When will we learn?

[meemumbaikar]

First of all a big hello to all of you from me the Mumbaikar.... Now to my thread... Indian cricket has stumbled from one super star to the next by sheer accident and most times luck. Even if we go back in time and throw a cursory look at the historical Indian greats, we will realise that there was no sustained method of choosing greatness in team India. The net result has been that ever since the spin quartet hung up their boots we are still looking for that "killer app" bowler who will mesmerise the world (but without luck), ever since Sunil Gavaskar retired we are looking for a opener of his class, ever since Kirmani retired we are looking for a wicket keeper of his class? Why is it that only team India finds players that need to be selected into the international side and they have to finish their learning on the big stage? Surprisingly though in the Ranji trophy space we have teams like Mumbai, to some extent Delhi and Karnataka that have consistently thrown up a slew of good players (mirrored by their selection to team India etc)...admittedly the competition in domestic cricket is sub par and therefore not much to rave about but still they know something which the board is loathe to accept. Finally in Australia, when Border took over the first thing he instituted in consultation with the board is a policy whereby, replacements will be found and ruthlessly made as and when the team cause become more important over individuals, thus we have seen the Waugh brothers being replaced, Michale Bevan being dropped, Damien Martyn retiring before the sack etc etc.... Our board has not learnt and will not learn since they are more interested in playing politics rather than addressing fundamental cricket issues.

[Rajiv]

Great 1st Up post, welcome to ICF Apun pan Mumbaikar ( where in Mumbai ? ) Better yet, intro yourself in the Who are we thread and state your source too..thanx

[Zap_Brannigan]

And that is exactly why we need an ICL kinda league.....Play with the big boys to deserve a spot in the International stage

[meemumbaikar]

And that is exactly why we need an ICL kinda league.....Play with the big boys to deserve a spot in the International stage

I couldn't agree more with you, but I personally it would have been better (in fact even now can be better) if we can get current internationals to play in Ranji's and Duleep Trophy etc. We should allow two per team (max three) and try and throw real big money at some of the contemporary players from Eng/Aus/Saf/Windies/Pak (the last might be difficult since they like us don't have any off season). Instead of focusing our debate and energies on ICL and 20-Twenty it would be worthwhile to develop genuine cricket skills.

[Ram]

Awesome first post ! You mirror the sentiments of many people here.

[meemumbaikar]

Great 1st Up post, welcome to ICF Apun pan Mumbaikar ( where in Mumbai ? ) Better yet, intro yourself in the Who are we thread and state your source too..thanx

Many parts of Mumbai in the past now not in India, could not find the post you are talking about, this forum is taking some time getting used to...

[King]

Good first post :thumbs_up: The BCCI can't really be ruthless can it? We all know the kind of noise that will be made when an established player is dropped in India. The board in the first place doesn't have professionals running it. I don't reckon the current administrators are good enough to question the selectors. From what I know even the selectors are unpaid and are not accountable. In a situation like this how can anyone be ruthless? Imagine a Tendulkar or Ganguly or Rahul Dravid or all three dropped from the ODIs. I'm sure the whole country will burn if that happens. There is no way people are going to risk their posts dropping one of these established players.

[Lurker]

Welcome aboard Mumbaikar.:two_thumbs_up: Now onto your thread.

Why is it that only team India finds players that need to be selected into the international side and they have to finish their learning on the big stage?

You know the answer already. It is the stature of domestic cricket. So long as we have 20 odd teams playing we would not have strong teams barring a few. That coupled with the fact that domestic cricket is not given the deserved respect by cricketers or the selectors ensures that domestic cricket shall lay in doldrums. You mentioned Gavaskar and the spin quartret. It is prudent to remember that Gavaskar would play domestic cricket as much as he could. There are stories of how he had arrived late evening from West Indies, then went on to play in Kanga league the next morning. Not even Ranji trophy final but Kanga league mind you!!(taking nothing away from Kanga league for a second). The spin quartret came into prominence because of domestic cricket. Some of the toughest matches in Indian domestic circuit happened this time, notably between Mumbai and Karnataka. Mumbai had Sunny, Karnataka had Vishy, Mumbai had Shivalkar, Karnataka had Prasanna & Chandra and so on. The respect, or lack there of, for domestic cricket has ensured Indian players get to hone their skills only at International circuit.

Finally in Australia, when Border took over the first thing he instituted in consultation with the board is a policy whereby, replacements will be found and ruthlessly made as and when the team cause become more important over individuals, thus we have seen the Waugh brothers being replaced, Michale Bevan being dropped, Damien Martyn retiring before the sack etc etc.... Our board has not learnt and will not learn since they are more interested in playing politics rather than addressing fundamental cricket issues.

As much as it is the board's fault it is also the fault of the fans. You are correct that Aussies have taken some hard hitting decisions and it has paid off for them in the long run. If India were to use the same logic we would have players of calibre Sachin, Ganguly and in yesteryears Kapil dropped when it was obvious they were a shadow of their past. However you only have to visit any cricket forum to realize how Indian fans react to that, let alone the Board of Selectors. xxx