Cricket-The Gentleman's game

At the outset,let us celebrate the outstanding triple century of Virender Sehwag.I must say,it was a treat to watch such excellent batting in such hot &humid conditions.Now,that the test match has ended & expectedly in a draw i have been wondering about the future of Test Cricket post IPL & 20-20.Let me be very honest in saying that i thoroughly enjoyed the six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh & India's triumph in the inaugural ICC 20-20 World Cup.
But,as noted historian & avid cricket aficionado Ramchandra Guha recently wrote,Test cricket is akin to premium scotch,ODI's to Indian made foreign liquor & 20-20 to country made hooch.My opinions aren't much different for it was Test cricket that gave us our cricketing greats.I have observed, players who succeeded at the Test cricket level also do well in the other forms of the game;but the vice-versa isn't true.Notable examples being Ajay Jadeja & Michael Bevan.I think our generation was lucky enough to see a Wasim Akram-Waqar Younis bowling in tandem or for that matter Anil kumble & Habhajan singh.Still,I envy the older generation for they could see the Fast bowling greats of West Indies all bowling in tandem or for that matter the famed spin quartet of India.If you had a Vivian Richards who could tear your bowling apart,you also had a Peter Taylor who could get him out with his off spinners.Even i remember some exceptional duels between bat & ball as late as the mid nineties.I consider myself lucky to have seen Sachin tendulkar,Brian lara,Muthiah murlitharan,Shane warne all in their prime.
Initially,when ODI's came up big time,they were also perceived to be a threat.Has it really affected the game?i would say yes although like a slow poison its effects are being visible of lately.There have been some positives like financial security of players & plenty of money for development of cricket in other parts of the World.But,post retirement of some of the cricketing greats & with some on the verge of one aren't we finding that we are awfully short of talent in World Cricket.Have we seen someone as good as a Tendulkar or Akram?Spin bowling is a dying art & thanks to ODIs' & now 20-20's spinners are seen as people who could rush through their overs quickly to keep a tab on over rate.Now who cares that spin bowling is an art & can be perfected only in an arena like that of test cricket.Even in Fast bowling,all we see is half baked products & thanks to the hectic schedule they are injured more often than not.Even when they are fit,all they get is flat pitches where they only end up spoiling their career averages.Now,in such a scenario its only usual to expect kids to dream of becoming a batsman.
In the early days of ODI's there was a fine balance between ODI's & Test cricket.With the passage of time & growing popularity ODI's took center stage.Still,the effect on the game was minimal.It was blatant commercialization of the game & concentration of the power in the hands of businessmen & politicians -especially in south Asia- that the game began to lose its sheen.
Today,the entire cricket lovers fraternity is debating the pros & cons of 20-20 cricket & leagues such as IPL.Its a nice proposition,but then too much of everything is bad.So,lets not kill our golden goose.Cricket was always a classic game.We can do a service to the generations to come by not tampering with its class & quality.

Lessons from the past....

Few days back i was reading about the Australian Prime minister Kevin Rudd.It was about his unconditional apology to the stolen generations.Now for the uninitiated stolen generation refers to the those children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian and State government agencies and church missions, under various acts of their respective parliaments, denying the rights of parents and children by making Aboriginal children wards of the state, between approximately 1869 and 1969.
The hypothesis being aborigines are not a civilized lot like the whites & their off springs must be made civilized so as to enable them to assimilate into the Australian society.A point worth noting here is that the reasoning is pretty much similar to the apartheid regime that was pursued in South Africa & the various other racist agendas pursued by colonial powers .Am reminded of the "The White Man's Burden".This poem penned by Rudyard Kipling aptly justifies the thinking & the Euro-Centric view point.This view proposes that white people consequently have an obligation to rule over, and encourage the cultural development of, people from other ethnic and cultural backgrounds until they can take their place in the world by fully adopting Western ways.
But how do you define superiority?Are there any fixed parameters for defining the same?For the aborigines or for that matter any group of individuals their lifestyle is the best;even though it might appear archaic or obnoxious to someone who is not accustomed to their way of life.The Jarawa tribes of Andaman being a case in point.
Of lately,even in India the attitude of the city bred people in powerful positions especially in Politics,Industry & Bureaucracy has been disdainful towards Tribals & other marginalised groups.The theory that Industrialization is the panacea for all the developmental woes of these backward areas- infested with poor & marginalised especially tribals-has done more harm than good.The problem is that this group of educated & liberated Indians think that GDP or GNP is everything.What they forget is another concept called GNH or Gross National Happiness.Only economic wellness isn't important & in this case even that is debatable for how the unskilled & semi-literate tribals will benefit from Industrialization is unclear.
What the policy makers don't consider is other forms of wellness viz.Environment Wellness,Socio-Political Wellness,Mental wellness & Physical Wellness.Our poor performance on these counts is well reflected in our ranking of 128 amongst 155 countries in UNDP's Human Development Index.
The numerous incidents that take place in opposition to the Government policies on Industrialization are a reminder that somewhere we are getting it all wrong.Its time to introspect & ponder upon our decisions.Should then industrial Development stop?The answer is no,but there must be a congruence of views & opinions of both the groups.In short the development must be a sustainable one.Then,the question before us is what are the alternatives for sustainable development?The answer is Yes,there are many;but the key is as i have put it earlier the needs & aspirations of the poor & marginalised class must be of paramount importance & not our vision thrust upon them.Then only we can move towards an equitable society & avoid incidents such as the one that happened in Kalinganagar.

Indian Hockey - A Sad Tale

Indian Hockey in deep distress!This is what i could gather from the numerous talk shows in TV & newspaper articles.India lost to Britain & will not be playing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Had it been in cricket it would have definitely resulted in huge uproar & fan frenzy;but nothing of that sort happened.
Now the question is Why?
Quite contrary to what the former players say or for that matter the enthusiasts ,hockey has been dead in India & this didn't happen overnight.It has been a continuous process & it started in 1975.Yes,its true we won a Gold in 1980 Olympics but then the standard of that competition was very low with withdrawals & all.
Now,i read many fanatic fans blaming cricket for hockey's diminishing popularity.Thats ridiculous because cricket was a virtual non entity till around mid 80's.It was the world cup win followed by some other wonderful performances against Top countries that really set the stage for Cricket.Incidentally,hockey's fall coincided with cricket's rise.Secondly,Cricket was marketed very well in India & the credit here must go to the BCCI & there was absolutely no Government support.1996 World Cup really showed the way forward to BCCI & luckily they capitalized on their chances.
IHF (Indian Hockey Federation) also got its share of sponsors but they failed to capitalize.Premier Hockey League(PHL) was a very innovative proposition & it also got the requisite media support from ESPN-STAR & sponsorships.But,the event was conducted shabbily & is a very good example of Bad marketing ruining a good product.
Furthermore,the IHF is run in a very pathetic manner.How can you explain the fact that the same team is running the show for more than a decade.Its like players & coaches will come & go but we shall rule.The big question is why are these gentlemen not leaving IHF?Financial impropriety can't be ruled out.An Comprehensive Audit of the Books of Accounts of IHF is the need of the hour.But who'll initiate the proceedings when the Union sports minister himself says that he is helpless!
Even,in the past IHF couldn't really use India's clout in the Hockey World.For example,IHF could have used its power to defer the introduction of AstroTurf because,in reality Indians were masters of Hockey in grass surface.Ever since its introduction,Indians have struggled on Astroturf surfaces.
To conclude Hockey needs marketing & of course a few bravura performances from the boys.Then you'll have the entire nation chanting "Chak De India"!