A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

Will another Indian ever make the same mark in county cricket?

In his book, “Sometime I Forgot To Laugh”, Peter Roebuck provides some insight into a perplexing quandary that has long lingered in my mind- why haven’t Indian players done well in county cricket? The definition of well here is to have an outstanding season, good enough to be at the top of the average

s and strongly influence the fortunes of your county – something which a lot of South Africans, Australians , West Indians, Pakistanis and Kiwis have managed to do.

Except for Anil Kumble’s 100 plus wicket season, there isn’t a single performance which can fall into the ‘outstanding’ category. Rahul Dravid, Mohd Azharuddin, Javagal Srinath and Virender Sehwag are others who have had good seasons but not really great ones. I can’t remember an Indian county pro leading his team to multiple titles or anything. Think of the countries mentioned above and many players come to mind for gaining legendary status thanks to their stellar contribution.

Most Indians would actually fall into the category of flops – And not that the great ones haven’t played in county cricket. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev, Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Prabhakar have all had fairly mediocre seasons.

This fact becomes even more difficult to digest when you consider that county lore is replete with legendary tales of non-international overseas players – players who have made no impact on the international scene but set the county scene ablaze. Then how come Indian players with glittering international records have failed to do the same.

A point could be made about familiarity and comfort with the conditions – Indians being more at home on slow dry tracks as compared to players from the other nations. But there are two arguments against this theory. One, is the success Indian sides have had on tours of England. Many batsmen and bowlers have distinguished themselves on these occasions but the same guys have then flopped when donning the county cap – case in point being Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. Second, is the phenomenal success enjoyed by our cousins from Pakistan –players who have a similar preference for sub-continental conditions as do our players. You could argue that Pakistan has had a far more impressive array of fast-bowlers and these guys have been hugely successful in the pace and seam friendly environs of England. But how do you explain the superior performance of Pakistani batsmen?

Another county legend from Pakistan

It was in this confounding situation that Roebuck came to the rescue. At Somerset, he played with some of the finest international cricketers – Garner, Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Martin Crowe – and therefore is somewhat qualified to offer expert advice on the matter. He says of Gavaskar that the routine of County life was deadening for a man so reliant on his spirit. He goes to the extent of generalizing the theory by stating that Indians generally don’t enjoy the dull and drab life of a county professional. Sounds promising.

Let’s try and extend the hypothesis. Indian players are mostly used to being treated as superstars and playing in jam-packed stadiums – one-dayers and test matches alike. They hardly play in their own domestic tournaments – doesn’t excite them. Also ex-cricketers have enough opportunities to make a decent living. In this regard, they are surely different than their Pakistani counterparts. There have been many Pakistani cricketers who have built a post-cricket life in England. So obviously there are fewer opportunities for cricketers in Pakistan and they have to develop a mercenary mentality so important to succeed as a professional in county cricket.

In a nutshell, the Indian cricketer has little motivation to grind it out in the county circuit – he is used to a more exciting cricketing existence and doesn’t care for the monetary incentives either.

But is that all or is there more to explain the county misadventures of Indian cricketers. What do you think?