A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

One of the biggest challenges facing the ICC is the expansion of the game – how to make it popular in more countries.

There are a lot of new countries which play the game but it looks unlikely that the game will really take off there.

The reasons for this not happening are manifold

There is little or no financial security for a player from one of the emerging countries. This is a huge deterrent and creates a multitude of other challenges. It stops people from taking to the game in a big way – The players are largely restricted to expatriates from the major cricket playing nations. Few native residents take to the sport and as a result there is a small pool of players available and the country cannot improve as a cricketing nation.

There are other issues for the lot who take to the sport braving the financial uncertainties. They need to play against better opposition on a regular basis to improve their game. They require exposure to top quality coaching and cricketing stratagem. For lack of all these, even the most talented cricketers from a lesser nation cannot realise his full potential.

As the sport isn’t very popular, the country lacks for funds and can barely develop any kind of infrastructure or run coaching and scouting programs for young players.

Other than international cricket, opportunities to play cricket exist in the IPL and the domestic leagues of England, Australia and South Africa but they are extremely limited. When a clutch of established players can go undrafted in the IPL, what chance does an unheralded player from a developing cricketing nation have?

Other than the task of growing the game in the developing nations, the ICC also needs to arrest the slide that the game is facing in countries like Zimbabwe and the West Indies. These countries are also suffering from lack of sufficient funds

Many these problems could be addressed, atleast in large part, if there were a few more professional leagues on the lines of the IPL.

Before we explain how, we first need to confirm if cricket can accommodate more such leagues.

In terms of availability of players there shouldn’t be a problem. There are enough international players without IPL affiliations to support atleast a couple of more leagues. Then there are the first class players from other cricket playing nations. And finally there are the players from the lesser cricketing nations – atleast a few of them will find a place if there were more leagues.

Finding sponsors is not a problem. And as far as markets are concerned, India itself can accommodate more than one league. The last IPL showed that even a country like South Africa can support a league like this. All in all there shouldn’t be a problem in having more than one league.

There could be questions about whether the new leagues would be as popular as the IPL. After all spectator interest is driven by marquee names and currently the IPL seems to have all of them. This issue will automatically get addressed by market economics and player preferences as it happens in the case of football. If there was a league based in Australasia, then a lot of players from the southern hemisphere could gravitate there. Team owners from different leagues could outbid each other for the big names.

A Champions League amongst teams from different leagues will also make more sense.

Scheduling shouldn’t be a problem. The ICC is anyways trying to set aside a window for the IPL. The other leagues could be held around the same time as it happens in football or even basketball.

Now to understand how it will help the ICC in promoting the game in the newer cricketing nations and rescuing it in the West Indies.

More leagues will mean more requirements for players. Today’s IPL teams have a choice of plenty when it comes to foreign players and are hard pressed to find good Indian ones. The good teams are slowly realizing the merits of scouting and player development. The proliferation of leagues will take this to the next level. Today an IPL team based in Rajasthan goes and scouts for talent in the states of Gujarat and M.P. Tomorrow they could be headed to Barbados and Western Australia and even Harare. There will opportunities for talented players from the lesser nations as well. Countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Wales are nothing in international football. We would have never heard of the likes of Dwight Yorke and Ryan Giggs if there was no premiership. We wouldn’t have heard of Hakeem Olajuwon if there was no NBA.

American baseball teams run full-fledged programs in the Central and South American nations. These programs help in identify and training future stars. Lots of European clubs do the same in Africa and South America. This way the clubs help build the infrastructure and run the youth programs – things which the poorly funded national association cannot do most of the time.

The Pittsburgh Pirates recently found two Indians with the physical tools to become top class pitchers. They took them to America and offered them professional contracts. They are currently playing in the minor leagues and are being top class training. If one of them could make it to the top then the Pirates would do more for the game of baseball in India then the Baseball Federation of Indian could have ever done. A team like the Delhi Daredevils could do the same thing in cricket for a less endowed cricketing nation.

The professional leagues will offer financial security to a talented player from a lesser nation. A player with potential will have all the motivation to actively pursue the game. Playing with the best in the business will help them realize their full potential. These players will learn a lot from playing in the leagues and that will help them when they play for their national sides. Other players from their countries will also benefit from the experience of these players. Some of them could learn enough from the experience to eventually become scouts and coaches – they will help in finding and grooming more talent. These guys could serve as great role models inspiring to induct a whole new generation into the sport.

Most of these benefits could apply to a country like the West Indies as well. The drying talent pool could be reinvigorated if more cricketers could make a good living playing abroad. Jamaica made it to the World Cup of Football, thanks to the bunch of players who play in the lesser leagues in England. Would these players have had the same appetite for the game if they had to do a day job to support their families and playing for the national team was the best they could do.

Would this reduce the importance of international cricket?

No, because International cricket would still serve as the best platform to display your talent to the clubs. Players with international experience will always be more sought and better paid. The ICC could do a few things to ensure that the sanctity and popularity of international cricket remains intact – Like defining some quotas for international players. They will also need to handle the scheduling of the international and league calendar in a manner that players don’t get burnt out and there is minimal conflict of interest.

In twenty -20, the ICC has discovered a format that they can market to the world. Creating more professional leagues will go a long way in making the game truly global.

Baseball umpires wear protection on their face and chest. The close-in fielders including the wicketkeeper wear protection on their head and legs. Its time the umpires wore some protection as well.

Ready to make a move up the ranks

Team Composition

The stars of Mumbai’s foreign contingent are Sanath Jayasuriya and JP Duminy. The Sri Lankan veteran returns after an outstanding 2008 season, while the young South African is a star in the making. Other than these two, there aren’t any big guns amongst Mumbai’s foreign players. Dwayne Bravo is a more than useful all-rounder and there are a couple of decent speedsters in Dilhara Fernando and Kyle Mills. Mohd Ashraful and Graham Napier are capable of big hitting but are also highly inconsistent. Mumbai haven’t quite got the same firepower in their foreign brigade as most of the other teams. The lack of capable replacements would hurt if the first unit doesn’t click.

While their foreigners are a little lightweight, the Indians in the Indians’ side definitely pack a punch. First there is Sachin Tendulkar, still capable of winning matches on his own, and then there are two of the best bowlers in world cricket – Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. There is also Dhawal Kulkarni, who broke through in the last IPL and followed that with a superb domestic season leading to a national call-up. Shikhar Dhawan and Abhishek Nayar are their best domestic players and both played stellar roles in the 2008 edition of the league. Mumbai is the richest cricket nursery in the country and they are well capable of unearthing a few hidden talents as well. The likes of Saurabh Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane and Jaydev Shah provide some bench strength as well.

Leadership and think-tank

Sachin Tendulkar has loads of experience but is definitely not a great captain. And the same is true of his de-facto deputy, Sanath Jayasuriya. Mumbai’s failure to win the close games cost them a semi-final berth last time and they cannot afford to do the same again.

Best Playing Eleven

Tendulkar, Jayasuriya, Shikhar Dhawan/Rahane, JP Duminy, Graham Napier/ Ashraful, Abhishek Nayar/Saurabh Tiwary, Bravo/Kyle Mills/Dilhara Fernando, Takawale/Pinal Shah, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Dhawal Kulkarni/Rohan Raje

Balance of the team

Mumbai’s weakness is their batting as they have only a handful of quality batsmen in the entire squad. On the flip-side almost everyone in the side can turn their arm over and that gives their captain a never –ending list of bowling options. Not having a high calibre wicket –keeper batsman also disturbs the balance of their side.

Ideal Game Plan

In Zaheer, Harbhajan and Bravo, Mumbai have three excellent death bowlers. It is a safer bet to put your money on their bowlers to win you games at the end.

Final Verdict

Should move up a rung to make the semis this year. Once there anything can happen.

Other IPL Previews

Delhi Daredevils

Deccan Chargers

Chennai Super Kings

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The challenges of building a winning IPL side

An entirely differnet kettle of fish

This exercise of previewing the teams will focus largely on analyzing the composition of the teams. Based on that we will try to predict which of the teams might make the semi-finals of the competition.

This analysis will have two parts. In part one; we will first look at the composition of the players category-wise. There are broadly three categories – Foreign players, Indian Internationals and finally Indian domestic and junior players. We will break down each team category-wise and see how well each category of players stacks up for a particular team.

Having done that, we will look at the overall composition of the sides – how balanced they are, their strengths and weaknesses, chemistry, leadership, form and their suitability for South African conditions.

This overall exercise will throw interesting light on which teams are best equipped, atleast on paper; to make the semi-finals of the second edition of the competition.

To understand part one, we need to first appreciate the dynamic of each category and the unique challenges they pose for the teams.

Foreign Players

The first one was the limit of 4 foreign players in the playing eleven. This was further complicated by the partial availability of various players. The good thing about this limit is that there is endless choice as highlighted by the fact that many top players missed out in the player bidding. This gives the franchisee an opportunity to pick up some bargains. But at the same time, the franchisee also needs to pick up the match-winners who come for top-dollar. And as is the case with any big investment, all possible angles need to be studied.

Angle one is that, ideally, a franchisee should try to pick up the kind of players who are in short supply in the other categories – the Indian Internationals and the domestic and junior players.

This item happens to be the genuine all-rounder. And there is another argument in favour of picking foreign players who are allrounders. This type of player happens to be the best value for money as they fulfil multiple roles. It’s almost like getting two for one. The format of the T-20 game makes even a lesser all-rounder a genuine and match-winning one– the short duration of the game and its slam bang nature doesn’t call for an all-rounder to be in the class of Botham or Imran – guys who could walk into a test side on the basis of just their batting or bowling ability. Rather it calls for the Lance Klusener variety – ones who can bowl their quota of overs regularly and make a significant contribution with the bat. And in this form of the game, scores of 25+ are also considered to be significant contributions.

It is also noteworthy that similar to one-day specialists, there also exist T-20 specialists, many of them allrounders, who fly low under the radar of the international audiences. A smart franchise could pick up a stud T-20 all-rounder, with little international experience in the other forms of the game, from one of the foreign leagues for a basement bargain price. Just like European football clubs have talent scouts in South America to pick up precocious youngsters for next to nothing; this will require a franchise to develop an international scouting network. The added advantage of such players is that they are unaffected by the international cricketing calendar and can play the full schedule of games.

Alternately, if a franchisee goes for a specialist, they should pick out a practitioner of the highest class. The only justifiable reason for picking up a lesser player is if you are getting a major bargain for a player who fills a major hole in the team.

This is similar to how successful clubs in European football filled their quota of foreign players, in the days when there was a limit on that number.

Indian Internationals

The good thing about this category is that there is no limit on the number of such players that you can have in the playing eleven. This category is also very important because the quality of these players is significantly higher than that of the domestic and junior lot and more or less at par with the foreigners. Additionally, the availability of these players for the entire tournament is guaranteed. In the case of IPL 2009, their experience of having played in overseas conditions also becomes an advantage.

The many good things about this category created a higher demand for them and consequently their prices were highly inflated as compared to the price of a foreigner of similar ability.

The challenge, thus, was two-fold. First you needed to have Indian match-winners and there was a mad rush for the few who qualified as one. Secondly, you needed to find as many fringe internationals as possible so that you could limit the number of players in the playing eleven who belonged to the third category. With budgetary constraints, it was again imperative to find the bargains.

There was also the added twist of the Icon Players. A few of the franchisees were forced to shell out an astronomical amount for players who could have been obtained for far less otherwise. The fact that some of the franchises didn’t have Icon players actually gave them a salary cap edge.

Domestic and Junior Players

This is the category of lesser players but it is important for the simple reason that the last few slots in the playing elevens, after the bidding for foreign and Indian internationals was over, were filled in by players belonging to this category. So if a team didn’t find a decent bunch from this lot to fill the last few places, they were almost playing with a reduced side – a severe handicap.

In the first edition, each franchisee was allocated a feeder zone – they had the first choice to pick players from these states. While it was a reasonable and just method, it impacted two of the franchisees dearly – Kolkata and Hyderabad, for the simple reason that most of the Ranji players from these two cricket associations had joined the ICL. Later all such restrictions were lifted, allowing for free trade to prevail.

Other than grabbing the established domestic stars, the challenge for a franchisee in this category is to scout for and unearth little known domestic players who might have the necessary skills to make an impact in the T-20 game. In India, domestic cricket is largely limited to four-day and one day cricket and therefore, it is difficult to identify players who might be mediocre in these formats but better in the Twenty-20 version. This challenge can be addressed by talent scouting through a network of domestic coaches and scouts. A good example of this was pacer Goni who was recommended to VB Chandrasekhar of Chennai by coach from Punjab.

We will now use our understanding of each category, to preview the teams by analyzing their composition category –wise. That will be followed by looking at their overall strength in terms of the regular cricketing parameters. This will be done in two posts that will follow soon.

The two most explosive guns in the Indian batting arsenal

India’s batting line-up is currently the toast of the cricketing world. There has been no shortage of superlatives heaped on it, none bigger than Sachin Tendulkar calling it the best batting side that he’s been part of. That set off a chain reaction with various attempts being made to put the feats of this side in perspective.

Comparing this team with most of the older sides is a very difficult task – for the simple reason that the one-day game has drastically shifted in favour of the batsmen – thus enhancing the potency of a powerful batting line-up like this one. Comparing them with any of the older sides is like comparing the serve of a player with a wooden racquet on a clay court in the 70’s with that of a modern day player on a super fast indoor court with a graphite bazooka.

And that is why it will be unfair to compare the mighty batting sides of the 70’s and 80’s with this Indian side, or for that matter any of the modern day sides whose effectiveness was amplified by smaller cricket grounds, easy paced wickets, better cricket bats and multiple restrictions on the fielders and the bowlers.

Not that I am trying to take anything away from the current Indian side. I am just saying that it is harsh to call them better than, say the West Indian side with Greenidge, Haynes, Richardson and Richards – because there is no way of knowing what they could have done today. Those guys gave us a glimpse of their ability in rattling up 360 against the Lankans in the 1987 World Cup.

Legends yes but never part of an all conquering batting side

The other thing which doesn’t make sense is to compare two sides by matching up the career batting records of the individual players in each side.

What really defines how good a batting line-up is at any point in time is the current form of the players and how well they perform the roles that they are allotted – a great batting side is one where each actor is playing his part exceptionally well.

Once you take that into account it is easy to see why Sachin Tendulkar is right – because although the line-up of Rahul Dravid, Mohd Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly is in a different league statistically, they never quite gelled like the way the current unit has – they never overwhelmed opposition sides with sheer batting might like the way the current team does.

In fact forget just Indian batting line-ups; few sides in the modern era (the period when 300 run scores became a regular feature) have had all the critical elements required to cook up the perfect batting storm.

The Australian and South African sides have dominated the one day game for long stretches but they have never done it on the back of an explosive all conquering batting unit. Their bowling and fielding units have made an equal and often more significant contribution in getting the victories.

The Indian bowling has also come up in leaps and bounds but few will argue that it is their batting which has made them such an imperious juggernaut.

But they are still not the best batting side in the modern one-day game.

Mad Max and the Matara Mauler - aptly named

That distinction still lies with the Sri Lankan side of the period around the 1996 World Cup.

That team opened with Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana and they were followed by Asanka Gurusinghe, Aravinda De Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillekratne for most part.
Like the current Indian side, most of the players in that Lankan side reached a major crest in their batting lives almost at the same time, creating a batting machine which for a period of around 3 years mowed down everything that came in their way.

They also happened to be a flexible unit where each batter was performing a certain role which seemed tailor-made for their abilities. The Lankans have had great batsmen before and after but never have all the pieces fitted in so perfectly. They were so good in the one-day game that they had started harbouring hopes of becoming the best test side by 2000.

The height of their achievement was obviously the 1996 World Cup where they romped to the title without breaking sweat. Other than setting the then highest one-day score against the Kenyans, they also achieved the unique distinction of becoming the first side to successfully chase down a target in a World Cup final.

Like in the case of the current Indian side, critics will argue that this side did most of the damage on flat tracks against mediocre bowling sides. But every one day side in the last 15 odd years has had similar opportunities – very few one matches have been played on difficult wickets in this period and everyone gets to play everyone – yet no other side has demoralized opposition bowling attacks with such amazing regularity.

So what does the current Indian side need to do before they can stake a claim to being the best batting side of this generation?

They will have to do what the Lankan side did and more.

The Lankans stretched their hot batting form for more than 2 years and won the World Cup in the sub –continent.

The Indians can emulate their feat by riding this rich vein of form into the World Cup and then going all the way. Incidentally the next World Cup will also be held in the sub-continent and that will give the Indians a fair chance of matching the Lankans.

Till they manage to do that, the title of the best batting side in the post modern one-day game will continue to rest with Arjuna Ranatunga’s Sri Lankan side.

Everything surely looks different from behind those glasses

We looked at the balance of the team after exchanging Zaheer Khan with Robin Uthappa. We have South Africans, Australians and team balance was important. I was keen to buy Kevin to give it the balance. We are delighted to buy him

As told to reporters by Royal Challengers Bangalore owner, Vijay Mallya, after he bought former England captain, Kevin Pietersen for 1.55 million dollars.

One, Mr. Mallya doesn’t know that balancing a cricket side doesn’t mean balancing the nationalities. And second, he hasn’t done a good job of that as well, forgetting to add any Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis.

His other great idea is to hand over the captaincy to either Robin Uthappa or Kevin Pietersen. Knowing what happened between Pietersen and England Coach Peter Moores, Mr. Mallya might as well ask Pietersen to hire a completely new coaching and support staff, in case the Englishman gets the nod. And God bless the supporters of RCB if Uthappa becomes captain. I would never trust a person who gets a corn-rows hair cut with anything which involves leading from the front.

And forget if they become captain or not – even as players, Robin Uthappa and Kevin Pietersen weren’t the possible additions for a side which needed to make major changes.

Zaheer Khan has been hailed as the best bowler in world cricket at the moment and Mallya should have gotten someone a lot better than Uthappa in return for India’s pace spearhead. If he was really planning to balance his side in cricketing terms, he should have looked for an all-rounder. Perhaps he could have tempted RR to part with Yusuf Pathan. The Jaipur side have lost two of their top fast bowlers – Shane Watson is injured and Pakistani Sohail Tanvir is persona non grata in the country – and would have probably jumped at the chance to get Zaheer.

As for Pietersen, Mr. Mallya ended up spending almost his entire 2009 budget on a single player who happens to be too one dimensional to justify his hefty price tag. Again the side could have benefitted more from the inclusion of a world-class all-rounder (read Andrew Flintoff). Pietersen doesn’t quite bring the same package which the likes Dhoni and Symonds do. Mr. Mallya seems to be smitten more by KP’s antics (like his switch hitting) rather than his overall ability to significantly improve the RCB side.

KKR and DD have followed KXP’s example from last year and gotten top-class Australian talent on the cheap. Moreover, unlike KP, these players will be available for the entire length of the tournament. Mallya could have gotten a lot more than just KP and Jesse Ryder had he also bothered to scour for Australian and South African talent. But no, he already had too many of them and they would have disturbed the delicate cultural balance of his side.

P.S – Mr. Mallya has serious ambitions to become president of the All-India Football Federation. For once I am glad Priya Ranjan Das Munshi has thwarted his attempts to do so. At least the honourable minister quietly lies in his hospital bed and doesn’t do anything stupid.

New Zealand took their first  steps in coloured clothing in Beige

Beige lasted a long time. Here the Kiwis are in Beige in the infamous game where Trevor Chappell bowled under-arm

Then the Kiwis turned to Grey. It was their colour in the 1992 World Cup

Dull Grey was soon replaced by a much brighter Cyan although small bits of Grey remained

And then the Black Caps finally started wearing Black

But the Black loving Kiwis have not forgotten their old colours

They wore Beige for their first Twenty-20 game and the colour remains hugely popular as a retro uniform

Grey has also made an occasional comeback

They Kiwis have also paid homage to the Cyan by using it in combination with the Black

In 2009, the Kiwis have a unveiled a new cricket uniform. It is supposedly Black but doesn’t quite look like Black. More like a very dark Purple Black mix. Have the Black Caps moved on to another colour?

Well, I will let you decide for yourself. The new uniform has been placed alongside the old Black one.  Is it really Black or another new colour in the long-list of colours worn by the so-called Black Caps?

How apt would it be to call the Kiwis the Chameleons of One -day Cricket?

Its important to make the teams try to win it and not just try not to lose it

Sachin Tendulkar made an extremely valid point about neutral venues for the knock-out fixtures in the Ranji Trophy. He rightly opined that it takes away the ‘home advantage’ factor which is such an important aspect of cricket. While that will surely increase the excitement level in the moribund Ranji Trophy, there are other changes that the BCCI needs to look at.

But, before I suggest the changes and provide an argument in favour of them, let’s look at the format of the domestic game in Australia, England and South Africa, which without a doubt serve up a more engrossing fare and hence are eminently more watchable. The quality of the pitches has a role to play in it, but fundamentally the format is designed to encourage more aggressive cricket.

Australia

In Australia, teams play a home and away round-robin format. These are 4 day games. The top two teams contest a 5 day final. The top team gets to host the final and wins the trophy in case the match ends in a draw/tie.

Points System

Result     Points
A win (irrespective of the first innings result – 6
A tie (irrespective of the first innings result – 3
A first innings lead in a drawn or lost match – 2
A first innings tie in a drawn or lost match – 1
A loss on the first innings – 0
An outright loss after being behind on the first innings – 0
Abandoned or drawn matches with no first innings result – 0

It is important to note that even in the case that a team loses the match after gaining the first innings lead , they still get 2 points, which is the same number they would have got, had the match ended in a draw. Obviously teams will be encouraged to go for a win and six points without fear of losing the 2 points. Also a win get you thrice as many points a draw. There is no semi-final round so teams have to finish in the top 2. There is no reward for playing safe. Teams have to go for the jugular.

England

In England, there is a two-tiered system with promotion and relegation. Matches are all 4 day games. Teams player each other once and the winner is the team with maximum points.

Points System

Result                       Points
Win -                14 + bonus points
Tie –                    7 + bonus points
Draw -                4 + bonus points
Loss -                  Bonus points

Bonus points are collected for batting and bowling. These points can only be obtained from the first 130 overs of each team’s first innings. The bonus points are retained regardless of the outcome of the match
Again as in Australia, teams don’t lose bonus points if they take a risk to go for a win instead of settling for a draw. A win is worth 3 and half times a draw so the rewards for aggressive cricket are very high. County teams have often been known to make outrageous declarations and sometime forfeit an innings each by mutual consent to get a result. Nobody gains by a draw. And again, as there is no play-off, there is no reward for finishing second. There is no room for safety tactics. Even the bonus points can only be garnered in the first 130 overs – so teams have to bat or bowl aggressively in the first innings – and that sets an attacking tone for the rest of the match.

South Africa

In South Africa, a franchisee system was adopted for the domestic competition, the SuperSport Series, in 2004-05, with an aim of creating stronger teams for a higher standard of competition. The teams play 4 day games in a round-robin format and the one with the highest points emerges the winner.

Points System

Teams get 10 points for a win and zero if they draw or lose. Bonus points are awarded for batting and bowling in the first 100 overs of each team’s first innings of the match. The first batting point is awarded when the team reaches 150 and then 0.02 points for each further run made within 100 overs. Bowling points are awarded at 3,5,7 and 9 wickets within 100 overs (a maximum of 4).As in England, these points are retained irrespective if the final result of the match.

In the South African model, there is absolutely no reward for safe cricket. Teams have to attack from ball one to garner as many bonus points, which can add up to 10 or 11 in a single game, which is as much as you would get for a win. And drawing a game will really push you down the table, where only the top position counts for something.

Now for the Indian model.

We have eight teams qualifying for a knock-out round. And then knock-out games are played in neutral venues. In the knock-out round, if there is no result, the team with the first innings lead is declared the winner. If teams haven’t completed at least one inning, then the team with the better net scoring rate is declared winner.

Points System

Result               Points
Win Outright – 5
1st Innings Lead – 3*
No Result – 1
1st Innings Deficit – 1*
Lost Outright – 0
Note – * Only if match ends in a draw.
Bonus Point (for innings and 10 wicket wins) -1
See the difference

In the Ranji Trophy

What is the risk of playing aggressive cricket and trying for a win – you could lose 3 points or 1 point and left with 0 depending on whether you had the first innings lead or not. Which is lot when you are just trying to finish in the top 4

What is the reward for playing aggressive cricket and scoring at a fast rate or setting aggressive fields to take more wickets – nothing

How much more rewarding is a win as compared to a draw with a first innings lead – 5 points against 3. Not even twice as worth

Are teams really going all out for maximum points – No. Because they are just trying to finish in the top 4.

Is there any advantage gained by finishing first in the group – No. Because you don’t get home field advantage. And unlike Australia, having more points in the previous stage doesn’t offer any extra benefits in the case of a draw.

What is the best a team can expect from a game – Most of the times its 3 points because pitches are flat and no result comes out in 4 days.

What is the best way to ensure you make the quarterfinal round – Get as many three pointers as possible. Which means as many first innings leads as possible. You will have enough to be in the top 4 because anyways nobody else is trying to win.

What is the best way to win knock-out games – Get the first innings lead and then play for a draw. Again this strategy is helped by lifeless pitches.

So what needs to be done?

Bonus points for batting and bowling performance in the first innings. And these should be substantial enough to force teams to play aggressively. And these points can be earned irrespective of the match result. Do away with the fear of losing

Do away with at least one level of the knockout stage if not two levels. This will necessitate teams to become more aggressive and go for more points in every game as third and fourth won’t be good enough. This rule combined with the next one, (more points for wins) will completely change the outlook of teams. The group matches will become more important and competition for places will heat up

More points for a win as compared to what teams get for a draw. One win should be more than two draws. So, if you try to win twice and end up doing it even once, you get more than what you would have got, had you not tried.

At least the knock –out games should be five days. That ways you ensure that there is always enough time for a result. And as we are doing away with one round of games, there will be enough time to do that.

Do away with the first innings lead rule. Have the Australian system where the team with more points in the preliminary round is declared winner in case of a draw or tie. This will further increase the importance of group games. As there is enough time (5 days) for a result, the team with more points cannot afford to play for a draw. Also award notional points (including bonus ones) for the knock-out games, which will be taken into consideration if the final ends in a draw or a tie. That way teams will be motivated to play attacking cricket in the semis also and not take a defensive approach.

The case for home advantage has already been made by Sachin Tendulkar. It will be a self –fulfilling win-win for attacking sides. The more they win, the more points they will get and the more chances they will have of getting home conditions. Also if they have home conditions, the more likely they are to use it to their advantage to get more points and more wins.

It is important that we realize that these suggestions need to looked at as a complete package and not just standalone.  The full impact will only be realized if at least most of them, if not all, are implemented

It will also help if the quality of pitches was improved and we could get more participation from the international stars. But even without that, these changes in the structure of the Ranji Trophy will completely change the way the game is played at the domestic level. There will no longer be a fear of losing. Instead there will just be extra motivation to win. It will spawn a culture of playing aggressively to win the game and not defensively in trying not to lose it. The changed mindset will soon manifest itself at the international stage and change the approach of the national side as well. Indian cricket has everything to gain from these changes. Hope the BCCI is listening?

I have always thought very highly of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s feat of playing cricket at the highest level with just one good eye. It remains for me one of the best examples of a human being refusing to bow down to the dictates of fate and overcoming the curse of deformity with unflinching perseverance, dogged determination and sheer indomitable spirit.

And now Vijay Patel is ready to join Tiger Pataudi. For this one –handed guy has prevailed over all odds to play the game of basketball so well, that he’s been called for the selection trials to the Los Angeles Lakers.

If you don’t think that’s good enough just try it out for yourself. You will be soon tearing your hair out with both hands.

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?