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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.
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.
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...)
