| Author | Message | ||
     Redbull Side Hero Username: Redbull Post Number: 2384 Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 195.43.48.145 Rating: N/A |
dravid..kumble kurralu...keka sppeches lo...let it be english and depth of th subject..kummi avathala padestaaru | ||
| Rajusk Megastar Username: Rajusk Post Number: 28208 Registered: 02-2008 Posted From: 170.74.56.78 Rating: N/A |
With the Indian economy undergoing a dramatic shift in the 1990s and the consuming classes increasing in numbers larger than the population of a small country, it all came together for the game. In the cricketing world too, there was a cultural shift around the time I was making my international debut. India had won the World Cup less than a decade earlier, a Test series in England three years later, and had begun to suggest that the fulcrum of world cricket was beginning to shift. Every slightest niggle was attended to, professional physios came on board which was a pleasant change from some we had in the past whose expertise was limited to preparing tea, organising luggage and occasionally give the players a hair cut. This has been a remarkable, often unacknowledged contribution by the BCCI. For over the years, it has been dealing with perceptions too. Earlier generations spoke of a relationship that was more employer-employee than parent-child (to borrow a phrase from Kapil Dev). Yet today, domestic players in cricket are better off than internationals in most other sports India participates in. The regular Ranji Trophy player is guaranteed a steady income, which is well above the average salary of professionals in many other fields. The one-time payment to former players was again a very unique initiative The challenge of maintaining tradition while we adapt to the modern demands of cricket are proving to be complex. It may be practical to step away from the unimaginative approach of packing every series with a couple of Test matches, a few one-dayers followed by a couple of 20-over games and instead consider carving out separate calendars for each format. Three different seasons for the game to accommodate the three different formats is easily conceivable. Here too India can lead the change as they have done with the IPL, now the richest domestic tournament in the sport. Our preparations for the future must include not only coaching on the field of play but education off it too. I was once asked by a youngster why he should waste his time with the game's history. Nothing is a waste if you learn from it - and the past provides us with many answers. We do not need to reinvent the wheel where the basics are concerned, but every stage of evolution demands an open mind and a fresh approach. |
