BCCI should handle youngsters with a lot of care: Anil Kumble

[Three'sACrowd]

............. BCCI has asked players to do the latter. Further players are paid to play, not to write columns or give speeches in press. They aren't trained for that. One wrongly worded sentence could end careers.

That's fair enough and in the larger scheme of things you're dead right. However, simultaneously, it is the BCCI's role to either absorb or deflect criticism, or to at least give constructive reasons for the loss, and show what they plan to do to iron out our weaknesses. You will notice I have not asked for the players to speak up. What I have spoken on is BCCI's response, or lack of it. I'm not asking for BCCI to paper over our faults; I 'm asking that they stand front and center to accept the blame instead of standing by as we spray our hysteria at the players.

You want Indian team to be another Pakistan? With every Tom Dick and Yousuf going public with his comments every day?

That's a strawman, i.e. you've set up the "do we want to be like Pakistan" argument and are now knocking it down. I have never said we should be another Pakistan. Dear god, no.

Every job in the corporate world comes with that. If you want to get something published or want to participate in a conference' date=' when you are employed full time by a Company, you are supposed to take it's consent as to that you will not be disclosing anything privy or of importance to the Company first.[/quote'] That's right. But by the same route, the corporate world also guarantees you some measure of protection; at least the better companies do. In sum, if you're thinking that my argument is based on wanting players to speak up, no it isn't. It's on the BCCI response.

[Precambrian]

That's fair enough and in the larger scheme of things you're dead right. However, simultaneously, it is the BCCI's role to either absorb or deflect criticism, or to at least give constructive reasons for the loss, and show what they plan to do to iron out our weaknesses. You will notice I have not asked for the players to speak up. What I have spoken on is BCCI's response, or lack of it. I'm not asking for BCCI to paper over our faults; I 'm asking that they stand front and center to accept the blame instead of standing by as we spray our hysteria at the players.

Agreed. BCCI could be a bit more "accountable" in this case. But that doesn't mean letting players to speak/write what they wish without prior approval.

That's right. But by the same route, the corporate world also guarantees you some measure of protection; at least the better companies do. In sum, if you're thinking that my argument is based on wanting players to speak up, no it isn't. It's on the BCCI response.

Could you please elaborate on the protection part?

[Three'sACrowd]

Agreed. BCCI could be a bit more "accountable" in this case. But that doesn't mean letting players to speak/write what they wish without prior approval.

That was never my argument anyway, in fact I totally agree with you.

Could you please elaborate on the protection part?

I can give the example of the organization I work for, plus two others I know of. For example, if there is fiscal under-performance, the corporation typically does not let all it's executives out to dry (unless you've got consistently bad performance, and then the top leaders are sacked). There's an apparatus that starts to go into action - PR, finance, internal analysts who support the leaders as they try and explain the reasons for the under- performance to the shareholders (angry fans?), and what they're doing to fix the problem. That's the basic protection that executives get. I do not yet see that from the BCCI. Instead they have issued a show cause notice to their players on (IMO) a comparatively minor issue.

[SJS50]

". . . critical to emphasise the team’s performance and stop either making individuals too important or making or breaking them at the drop of a hat." That is the crucial bit in that piece from Kumble and everyone concerned, most importantly the fans and media, would do well to repeat this to themselves a hundred times every day . . . five times a day.

[Chandan]

I'm one again quoting a good article from Prem Panicker with few of the other instances, almost identical, in past with some of the sensible columns coming up and as usual, board doing nothing. The after-party hangover May 19, 2010 prempanicker So this is how it goes: Throughout the 40-odd days of the IPL the BCCI encourages, even compels, players to party. Less than a month later, the BCCI serves notice on a bunch of players who went to party, got abused, and stood up for themselves. [The dichotomy is understandable, if you think of it from a BCCI perspective: it is okay to party as long as the BCCI is making some money off it. Otherwise, not.] Not to replay an old, tired tune — but here, as in so much else that is wrong with Indian cricket, the problem begins and ends with the BCCI. Anil Kumble nailed it in his recent Hindustan Times column:

Like the art of player management and making sure whatever available talent India has is harnessed properly and maximised. Far too many times for comfort, I’ve been where the current lot of Indian players today are — vilified by all and sundry, having every single thing they do torn apart and then some. Someone’s got to look at handling both them and the things that come with playing for India, responsibly. There’s the pressure of performance, the pressure of expectations, pressure from a very intrusive media including former players. These pressures can be overwhelming for a young man, more so perhaps, for a suddenly rich and famous young man coming to terms with his newfound status. So I think it’s equally important to prepare him to manage life during and beyond cricket. At the same time, without getting into which cricketer partied too much or drank too much or got into a brawl, or whether anyone did at all, there’s a need to educate young cricketers about their responsibilities. Not that they don’t know what these are but they need help on how to handle themselves with regard to these. It’s important for the BCCI to ensure that contracted players at least are given not just cricketing infrastructure but life infrastructure. Today’s players need management skills, communication skills, professional media skills — they are, after all, brand ambassadors for the country. Yet, it’s also critical to emphasise the team’s performance and stop either making individuals too important or making or breaking them at the drop of a hat.

Kumble is on the money here — but it is not by any means an original thought. Consider this column from 2008 [the IPL's inaugural year, in case you need reminding], by Jamie Alter on Cricinfo, where he talks of the pressures on India’s young:

With the win comes an overdose of adulation and big bucks, and there are more distractions today than ever before, Roger Binny, who coached the 2000 winners, points out. Binny says market forces now virtually dictate the game and believes India needs to follow the Australian prototype. “In Australia the development of junior cricketers is based completely within the state programme. Playing in tournaments is then just a part of the process. Their young players are groomed, there are counselling sessions where specialists tell them how to conduct themselves and what to expect. “These players are too young to take big decisions. The management here should have similar training sessions for our stars. For example, have a marketing or media expert come in and conduct a seminar on how to handle money and all the excess attention.”

Or check out this column I once wrote in context of Sreesanth:

This is exactly why the team needs a good, tough media manager, who can guide the players through the tricky shoals of commenting in public. Most of the players are unused to public speaking, and their lack of expertise leads them to open their mouth wide and gaffe it with their foot. Each time that happens, we renew calls for the appointment of a media manager; as regularly, the BCCI says such an appointment is a “matter of top priority”. This current administration said those exact words, two years ago when Pawar first took over – but in the 24 months since, no more than lip service has been paid to that “priority”, quite likely because the BCCI can’t see in such an appointment anything more than a waste of money. Someone meanwhile needs to take Sreesanth aside and point out to him that since he has enough empirical evidence to quantify what makes for really bad bowling, maybe it is time he shut up and bent his energies to determining what really good bowling is all about; plumping the depths of bad behavior out of a spirit of scientific curiosity is not what he is being paid to do.

The point is that the need for player management has been underscored, repeatedly, any number of times these past few years. Hell, even Ravi Shastri — contracted commentator with the BCCI, member of the IPL governing council, chairman of the National Cricket Academy [my apologies if I have left out a dozen or so of the hats he wears courtesy the BCCI] — spoke of the need for counseling for the young [a very good thing that would be, Ian Chappell said during a curtain-raising discussion on the IPL's first season, way back when]. And therein lies the rub: they all talk about it. Dalmiya did, in his time. Pawar made that one of the cornerstones of his administration, when he took over. And a decade down the line, we are still talking about something that is not particularly hard to do. Instead, what the BCCI does do, with remarkable consistency, is to send out these mixed signals, exhorting players to party one day, hauling them up for it the next. So why can't the team have a media manager like they had during the Australia tour-- M V Sridhar was his name if I can reacall? Why is it difficult to have a training for players below 25 for just 15 days on these matters as to how to conduct themselves in public? In the end why does the BCCI not think about players at all?

[Feed]

Players must strike balance between parties and matches: Whatmore Kolkata Knight Riders' coach Dav Whatmore on Tuesday said players should learn to strike a balance between cricket matches and IPL parties. More... Players must strike balance between parties and matches: Whatmore May 19, 2010 Kolkata Knight Riders' coach Dav Whatmore on Tuesday said players should learn to strike a balance between cricket matches and IPL parties. Whatmore, who was in Kochi for a seminar said, parties are part and parcel of IPL. "But the players should put in their 100 per cent for matches," he said. "If there are players not able to balance it then they have got to be very careful," he said. Asked which was his favourite team of the three he has coached - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or KKR - Whatmore said, "I have fond memories of all the three." "I do have a desire to whoever I am coaching to make them play to their best ability," he said. On KKR's performance in the last IPL edition, he said, "It was a very big learning curve for me." "The team should correct the mistakes and move forward to be a much more competitive side in IPL Four." After the Indian cricket team's Twenty20 World Cup debacle, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had conceded that after-match IPL parties and hectic travelling during the league did take a toll on the players' fitness.

[Feed]

Show cause to players and effect While the BCCI did not make an official statement, Hindustan Times has learnt that Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla and Murali Vijay received the notice on Tuesday. More... Show cause and effect HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times Mumbai, May 19, 2010 Seven members of India's World Twenty20 squad, who were involved in a pub brawl in St Lucia last week, were served a show-cause notice, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking them why action should not be taken on 'disciplinary grounds'. While the BCCI did not make an official statement, Hindustan Times has learnt that Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla and Murali Vijay received the notice on Tuesday. 'The players have to reply within seven days, explaining their stand about the incident in a St Lucia pub. They have to tell the Board the reasons behind partying late in the night despite being asked to restrain from partying,' a top BCCI official said. He also said that Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik were spared since 'they had left the restaurant early'. As reported by Hindustan Times over last week, the players had reacted to taunts hurled at them by a group of Americans of Indian origin after the team bowed out of the tournament with three successive losses in the Super Eights. Though tour manager, Ranjib Biswal, did not recommend action against any player, the BCCI found concrete evidence to seek explanation from the players. 'Being India cricketers, the players have to restrain from reacting to public comments, especially in public places,' a senior BCCI functionary said. “What was even more disappointing was that many of the players were drunk, which led to the argument. This is completely unacceptable.' This isn't the first time that some of the seniors have found themselves in the dock for unruly behaviour. Even if K Srikkanth and Co feel the likes of Yuvraj, Rohit and Jadeja deserve another chance, it won’t be surprising if the Board’s bigwigs exercise their constitutional right to issue a directive to the selectors to ignore certain players when the five wise men sit down to select the squad for next month's Asia Cup to be held in Sri Lanka. There’s been a debate on selection & other issues across media, about players already being picked, axed & banned. We’ve also received emails from readers asking what’s going on. We try to explain what are rumours , lies & what's probably happening through these 10 questions: Has it been pre-decided that certain players will be axed from the Asia Cup squad? No. The selection committee to pick the Asia Cup squad has not yet met and when they do, decisions are taken collectively. As of now, the selectors haven't even discussed the potential squad. Can the BCCI issue a directive to the selectors on selection? Yes, in a fashion (there is a provision under the BCCI constitution for this) and there is a precedent (it happened after the 2007 World Cup debacle). If the Board wants certain players left out of the squad on any ground, what it will do is "convey its wishes" to the selectors through the BCCI secretary, who is the selection committee convenor. The secretary normally, does not take part in the proceedings. The BCCI's wishes will be taken on board. When will the Asia Cup squad be picked? No date has been fixed but it is likely to be in the first week of June. India play their first game in Dambulla against Bangladesh on June 16. Will certain players who did poorly in the Caribbean be dropped from the Asia Cup squad? Likely, but there's a catch here. The just concluded World Twenty20 is a T20 tournament and the Asia Cup is a one-day event. An ODI squad is not picked on the basis of a T20 tournament (or should not be). For instance, Sachin Tendulkar is an ODI regular and both Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra are likely to be picked for ODIs ahead of say, a Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit Sharma again, was a replacement in the last match for Tendulkar in the last ODI series against SA at home. In any case, players are not picked and axed on the basis of one tournament, but are selected on the basis of form and fitness over a period of time. But yes, a couple of star players are likely to be shown the door because of a lack of form and fitness for a while now. Is this India team as bad as it's being painted at the moment? Not at all, it's lost a big T20 tournament but India is No. 2 in the world in ODIs and world No. 1 in Tests. They were undone by bounce in Barbados but T20 cricket is the most unpredictable of formats. Should the selectors be held responsible for the loss? Not really, with a couple of points of debate (the leaving out of Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli and a second spinner for instance), they picked the best possible squad. Just as a pointer: India's record since October 1, 2008 (the current selection committee took over in September '08) is this: Tests: Played-16, Won-9, Lost-1, Drew-6. ODIs: P-44, W-27, L-13, No result-4. T20s: Played-11, Won 5, Lost 6, Tied 0, No Result 0. India were No. 5 in ODIs and No. 3 in Tests when the current selection committee took over I September 2008. Will players be dropped on fitness grounds? Possibly. The selection committee will be given information by the team management/support staff on the players' fitness levels and will be taken on board. Do Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni have a say in selection? Their views are taken but the selection committee makes the final decisions. All the batsmen struggled on bouncy tracks in Barbados. How will they adapt to Sri Lanka? The wickets in Sri Lanka are subcontinental tracks, slower and lower like in India. So the problems that plagued the team in Barbados are unlikely to be a problem in Lanka. However, the team's batting against the rising delivery on bouncy wickets is a concern looking at long-term development and places like South Africa, where India is scheduled to tour this winter. Will MSD stay? Yes. He’s led India to No. 1 in Tests & No. 2 in ODIs. Why shouldn’t he be captain? India need a stable core group in the run-up to next year's World Cup.

[Karan114]

Interesting further posts from Prem in the "comments" section of that article:

I agree entirely, both about the cause and about the role model. Add Dravid, Kumble et al to that mix. The trouble though is, for a kid who had to thumb rides on a bus to suddenly be able to buy a BMW on a whim, he tends to get carried away. And what he sees, and wants to emulate, is not the quiet achievements of the SRTs, but the flashy lifestyle of the Yuvrajs. Case in point is Rohit Sharma — who idolizes Yuvraj to the point of aping his page 3 lifestyle. And it is costing him – increasingly, he drinks too much, parties too hard, sleeps too little and spends diminishing amounts of time working on his game. It is where a good man manager could drag him back onto the rails, and that is precisely what we do not have.

Going to the bar to drown your sorrows is no issue whatever. You are totally right about that, and in this case I think it is the fans who needed to be told a thing or two. That said, players are increasingly getting prone to overdoing the bar thing, to the point where it has a definite, quantifiable impact on both their fitness and on-field performance, and that is perhaps a factor the management needs to work on.

[Gunner_Mania]

May 19, 2010 prempanicker So this is how it goes: Throughout the 40-odd days of the IPL the BCCI encourages, even compels, players to party. Less than a month later, the BCCI serves notice on a bunch of players who went to party, got abused, and stood up for themselves. [The dichotomy is understandable, if you think of it from a BCCI perspective: it is okay to party as long as the BCCI is making some money off it. Otherwise, not.] In the end why does the BCCI not think about players at all?

The highlighted bit should answer your question. The players don't make money for BCCI. There is more from where they came. Let's be honest there is no dearth of talent in India and even less dearth of half arsed talent like a few in the current squad. A Yuvraj or a Rohit or a Raina does not succeed, there will be a few more that will be available to take their places. As long as the BCCI can anssemble a squad of 14 or 15 and put a 11 out on the park who will win matches every now and then, they should do fine the way they are.

[Sachinism]

TFS hopefully this will clear up a few misconceptions some people have

[achilles]

Its nothing, really. Even Sachin had got one.

[kabira]

Yuvraj must have used it as toilet paper LOL

[Feed]

What players owe their fans : Harsha Bhogle Cricketers must realise that being likeable is important, and their followers should learn the limits of how much their fandom entitled them to. More... What players owe their fans Cricketers must realise that being likeable is important, and their followers should learn the limits of how much their fandom entitled them to Harsha Bhogle May 22, 2010 At the checkout counter in our hotel in St Lucia, a lady came to say hello and ask politely if she could have a photograph. And then, in passing, she asked why "our cricketers" were so arrogant. "All I wanted was an autograph and a photograph for my kid, but they were so arrogant…" It wasn't the first time I had heard the line and I mumbled something about there being a lot of fans, but neither she nor I was convinced of my reply. Meanwhile, in the bar of our hotel in Barbados, a loud, overbearing group of Indian fans was making it difficult for others to have conversations; not just because they were loud but because they kept interrupting everybody. As they got inebriated, and increasingly insufferable, they began to accost some of the West Indian cricketers. It was a good time to leave. So here are two different images of the Indian fan. I have little doubt that the group the Indian cricketers encountered in St Lucia after their defeat belonged to the second category. But while people will do what they must, it raises interesting questions about the relationship between cricketers and fans. The cricketers believe fans are overbearing, the fans find them arrogant. Many spectators and viewers believe - and this is a point often made in this column - that they are the genuine stakeholders of Indian cricket; that if they didn't watch, there would be no money, and maybe no game. The counter to that would be: what does buying a ticket or watching a game entitle you to? The action as a match unfolds? The excitement and drama that only live sport can provide? Or more? A slice of a player's life? Conversely, are players expected to acknowledge that their livelihood comes, either directly or otherwise, from the people who watch them play? And that, therefore, they should be polite, dignified and likeable in their company? And very patient? But then, shouldn't fans be reasonable? Can't they wait, for example, before dinner is complete before barging in and insisting on a photograph? I suspect, like with most things, both camps have a point. I do believe, though, that buying a ticket entitles you to no more than the action you have paid for. And like with the movies, sometimes you get to see a hit and sometimes a flop. I cannot, I'm afraid, subscribe to a view I have often heard: "We've come so far and look what they did." As if to say that because they have travelled the distance, the player is beholden to do well. I heard a lot of that in the West Indies. Sadly, it was often followed by derogatory remarks, inevitably unproven, about players and their habits. The players, too, need to realise that this is part of the deal they buy into when they enter the world of international sport. And that being polite doesn't cost too much. I have seen Tendulkar and Dravid and Kumble do it very well. Over time you know which fan to avoid, which one to smile at, which autograph to sign and when to pause for a photograph. Scribbling an autograph without even looking at a person, for example, is rude. It is far easier to say, "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry". Unfortunately not many cricketers believe that being likeable is important. Sure, they are there to play cricket, to win matches and not popularity contests, but they also represent a team and a country. And I think they will discover that being likeable is not too difficult, nor bad for their brand value. All successful brands, and that includes people brands, eventually need to be likeable, and I hope someone tells our young cricketers that. Aamir and Shahrukh will always be bigger brands than Salman Khan because of the way they carry themselves. Ditto with Tendulkar and Dravid. I suspect that, in course of time, this love-hate relationship will extend to that between a player and the media; especially if the media is as fickle and sensationalist as it has now become. Aggressive, sometimes untruthful, reporting actually spurs the fans on, and I fear large sections of the media are abdicating their responsibility towards being balanced and truthful, which is really a journalist's Hippocratic Oath.

[achilles]

Superb. Sharp. Precise. Bang on Target.

[SSJ4Kakashi]

I 100% agree with Bhogle.

[Sachinism]

All true. Fans need to understand it could get overwhelming for the players to be constantly hounded by fans and media, but they should also appreciate these people are the reason they're such superstars