RESTRUCTURING INDIAN DOMESTIC CRICKET

I have had this thought in mind for a long time now… months, really! Now I am finally getting down to laying it down in words. While doing so, I was again delayed by this post on Cricinfo by Harsha Bhogle… which was very related to my post, though not completely in agreement. It was definitely more food for my thoughts!

India’s domestic structure is a pretty complex one, and by almost a unanimous opinion, not the most effective or efficient one! For a long time now, there have been random voices and calls from various personalities suggesting, advocating and demanding changes… but there really has not been much of it! Like Harsha Bhogle, my post does not call merely for a change… it calls for an overhaul!

Along this line, I have written a post in a detailed and comprehensive manner describing specifically the changes I would like to see in Indian cricket's domestic structure. It has been hosted by Freehitcricket. Have a read!

WHY BANGALORE?

The BCCI has recommended that the India v. England World Cup match scheduled for February 27 be shifted to Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium after ICC disbarred the Eden Gardens, Kolkata from hosting it. And needless to say, ICC has accepted BCCI's recommendation and now ICC's official website shows the venue of this match as Bangalore.

But the question to be asked here is why Bangalore?

There were a total of 8 venues in India hosting matches in the original itinerary. Out of these eight, 5 had been given 1 India match and 3 non-India matches each. These 5 are New Delhi (Ferozeshah Kotla), Kolkata (Eden Gardens), Bangalore (Chinnaswamy), Chennai (M Chidambaram) and Nagpur (VCA Jamtha).

The other 3 venues had been awarded 2 non-India matches and 1 Knock Out match each. These three venues are Ahmedabad (Sardar Patel - Quarterfinal), Mohali (PCA - Semifinal) and Mumbai (Wankhede - Finals).

This was a logical allocation rule to follow between the top-8 Test centers of India. So now that Eden Gardens' India match is out of the picture, why did Bangalore land this match? They already have their 1 India match on March 6 (India v. Ireland).

Logically, I would have thought that Ahmedabad, Mohali or Mumbai should have landed this match because they are hosting 1 match less as compared to the other venues and are not assured of hosting an India match. Before I'd heard that Bangalore might get that match, I was thinking on the lines of Mohali because it is one of India's finest cricket grounds and is not assured of hosting an India match because favourites or not, India have to reach the semifinals first to play at Mohali.

Whatsoever may be the reason, shifting this match to Bangalore has perplexed me a bit. It would be nice if BCCI were to come up with an explanation and a reasoning as to why was Bangalore recommended over other venues. But then, this is BCCI we are talking about! Maybe I am expecting too much!

A TRIBUTE TO GARY KIRSTEN

This is coming a little late... but as they say, better late than never! When England won the Ashes and people started voicing that over the next year, India, South Africa and England will be a part of the 3-horse race to decide the best team in Tests, I did a post here looking ahead at the fixtures of these three teams over the next year.

Immediately after I had posted this blog, I realised that I had not considered a very important factor... the chance that Gary Kirsten may no longer be the coach of the Indian team over Test season of 2011. However, I put that thought at the back of my mind and put a mental note that I will reflect on it later. Then came the announcement that Kirsten will definitely not be renewing his contract with BCCI after the World Cup.

So now, that thought has come back to the front of my mind... and here I am, writing about the man who silently worked on Team India to make it reach unforeseen heights.

After the match-fixing controversy that rocked Indian cricket at the turn of the millennium, it took a partnership of Sourav Ganguly and John Wright (the first ever foreign coach of Team India) to see India through. They worked wonderfully well as a team... and were quite a contrast in their styles. Whereas the skipper Sourav Ganguly was loud and in-your-face fellow, the coach in John Wright was a quiet and behind-the-doors worker. Under their charge, India reached great heights with a number of Test wins abroad and the road to the World Cup finals in 2003.

But as it is bound to happen with every foreigner who has a job as tough as the one of coaching the Indian national cricket team, he did not renew his contract and went back to New Zealand... with his reputation enhanced. Then came the Greg Chappell era in Indian cricket.

His partnership started with Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly had reportedly sought Chappell's help to combat the rising deliveries during the 2003-04 tour of Australia... and he had had immediate effect with a fighting century in the opening Test at Gabba that set the tone for the rest of the series. So Chappell's appointment as coach with Ganguly as the captain was a news that was welcomed by most in Indian cricket.

But soon, Ganguly's form dipped, he was out of the team soon (reportedly on Chappell's suggestions to the Board) and Rahul Dravid was the captain of Team India. The Dravid - Chappell partnership was quite a contrast to the earlier Ganguly - Wright one. Here, it was a quiet and diplomatically correct captain who had paired up with a loud coach who as it later turned out, liked to use the media to get some of his work done.

Though India did see a lot of success during this time also (a world record run of ODI wins while chasing and a Test series win in West Indies), there was a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort within the team... and it was reflected in its interactions with the media. There was a feeling of insecurity in the team.

Then came the debacle called World Cup 2007 (the ODI version). India got knocked out in the opening round with a loss to Bangladesh. There were cries for senior players to retire. There were cries for the coach to be sacked. The coach himself made a few different claims that he had not gotten the team he wanted. Sachin Tendulkar spoke out against the coach for questioning the commitment of players. A few hours later, Greg Chappell tendered his resignation to the Board.

From this day (i.e. April 4, 2007), India did not have a regular coach for almost a whole year. Former cricketers like Ravi Shastri, Chandu Borde and Lalchand Rajput were given the responsibilities in this span. And India once again saw tremendous success. There was a Test series win in England, the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships and the ODI tri-series in Australia.

And then, Gary Kirsten was officially appointed as the coach of the Indian cricket team with effect from March 1, 2008... and his very first assignment was a home series against his home country South Africa. However, before that series, Kirsten had joined the Indian team on their 2007-08 tour of Australia and spent some time getting to know the individual members of the team.

Not many people know this (and amongst those who know, many may not remember this) that Gary Kirsten joined the Indian team in his capacity as a 'Future Coach' immediately after the controversial Sydney Test, which created a diplomatic furore. The tour was almost called off and one of the most silent and dignified man of Indian cricket, the captain Anil Kumble, went on to remark that only one team had played that Test in the 'true spirit of the game'.

It was in the midst of this huge storm of controversy and unrest that Gary Kirsten made his first entrance in the dressing room of the Indian cricket team, though not in any official capacity as of then. Though he may not have had any role to play in what followed immediately, but it is interesting to recall that India went on to win the next Test at Perth and then the tri-series as well. Gary Kirsten's relationship with Indian cricket had begun on a positive note and with a good omen.

In his first official Test as the coach of the team, Sehwag scored a triple hundred (319) at Chennai... and later went on to play many more unbelievable knocks under Kirsten's tutelage. After a little rough patch in Sri Lanka due to Ajantha Mendis' mysteries, Team India went ahead to play some of the most stunning cricket ever witnessed in our history. The 320-run Mohali win against Australia in 2008, the Chennai chase against England after 26/11, a series win in New Zealand, the ascendancy to No. 1 in Tests after a 2-0 drubbing of Sri Lanka with a spectacular win at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the retention of that ranking against South Africa at Eden Gardens, a series-leveling win with a second-string pace bowling attack against Sri Lanka at Colombo, a 2-0 'whitewash' of Australia with a nail-biter at Mohali and clinical efficiency at Bangalore, and then a brilliant and extremely impressive 1-1 result in South Africa.

Gary Kirsten saw the retirements of Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly, the good, bad and ugly times of Yuvraj Singh as a Test cricketer, the ups and downs of Raina, the brilliance called Virender Sehwag, the sturdiness of Sachin Tendulkar, the artistry of VVS Laxman, the struggles and successes of Rahul Dravid, the new-found confidence of Gautam Gambhir, the dependence on Zaheer Khan, the capriciousness of Harbhajan Singh, the sometimes-great-sometimes-not-that-great captaincy of MS Dhoni, and the flimsiness of the rest of our bowling unit.

Together with MS Dhoni, Kirsten formed a partnership that allowed Indian team to scaled newer and greater heights, instilled a spirit of team work, inspired confidence in each other... and today, after finishing his last Test assignment on the tour of South Africa, he deserves to sit and lean back on a comfortable rocking chair and smile a smile of contentment. That's the least he deserves!

Some guys like Zaheer, Harbhajan and Sehwag have gone on record praising the methods of Kirsten and the contrast they were to the tactics of Greg Chappell. Others like Dhoni, Gambhir, Tendulkar, Dravid and Raina are content in just praising Kirsten without comparing him with anyone... an acknowledgement of the fact that he is beyond any comparison as far as the coaches of the Indian cricket teams are concerned.

India has a tough year in Test cricket in 2011. There is a tour to West Indies immediately after the World Cup. Then 10 days after the end of the last test on that tour, the first Test against England in England is scheduled to begin. Then India will be hosting England before embarking on a tour of Australia in December. All this while, India will have to be without Gary Kirsten.

I just hope that the work done by Kirsten continues showing its fruits for a long time to come!

RANDIV'S SUSPENSION - OVER THE TOP!

Now this is what I call an over-the-top reaction. I have just read the news that Sri Lankan off-spinner Suraj Randiv has been suspended for 1 game and docked off his match fees for bowling the deliberate no-ball that denied Virendra Sehwag his century. And what's more, TM Dilshan has also lost his match fees for being the one who suggested such an act to Randiv.

I have already stated in my blog two days ago and by way of comments on numerous other blogs that the act by Randiv was not right! I don't know about the Spirit of Cricket (no one really knows, but everyone wants to pretend they know)... but it certainly left a sour taste at the end of the match. The match should have been remembered for India's win with more than 15 overs to spare... not for Sehwag's almost-century.

Coming back to the point... the suspension and the fines is too much! Well, Sri Lanka Cricket says that they are proud recipients of ICC's Spirit of Cricket award for two years in a row and that's why they came down hard on this issue. But in their minds, the Sri Lankan officials should know that this was way too hard!

The matter, in my opinion, should have ended with Randiv's apology to Sehwag! Maybe the captain / coach / manager / match referee / Board official should have had a quiet word with Randiv thereafter. At the most, the Board should have given him a slap on the wrist. A one-match suspension is way too much!

I mean, Simon Taufel was not suspended when he gave Sachin Tendulkar out LBW on 99 to a Paul Collingwood delivery that would have missed the off-stump quite easily! He later apologised to Tendulkar, and both got along with it. It was the same with Rudi Koertzen and Kumar Sangakkara when the latter was wrongly adjudged to have edged the ball when on 192. Then why should it be different now?

True, the umpires were not deliberately trying to deny the batsmen their landmarks... but they still did make wrong decisions that did or could have influenced the result of the match. Allow me to insert here that Steve Bucknor was punished for an entire collection of mistakes... not just one! So please do not bring on that angle of the argument over here in this issue.

Back to the point now... it is a sad and a sorry state that Sri Lanka Cricket resorted to acting against their player in a move that seems quite evidently an act to appease the BCCI. I doubt a stronger Board would have taken such an action!

ABSURD SCHEDULING

Nagpur will be hosting the third Test instead of Mumbai during New Zealand's tour of India in November - December 2010. Earlier, this match (20 - 24 November) was scheduled for Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. But after Mumbai Cricket Association's announcement that it will be unable to host the match due to the preparations for World Cup 2011, BCCI decided to shift it to Nagpur.

Empty Stands don't bear a pretty sight!

The current BCCI President Shashank Manohar, originally from Nagpur, was elected to his post on 29th September 2008. From that point, India played 33 international home games (11 Tests, 20 ODIs, 2 T20Is), out of which Nagpur has hosted the most number for any venue - 5 matches (2 Tests, 2 ODIs, 1 T20I).

By the end of this year, Nagpur and Mohali would have hosted 3 Tests each (starting from October 2008). Given that these two venues have seen extremely low crowd attendances in Test cricket over the recent past, it seems that BCCI is not using any head in its scheduling. In 2008 against Australia, Sachin Tendulkar went past Brian Lara as the highest run scorer in Test cricket in front of virtually empty stands at Mohali. And a couple of weeks later at Nagpur's new stadium in Jamtha, he scored a century acknowledged by a handful of spectators.

Things were no different when Mohali hosted its next Test against England and Nagpur hosted against South Africa. Part of the reason for low attendance for Test cricket in these grounds (apart from the dwindling interest in the purest form of the game) is the fact that these stadiums (at Mohali and Jamtha) are located quite some distance away from the main cities of Chandigarh and Nagpur respectively. Most spectators are unwilling to travel that far for a day of Test cricket that might not even bear a result.

So I am stumped as to why BCCI has ignored the other Tests grounds that have shown good crowd attendance whenever they have had a chance to witness Test cricket. Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata have hosted just 1 Test each during this period... and by the end of 2010, Bangalore will be the only venue amongst these four to increase its tally to 2 against Australia. These grounds have seen good crowd support for Test cricket... but either BCCI is blind and deaf or it is dumb. I guess it's the latter!

SELECTION REVIEW: PART 2

(contd...)

YUSUF PATHAN DROPPED:

Like Yuvraj, Yusuf too had it coming. Bowlers world over have the knowledge of shortcomings against the short ball. So much so that Yusuf Pathan could not even touch the two short balls bowled to him by Zimbabwean Christopher Mpofu in India's first ODI of the tri-series in Zimbabwe.

I have aleady mentioned and I reiterate it here that Yusuf needs to tour with India's A teams to places like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He is not going to improve much even if he smashes 10 more match-winning double hundreds in finals of domestic tournaments.

In fact, now that Saurabh Tiwary has been called for the Asia Cup... there is a vacancy in India A's squad that is currently in England. That should be Yusuf Pathan now... if the selectors are wise enough!

SAURABH TIWARY GETS A CHANCE:

Saurabh Tiwary is unlikely to get a game in Sri Lanka... but the fact that he has been selected as a part of the Indian team should do his confidence a world of good.

He has been selected on the basis of his IPL performances... and that is why I feel that this selection is flawed. Selection on the basis of IPL performances is not a very wise strategy. We have already seen it backfire on Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav, and even Yusuf Pathan for that matter. I just hope that this young lad does not meet the same fate.

I followed Tiwary's season this IPL in detail since I am a Mumbai Indians supporter. He is not technically great... but has a lot of power. However, he does need a few overs to settle in. He is not a Kieron-Pollard-style-smash-it-on-arrival fellow... he needs time to get in before taking the aerial route. And that is why, my impression of him was that he could have a good future in India's ODI team. There are some players who are Test specialists and some who are Twenty20 specialists. Saurabh Tiwary, for me, comes under a different category called ODI specialists.

OTHER DECISIONS:

Ravindra Jadeja was retained in the squad. Not too wise in my opinion. I certainly do see a future for him as an Indian player. But the Shane Watson attack on him at Barbados seems to have robbed him of his confidence completely. He needs time to regain it before stepping back into the international scene.

Ashok Dinda has also been retained. Well, it would be unfair on the lad to drop him without giving a decent exposure. But did he deserve that India cap in the first place? I doubt it. The selectors have been playing musical chairs with India's seam bowling resources... and I don't blame them completely. They are not getting the results... but that does not mean that they can shove anyone and everyone (like Dinda and Yadav) into the international scenario.

SELECTION REVIEW: PART 1

Another meeting of the Selection Committee for the Asia Cup 2010 to be held in Sri Lanka from 15th June to 24th June. How is the team? Not ideal, but do we have a choice?

Here are some of the big decisions:

YUVRAJ SINGH DROPPED:

Well, he had it coming... Yuvraj's major problem was not that he was not getting the runs. He was bound to get them if he continued batting... he is too talented to be in a run drought for a long time.

The problem was his attitude. I am not even going to have a look at the off-the-field incidents that might have / might not have had an impact on this decision. Just the onfield incidents are enough.

First of all, his fitness is a huge issue. His waistline has grown... and the fact that it has shown no improvement in over two months now begs this question that does he really have the motivation and desire to work hard and earn a place in the Indian team?

Secondly, his fielding has gone bad... there is no other word for it. With the emergence of newer and fitter fielders, Yuvraj was bound to be moved away from his usual point position. But, wherever he fields, Yuvraj is expected to be agile and alert. Misfields because he failed to go down in time to pick up the ball, gross attempts at diving and unwillingness to chase a ball down does not seem to suit the requirements of Team India.

Thirdly, all this has taken a toll on his batting as well. His average has dropped... and he is not the dangerous batsman anymore who could once upon a time, change the game like no one else (apart from Sehwag, perhaps!)

SACHIN TENDULKAR RESTED:

This was not the decision of the selectors, in any case! The minute Sachin Tendulkar makes a decision... everyone in Indian cricket listens... right from the Board President to the groundsman working on the pitch. Who are the Selectors then?

But I have to add here that I am not happy with SRT's decision (for a change). Sure, he has earned enough respect and done enough for India to have the right to decide which tournaments does he want to play in and which ones does he not want to. But skipping the Asia Cup is not too wise a decision, in my opinion.

I know that India has a tight schedule ahead now. But skipping the season opener will not make the future schedule lighter. A wiser decision would have been participating in the Asia Cup now... and then skip maybe the ODI home series against New Zealand. Or some other additional tournament that the BCCI is bound to insert for more moolah...

Whatever the case, we have to live with this decision now. Though with the comebacks of Sehwag and Gambhir, I am not too worried.

(contd...)

SCARED OF MORE HUMILIATION?

The media is still slamming BCCI's decision to not send a team for the Asian Games in China. In search of a solution, I thought India could send an almost full-strength team there.

India's squads for Tests and Twenty20s differ majorly. Here is the Test squad: G Gambhir, V Sehwag, R Dravid, S Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, S Badrinath, MS Dhoni, H Singh, A Mishra, Z Khan, S Sreesanth.

You might have noticed that I have taken the liberty to replace Yuvraj Singh with S Badrinath... a change that I believe is essential. Yuvraj needs to be kept out of the squad to let him know that he is not indisposable. As replacement, the two guys on my radar were Badrinath and C Pujara. Since Pujara plays higher in the order in domestic cricket, it would be unfair on him to make him play at No. 6. Therefore, Badrinath.

Now, the Twenty20 squad: M Pandey, R Uthappa, N Ojha, S Raina, V Kohli, R Sharma, Y Singh, R Jadeja / I Pathan / Y Pathan, P Kumar, A Nehra, RP Singh / V Kumar.

The guys from the Test squad who would have been a part of a Twenty20 match in normal circumstances are: G Gambhir, V Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Z Khan. Amongst these, Zaheer Khan has been well replaced... simply because even he looks dreadfully off colour. Uthappa's good form (as of now) should ensure that Gambhir's absence does not harm the team too much. Naman Ojha is good behind the stumps... so Dhoni's keeping will not be missed. And as far as MSD's batting is concerned, he has stopped hitting his booming shots in any case. Ojha might just end up having a better strike rate than Dhoni in Twenty20s after the Asia Cup! Dhoni's captaincy might be missed... but we do have to groom someone for the future.

The only guy who cannot be replaced is a certain Virendra Sehwag. He was missed in West Indies... and he will be missed wherever he is not available to play cricket (whatever the format) for India!

There is one catch, though! I don't know if the matches in the Asian Games are going to be allotted the official status. But if India does send a different squad there, then there can be no way that the matches will be awarded the official status. How can India play on two different lands on the same day in two different games of cricket!?

But that is still far away though! Will BCCI risk sending another 'B' team after the humiliation in Zimbabwe. Two losses to Zimbabwe in as many matches is a first in the history of Indian cricket... but that it came against a Zimbabwe squad such as this one should make the Indian players lose sleep over their performance. If the two defeats had come against the Zimbabwe squad of early 2000s, it would still have felt better than this.

And both the matches were convincing wins by the hosts. It wasn't a last ball thriller... far from it. Both the matches, second in particular, were finished by the Zimbabweans in a clinical manner... something that India has not managed far too often over the past few weeks.

NO INDIA IN ASIAN GAMES... SO WHAT? - PART 2

The cricket that will be played at the Asian Games will be Twenty20 format. There will be a Champions League Twenty20 to be played just before that. There will be IPL every year. There will be a Twenty20 World Cup every two years. If cricket is included in the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, there will be more such Twenty20 tournaments. Then there will be the ODI World Cups and the Champions Trophies. Where is the space for Tests then? Where is the time for bilateral tours?

The second allegation being made is regarding the politics involved in governance of Indian sport. This one does make some sense. A very pertinent question raised last night in a news debate regarding this issue was: if the men's schedule is too tight to not send a full-strength team, why can't the BCCI send the women's team atleast? Is it because the BCCI does not want the team to play under the banner of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which is governed by Mr. Suresh Kalmadi (who is not on the best of terms with a certain Mr. Sharad Pawar)?

If this is true, it is a shame! Sport in the sub-continent has always been riddled with politics. BCCI could also have sent a second-string side for the men's event as well. They may say that our secon-string side would not have won a gold, but that does not qualify as an arguement. Sending a strong side also does not assure you of gold either.

I have no clue as to what might happen now. Maybe the BCCI will buckle under the pressure from the Sports Ministry or something and decide to send a team. Maybe a second-string team will be sent. Maybe a women's team will be sent. Maybe the New Zealand tour will be shifted to cramp the cricket calender even more. Maybe the 3-Test 5-ODI tour will be shortened to a 2-Test 3-ODI tour. God only knows. But in the interest of the game, all I have to say is that don't just slam the BCCI for the sake of it.

I am no fan of the Board of Control for Cricket in India... but they do have a job. And in every job, at certain times, you are helpless. That is BCCI's state at the moment. Lets just give them some space to make a decision and then respect it if they can give sound logic behind their decision.

NO INDIA IN ASIAN GAMES... SO WHAT? - PART 1

Last night, most of the news channels that I saw were showing just one news - BCCI has decided against sending a team to the Asian Games later this year in November at Guangzhou, China.

What amused me was the fact that this news has generated a lot of ire against the BCCI. While the media being against the BCCI is not a new occurence, but the reasons given certainly left me puzzled.

Why is BCCI not sending a team to the Asian Games? What is the BCCI's take on it?

As per the Future Tours Program, India is supposed to host New Zealand for a Test and ODI bilateral series during that period. Considering that India will also be hosting Australia for 7 ODIs (it may change to include Tests as well) just before the New Zealand tour and will tour South Africa immediately after the New Zealand tour, there is just no space to reschedule the tour.

What are the allegations against the BCCI made by the media?

The first allegation that is being made is that BCCI is a money-thirsty animal, and sees no profit in sending the team to China for the Asian Games. The news channels have gone to the extent of saying that BCCI feels no pride in sending an Indian team and just wants more of IPL and the money.

Loads of blasphemy! I guess that BCCI bashing has become an obsession with the Indian media. There may be no money in sending a team to the Asian Games... but then there isn't a lot of money in hosting New Zealand either. Infact, considering that the Asian Games would have meant more of Twenty20, it might just have generated more money than Tests and ODIs with New Zealand.

And even against New Zealand, we will see an Indian outfit... not an IPL club. They will still be playing for the pride of representing India, whether its against New Zealand or whether its in China. So the media men should get a hold of themselves while alleging that there is no pride left in representing India.

And what pride will be earned by beating Oman, Afghanistan, UAE and China to earn an Asian Games medal? Wouldn't the national pride be better served by beating New Zealand in Tests and ODIs... try and retain the No. 1 ranking in Tests and get to the No. 1 in ODIs?

(contd...)

UMPIRING HORRORS IN ANTIGUA

South Africa began the second leg (it's a many-legged tour, this one) of their Carribbean tour yesterday, playing the first one of the two Twenty20 matches scheduled against the home side, the West Indies.

The match marked a return of international cricket to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua... the ground that was in news for all the wrong reasons about a year back. But this time, there were no problems in the bowlers' run-up area or the pitch or anywhere on the ground... there was a problem only with the kind of cricket played.

West Indies team has been ordinary for quite a long time now... but I had no idea that their umpires even worse. After watching the performance of their umpires yesterday, I have almost started respecting Billy Doctrove ten times more. He is an international Elite panel umpire who has grown out of that system... with the likes of Clyde Duncan and Norman Malcolm for company and competition. Thank God that ICC follows a neutral umpire strategy in Test cricket... else, following Test cricket in West Indies would have been a nightmare! I was embarassed by their standard yesterday. If I were to explain to a non-follower why cricket is a good game to follow, yesterday's match would certainly not be the one I would choose for an example!

In 2008, the BCCI had a tie-up with Cricket Australia for training the umpires and prepare them for a spot on the Elite Panel. India, after all, has not had a representative on the Elite Panel ever since Srinivas Venkatraghavan retired in 2004. I think WICB needs a bit of the same to prevent dramas like the ones that happened yesterday.

(I know I haven't reported any of the embarassing umpiring decisions, but you can read many other accounts of the same floating over the internet for that purpose. I would recommend Luke Tagg's match report at The Boundary Rider.)

MAY THE SECOND BEST SIDE WIN

All right, the Tests have ended. For the next few months, we have a few ODIs and plenty of Twenty20s scheduled. It starts tomorrow - the World No. 2 ODI Team taking on the World No. 3.

Just like 2 Tests seemed far too less to decide the winner of the Battle for No. 1 in Test Cricket, 3 ODIs seem woefully insufficient to decide the winner of a Battle between No. 2 and 3 for ODIs. But considering the clout of BCCI and their obsession with Twenty20, I guess that we just have to be thankful that they are scheduling and letting us watch some Tests and ODIs.

India and South Africa take on each other in the 1st ODI at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium with the knowledge that the team batting second is likely to hold a big advantage. Yes, the dew factor might well have a big say in this 3-ODI series. In the last ODI series played by India in Bangladesh, we saw the team batting second win 7 out of 7 matches. Is it the same in store here?

Harsha Bhogle, in an article after that Bangladesh tri - series, wrote that good teams are ones who are able to overcome not only their opposition, but also other obstacles in their way. Dew is but one of them. With two very good sides raring to go at each other after a hard - fought Test series, I hope that we can have another gripping contest beginning tomorrow. May the second best side win!

DISTURBING CROWD

South Africa tried very hard to pull off an England, and Hashim Amla tried to be the Paul Collingwood. In the end, South Africa choked when the No. 1 ranking was up for grabs. And Amla ended up pulling off an Andrew Strauss (check my previous blog).

I have already blogged a lot about my joy in watching the crowd at Eden Gardens. I read Sidharth Monga's article of Cricinfo - The rot in rotation yesterday, and I must say that it made a lot of sense. I'll quote a bit of what he said:

"In a recent piece in the Hindu, S Venkataraghvan, the former India offspinner, wrote about the Pongal Test in Chennai. "In Madras, this festival [traditionally in mid-January] used to be synonymous with Test cricket at Chepauk," he wrote. "Schedules were carefully drawn so that a Test match was played at Chepauk during the season."

That is like the Boxing Day and New Year's Tests in Australia and South Africa, annual events that people plan for from months ahead. The last time Chennai saw a Pongal Test, though, was in 1988, and there have been only 10 Tests there since. With nine venues and only five or six home Tests a year, it is impossible to develop such Test culture."

India has ten Test venues (alphabetically, no favouritism involved) -
1. Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
2. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
3. Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi
4. Green Park Stadium, Kanpur
5. M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai
6. M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
7. PCA Stadium, Mohali
8. Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera), Ahmedabad
9. VCA Stadium (Jamtha), Nagpur
10. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (temporarily unavailable due to renovation)

The most disturbing crowd attendances in Test cricket have been at Mohali, Ahmedabad and Nagpur (as stated by Sidharth Monga). And the cities where crowd has been the most disturbing for the visiting team are Kolkata and Chennai.

India plays about 5-6 Tests at home every year. I would suggest that 2 of these are awarded to Kolkata and Chennai every year. In fact, it should be so managed that like the Boxing Test (MCG) and New Year Test (SCG) tradition, Kolkata and Chennai should have a tradition of their own. In the long run, it will help prospective spectators plan their holiday schedules around it. They won't have to wait for BCCI to release the tour itinerary in order to confirm their own travel plans if they are travelling from other cities to watch these Tests.

The remaining home Tests should be awarded on the basis of a ranking system. This ranking should consider factors like last Test official crowd attendance and pitch preparation. Even domestic crowd attendance can be considered. The Ranji Trophy Final and Duleep Trophy Final showed very encouraging signs. And it's high time that Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is inducted into the list of India's Test venues.

And why only in India - may be, ICC could create a ranking system for Test grounds based on various such parameters. Then, a news flash in the future might read: India climb to No. 1 in Test Team Rankings and Eden Gardens climbs to No. 1 in Test Venue Rankings.

SIX SOLID LESSONS

The Indian team got a taste of reality over the last four days. It was embarassing to watch the match as an Indian fan. So, mid-way through the third day, I changed my mindset - I decided to watch the match as a cricket fan rather than an Indian cricket fan. Oh, it was so much more enjoyable then!

The South African team taught many lessons to a lot of people in India.

Lesson No. 1: While Steyn, Morkel and even Parnell (playing just his 2nd Test) were head and shoulders above the Indian seamers, even Paul Harris showed that he can be considered a better option than India's premier spinner Harbhajan Singh. Though Zaheer and Mishra did put in whole - hearted performances, it just cannot be compared to the South African effort - partly due to luck, but mainly due to skill and perseverance (in case of Harris).

Lesson No. 2: Amla and Kallis collectively scored 426 runs for South Africa in just one innings losing just one wicket between them. India's top 7 managed an aggregate of 410 runs in two attempts losing a total of 14 wickets between them. Here, I am very tempted to quote what Avijit Ghosh wrote in his blog 'Addiction' on Times of India:
"It is important to regularly play Test matches with teams with good bowling attacks. At the moment, only Australia, South Africa and Pakistan have penetrative all-wicket attacks. Playing against teams with ordinary bowlers gives an inflated sense of a batsman’s ability. Dhoni, for instance, is a master of mediocre bowling but is hardly the same batsman against stronger attacks. Closely examine his run of scores and you’ll know what I mean. And he was giving Harris more respect than he deserved."

Lesson No. 3: It does not matter that your coach has resigned just before coming into a very big series. It does not matter that your entire selection panel has been sacked. It does not matter that your cricket board is about to be restructured. What really happens on the 22 yards and the grass around it is what decides who the No. 1 Team in the world is going to be. And yes, amidst all this, they showed that even a selection panel that faced the ignomity of being sacked is better than the Indian selection panel.

Lesson No. 4: This lesson has already been covered by the quote from Avijit Ghosh's blog above. The BCCI needs to learn this lesson, and learn it fast. India needs to stop playing Sri Lanka every now and again. India need to face more of South Africa, Australia and even England in Test cricket. A 100 run loss in an ODI does hurt, but an innings defeat in a Test match at home humiliates. I hope BCCI gets the point and pays more attention to Test cricket.

Lesson No. 5: This is the most obvious one - fielding. No one really expected Indian fielding to match up to South African standards - and it didn't. Even though our fielding was not really street - level, but there is still a lot of scope for improvement.

Lesson No. 6: Perhaps the most important lesson of them all! The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Rahul Dravid are still needed to guide the newer players. Their role in the team is perhaps more important than that of Dhoni himself. Everyone is talking about preparing for the transition period that India will have to face. But something that needs to be understood here is that the likes of Tendulkar and Dravid are needed to prepare the younger generation for the transition.

In the first innings, Badrinath lost his wicket soon after Sehwag got out. In the second innings, the writing on the wall became crystal clear once Sachin got out. To use examples of our recent past, Dravid and Sachin were needed to see India to respectability in the recent Bangladesh tour. In the Hyderabad ODI against Australia (better remembered for Sachin's masterly 175), Ravindra Jadeja looked cool as cucumber with Sachin at the other end. But as soon as he got out, Jadeja lost his cool and his wicket going for a suicidal single. There are a lot many more such cases, if only we could open our eyes to them.

The young guns on India all look promising. But they will need the help of their seniors to fulfill their promise. There are no two ways about it.

CAST A COACH

Three coaches have been in news over the past week: Arthur Mickey (now an ex-coach of South Africa) has gotten the maximum news bytes after his bolt-from-the-blue resignation; Ottis Gibson created some news by resigning as the bowling coach of England and taking over as the head coach of West Indies; and Gary Kirsten renewed his contract with the BCCI as the coach of  India, thereby squashing all rumours that Cricket South Africa was trying to recruit him.

What really defines a coach's role in a cricket team? Or for that matter, what is the role of the entire supporting staff that accompanies a cricket team? It's common knowledge by now that England's support staff has a bigger strength than their team. There are all kinds of coaches - head coach, assistant coach, batting coach, fast  bowling coach, spin bowling coach, fielding coach, wicket-keeping coach, mental conditioning coach, and the list goes on. Then there are various managers - head manager, assistant manager, media manager, et cetera. And we have more back room staff - video analyst, masseur, physiotherapist, trainer and more.

The strange thing is - everyone of them has a role to play. Sachin Tendulkar, on completion of his 20 years in international cricket, acknowledged the role of all the coaches and the supporting staff that he'd been with. I thought that there was only so much a cricket team could do off the field!

Going by the current trends, what are new possible coaching / supporting roles that might open up in the times to come? I have come up with a few possibilities as job openings with cricket teams: IPL Recruitment Manager (to ensure that the players are selected in the auction), Team Chef (so that Shahid Afridi does not go hungry again), Board of Selectors Negotiation Manager (so that the captain gets a team of his choice always), Multiple Captain's Coach (a role for John Buchanan in KKR), Multiple Mistresses Manager (so that cases like John Terry and Tiger Woods do not come out in the open - a role for Paddy Upton maybe?),... and well, I really cannot think of any more.

Do come up with your own ideas and let me know. Lets see if BCCI is interested in our list.