Is Anyone at Cricket Center Listening?

Another Test series ended. The series was drawn 1-1. Some said it was a fair result, considering that the two teams are well matched. May be. May be not. But, there were few disturbing thoughts.

- That we chose to play a Test series in India after March 15 was shocking. Who at BCCI does the scheduling? Where do you play a Test match? Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Kanpur! Dare M/S Niranjan Shah & Co. to go on a walk (even for 10 minutes) during the day in these cities around this time of the year! How can you expect people to throng the stadiums? How can you expect the players be on the ball all the time in this oppressive heat? If the players are not playing at their best, how do you expect TV viewers to watch these matches? Ideally, as someone had pointed out, Test matches in India must be played between October and February—the weather is good, the spectators will line up both at the stadium as well as close to their TVs. The players will relish the weather and there will be some good cricket played. Is anyone at Cricket Center listening?

- That the Test series was not broadcast live on radio was shocking. Working professionals like me who wanted to follow the game had nothing to turn to. I can't think of cricket fans in some remote corner of this land. The Board talks about taking the game to all parts of the country. Can someone tell me how? Besides, did anyone watch the coverage on Neo Sports? Pathetic, I must say. The feed is terrible and the commentator-duo of Arun Lal and L Sivaramakrishnan is the modern-day avatar of Kader Khan-Shakti Kapoor! The pictures are jarring, to say the least. Who in the Board is responsible for this farce? Is anyone at Cricket Center listening?

- That Dhoni paid Rs.10,000/- to the curator at the Green Park after the match was baffling. When the media broke the story, the Board official clarified that this was a usual practice where the captains tipped the ground staff. Why? Isn't the curator paid by the host association? Surely, he looks after the surface for the whole season- not just one solitary Test match. Maybe, the host association doesn't feel like having a pitch laid out for the whole season. No wonder, the standards at the domestic level are pathetic. Ideally, every association in India must have a qualified curator on its rolls that needn't be tipped after every win. Is anyone at Cricket Center listening?

- That our batsman saw the color green on the Motera wicket and ran as fast they could to the pavilion. The innings folded up for 76, two hours after it started on the first morning. Somebody said we won Test matches at Perth, Kingston, Trent Bridge, and Jo'burg in the last two years - all bowler-friendly (fast-bowling-friendly) conditions. However, you have these conditions in India, the same vaunted line-up flounders. Why? I don't have an answer! Similar to "Why is water liquid?” I read reports about the players being more involved in the IPL build-up than preparation for the series. If that is true, then the Board should be taken to task-because the players were obviously do their bit of promotion at the behest of some senior Board members. Is anyone at Cricket Center listening?

- That there are few players whose Test career is on the line. Wasim Jaffer has played six Test matches with just a solitary fifty. He must be told to go." Yuvraj must be told that he is the Most Valuable Player in the ODI format, but he is a no-no in the longer version. Irfan Pathan bowls like one-day bowler in Test matches—125 kmph, mixes things up, sticks to a line and length- therefore he is largely ineffective. Can our selectors drop these guys from the Test arena? No, they will continue to pick these players based on some past glory. Worse, like the aam aadmi, they can't separate performances between the two formats. That makes me wonder—Is anyone at Cricket Center listening?

- That Test cricket is a boutique product. It must be nurtured and taken care of like the Mughal Gardens. The curators of the Mughal Gardens look at several issues - right flowers, right environment, right audience, etc. Similarly, the curators of Test cricket in India—BCCI—must also think on these lines—right venues, right wickets, right spectators, right season, etc. It is not impossible for this Board? If M/S Pawar and Modi invested 25% of their time and effort on Test cricket (25% of the time and effort which they’re investing in IPL), cricket followers will have such a wonderful product. But then, is anyone at Cricket Center listening?