Lal-it isn't about cricket

I watched with amazement all the hoopla and hype surrounding the IPL.

Few stray thoughts.

That IPL is a pensioner's paradise. How do you explain the decisions of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne to come out of retirements and opting to play in a grueling schedule? I read a news item where Mathew Elliot (remember him—he last played for Australia a decade ago) and Michael Kaspprowicz have reportedly agreed to play in the IPL. Look at the retirements over the last couple of months—Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Pollock! You do not need to be an Einstein to infer. They said T20 is a young man's game!

That Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid, and Tendulkar are captains of the respective teams. Laxman was discarded from the Indian team in the 50-over format some four years back because he was considered 'slow.' A month back, Ganguly and Dravid were dropped from the Indian 50-over team because their ageing limbs cannot cover the big grounds in Australia. What it tells you is that you may be unfit to play for your country but the same people (who think so) will call you to lead teams in a format where your limbs may even break! It is like withdrawing ageing boxers from the World welterweight championships, but they are found good enough to be part of the Super heavyweight category but at the provincial level!

That no player will talk about too much cricket now. I remember Tendulkar complaining to the media how tightly packed schedules were not helping his tired body. What will he say now? What if he says, "I have just finished a grueling IPL. I don't think I can tour Sri Lanka." What will the selectors say? Will they cry foul? When was the last time a Chief Selector looked at the scheduling and said 'enough is enough?' M/S Vengsarkar & Co., interesting times ahead!

That the IPL management (comprising of Lalit Modi, Lalit Modi, and Lalit Modi) managed to get the likes of Tom Moody, John Buchanan, Greg Chappell, and Martin Crowe to be in charge of the teams. You will wonder if it was the same board that struggled to even find a list of people to call for the Indian coach's job. In fact, the BCCI made such a monkey (not a racist slur—we worship Hanuman!) of itself that it called two candidates, one who had suspect credentials (of coaching South Africa) and the other whose name was added to make it look like a list! Now, the glitterati are coming to India. The Adelaide curator is also coming to create nice cricket wickets. Mr. Modi, couldn't you have done all this to the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy, your premier tournaments. Wonder, what Lalu Rajput would be saying? "Mummy, I want a team too!"

That everybody from Ness Wadia to Shahrukh Khan is talking about Indian domestic cricket. No longer, will first-class cricketers be looked at as "domestic" helps (obviously pun intended!), so say the city club honchos. Therefore, you have a situation where money is splurged into a format that is not even the mainstream format. The players say that playing Tests for their countries is the ultimate thing! If that is the case, am I wrong to infer that the players will not play the IPL with that intensity? Can this imply that the quality of cricket will not be that great? In that case, why should I watch it? Rather, why should anyone watch it?

That everybody is gushing over how Anil Kumble will get to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar and that Brett Lee will finally have a go at Mathew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. They will only get a 4-over spell and that too in a format that has field restriction! Sorry, this does not work for me. Ask Kumble and he will tell you that he would rather bowl to Tendulkar with a slip and couple of others in close-in positions. Can his captain give him that luxury? I am not sure. So, is the Indian public short-changed again? You will probably see a heavyweight bout with one of the contender's arms tied up!

That I recently saw a news item where Channel Nine stopped telecast of a one-dayer between India and Sri Lanka. Increasingly, cricket administrators are finding it difficult to fill stadiums ( or find enough TV viewers) for neutral games. The Champions Trophy matches held in October 2006 in India, not featuring India, were played to empty stands. I asked myself," Will I go and watch Joginder Sharma bowl at Stephen Fleming?" (I hope they are not teamed together.) NOOOOOOOO! OK, where do I go and watch that happen? In an Indian stadium—we don't have a decent stadium! For years, cricket administrators have short-changed paying spectators by providing them with broken wooden chairs and leaky toilets in the cricket stadiums. Somebody screamed, "TV rights hai na." Last morning I asked my dhobi (who provides a daily analysis to the other support staff in my building on the day's cricket news),"IPL aa raha hai. Tum dekhoge?” "Nahin saab, ismein India kahaan hai? India ke match ho toh mazaa hai." I wished I had taped this and sent it to Lalit Modi.