning or the way the officials take things for granted when it suits them. Clearly, there is something amiss somewhere down the line.
There is no point too in deciding who the winner will be in the blame-game.
Despite all the serious dissenting voices raised by many big guns of Indian cricket, it is pretty obvious that they have to ultimately bow to the high command of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. What is imperative is not whether they are lining up for a noble cause (which is again debatable) or not but that they have to toe the B.C.C.I. line or be prepared to face music is pretty obvious now.
Just consider this, when the idea was first mooted to stage the film stars versus Indian cricketers match at Vijayawada, it was ostensibly on the grounds to raise funds for the construction of an exclusive cricket stadium there. But in the wake of the controversial decision of the V.M.C., the match was shifted to Visakhapatnam and a serious attempt was made to give a new meaning to the match — a testimonial match for a senior official of the Andhra Cricket Association. Perhaps, realising the flak that they are bound to get for such a move, the script of the motto of the match was again changed to raise funds for some charitable trusts.
Well, that the B.C.C.I. gave more serious thought to the film stars match than ensuring that the best figure in the Moin-ud-Dowla is now pretty glaring. Ghavri makes a pertinent point saying: "Hours of lectures will not see batsmen score hundreds or take wickets. What is ultimate is the serious match-practice." What is more disturbing is the fact that some of the big names were available to play for their respective sides in the event but preferred to stay indoors, for reasons best known to them.
If the B.C.C.I. feels that Moin-ud-Dowla or that for that matter, the other two national tournaments in Bangalore and Chennai, normally held in the space of 40 days, no more hold the desired importance and relevance in finding talent, they why not at least try out a schedule spacing these tournaments in such a manner that they throw some talent before a major international event at home or abroad. For, there is no point in conducting events where the motivation is at sub-zero level for some of the best young cricketers or even those discards hoping to stage comebacks.
And, there is also a view that the B.C.C.I. can itself suggest organising two more under-19 national events at least to give the young talent to display their talent and not waste time and money in these events which have lost whatever meaning for which they were originally conceived. After all, there is no point in hosting a tournament just for the sake of posterity!
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