What’s new you may ask, it’s been that way since time immemorial. And if anything, the game has only grown in stature and size, especially since the inception of the T20 format and it’s highly entertaining ‘desi’ version, the IPL!
Then again, when you ask yourself, why has Indian Cricket been in the news in the recent past, it’s not been all pleasant. For starters the team has failed to get past the group stages in 2 consecutive ICC events this year, and despite their clinical performance in the emerald isle, their form has been far from convincing.
So why do I feel that Indian Cricket is following in footsteps of English Football?
The answer is, well, virtually inevitable!
The Barclays League, one of the best and most competitive leagues in the world has all the big names, the big money and the big players!
Yet, the English National Team is floundering like a fish out of water. The English Clubs have come into their own off late, especially on the European Stage, but who is waging their war?... Christiano Ronaldo (Portugese), who until recently player for Manchester United, Cesc Fabregas, Ferrnando Torres (both Spanish), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Andrei Arshavin (Russian), Emanuel Adebayor (Togolese) are the prized pawns of this league. Only a handful of Englishmen warrant a place in this elite list, namely Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Frank Lampard!
Not only are the players foreign, but even the big managers and club owners are also imported!
Sounds familiar? Well the Indian Premier League is in the same boat. Since it’s inception both the winning teams have been captained by Australians (Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist), neither of whom officially donned that mantle for their country. Not only did they annex the crown, but in the process they also outdid two wily Indian captains in M S Dhoni and Anil Kumble respectively!
The likes of Shane Watson, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Marsh, Ross Taylor have outdone their Indian counterparts. The coaching and support staff have all been brought in, and to top it all of, this year the IPL went on a ‘safari’ to South Africa!
And as I watch the Delhi Daredevils being tonked and hammered in the CLT20, it further drills the point.
The question that begs to be asked is: ‘Is T20 built for our kind of cricket?’
Historically, my answer would be an outright no!
Our game lays a lot of emphasis on individuals, on select roles… and not on ‘Total Cricket’! (A concept in football, where each player is capable of playing at any position!) Most successful T20 teams are built this way, they may not comprise of the biggest stars, but they sure are effective. All-rounders are the weapons of choice, and when was the last time we had one in the same league as Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Jacques Kallis or Daniel Vettori!
The high speed, adrenalin-rush tempo of the game is always a step ahead of us, and we’ave only just begin to realize that fielding is as much a specialty as batting or bowling!
These nuances of the game are yet to be processed by the ‘thinkers’ in our game.
Yet, cricket being the game of glorious uncertainties that it is, we emerge champions at the inaugural T20 World Cup!
Indians are on the rise, but to establish themselves as masters of all three forms of the game is still a task for the future! But given the talent pool we have, there certainly is lots of hope. As for English Football, David Beckham had better take a leaf out of Dhoni’s book,
